Adam with daughter Edie
When Adam Frearson joined WG Davies Tenby the team consisted of just him and Sarah. Following a move from a busy garage supporting GD Harris haulage, one of Wales’s largest independent suppliers of aggregates, delivering for multimillion pound infrastructure projects, his immediate worry was for his long-term outlook.
Seven years on, following significant investment in the Tenby depot and exponential growth in the business, that worry has proved unfounded. Today Adam is the Workshop Foreman, managing a team of five technicians, juggling a workload that keeps everyone busy and with plenty of opportunity for overtime for those who want it. The business today serves a much broader customer base than the primarily pet reg operation Adam joined back in 2017 and he has never looked back.
We asked him why he chose to move away from GH Harris, “I wasn’t particularly happy,” he explained “I wanted to move but it was a difficult decision for me, I had served my apprenticeship with them and did not know anything different”. Aware that he was looking for a fresh start, a friend showed him the job advertisement for WG Davies Tenby, he went along, met Sarah and was offered the position almost immediately.
Sarah is clear about the qualities Adam brings to the team today “He is really good at what he does, nothing gets past him and, when necessary, he will keep digging until he gets to the bottom of a problem. If we get a job that we have not seen before or something that is not easy to solve, I pass it to Adam in absolute confidence that it will be sorted.”
Alongside his tenacious nature Adam has developed into a leader as well, with responsibility for managing the workshop team, handing out jobs and mentoring apprentices. The morale at Tenby has never been better - there is a real focus on getting the work done right first time while also having fun. “The best thing about working here is we can all have a laugh, when it is appropriate of course. Everyone gets along well. The work is serious and we are always busy but it is important that we can enjoy what we do.”
Part of that job satisfaction comes from the family feel that we hear so much about from WG Davies staff. “It is clear that it is a family business, you know who your boss is, you know Roger when you see him about and he’ll always stop and speak to you,” Adam tells us. “I hear friends say they don’t want to see their boss because it usually means they are in trouble but it is different here, it’s nice to know who he is and to be able to have a conversation with him.”
Adam has only ever known a work life as an HGV tech, so we wanted to know what else he might have considered, “I thought about being a motocross mechanic but I would have had to move away from the area for that” he says. “I started racing motocross when I was about five, it was nothing serious, just local races but my dad used to race and he got both me and my brother into it.” Adam still races today despite multiple broken bones, including a collarbone which is plated and a separated shoulder. Ouch!
Adam lives with his partner Bethan in Cosheston and when he is not racing a motor bike off road, he enjoys golf, managing to squeeze in a couple of rounds each week and gradually reducing his handicap. By far the biggest call on his time is undoubtedly his three year old daughter old Edie, “We like to get out and about as a family if the weather is nice,” Adam shares.
It seems Edie has inherited her father’s love for motor sports; “She has already got an electric bike which she rides around the garden, she loves it, she is properly rough and tumble, she should’ve been a boy!” Adam laughs.
We had to twist Adam’s arm to get him to step into the spotlight but we are so pleased he did, it has been a real pleasure getting to know him and we wish him all the very best in his home and work life.