Aberdonian Jim Shiach believes entrepreneurial spirit runs in his family.
Like his great-grandfather before him, a legendary Granite City businessman, he has always considered anything is possible with a little determination.
The managing director of SCES (Solids Control Electrical Services) – a business on the brink of international expansion – adopted his positive thinking at an early age when he would listen to tales of his great-grandfather Alex “Cocky” Hunter trading second-hand goods from his city-centre stores.
From a needle to an anchor, Cocky Hunter would go to extreme lengths to help customers to find exactly what they were looking for.
It seems that this “can do” characteristic has been passed down to Mr Shiach, who shares the same positive approach to business.
Mr Shiach was always keen to stand on his own two feet and, by the age of 13, he was paying his mum board using earnings from a newspaper round.
He left the education system earlier than most, beginning his working life at 16 as an apprentice electrician with British Rail in 1976, but, with a passion and drive for success, it wasn’t long before he was ready to set up on his own and, in 1981, aged 21 he launched his first business venture JS Electrical in the Granite City.
He said: “I knew setting up my own company would be tough, but I was determined not to call on other parties for financial backing.
“It took huge commitment, but I had a burning ambition to better myself which spurred me on.
“That decade was one of the most challenging of my career, with the business facing steep competition within the domestic, industrial and commercial sectors.”
In 1991, Mr Shiach made the decision to move back to mainstream employment in Aberdeen with global company, Alfa Laval, which manufactures, sells and rents mechanical separation equipment – a step he sees as invaluable to the success of his next business venture. He said: “I realised that to move forward I needed to understand business from a wider perspective.
“I quickly progressed from my position in the workshop to service manager, then into sales, which gave me exceptional experience in terms of developing my business skills. I was able to learn about business on a global scale, work with many different cultures and travel around the world.
“During this time, I decided to go back to education and obtained a diploma in management studies from the Robert Gordon University through an open learning course.
“I’ve always craved learning, possibly because both my sisters went to university and gained degrees while I worked.
“I always wanted to prove that I could do it both for myself and my parents.
“In 2002, I saw a gap in the marketplace for a consultancy in the energy sector and, with an overriding ambition to run my own business once more, I launched SCES in Aberdeen and then Centrifuges Un-limited one year later.”
The companies specialise in consultancy and mechanical process services for both the most basic and complex of separation challenges.
They began in the North Sea oil and gas industry, but today apply their knowledge globally and across all industries and their respective waste streams. The group employs 11.
The 49-year-old, whose wife Karen, in accounts and administration, and son Ryan, 22, an electrical apprentice, also work in the business, launched the second division of his company, Control Systems Un-limited, at this year’s Offshore Europe exhibition.
Following £250,000 investment in the business in 2009, Mr Shiach said it had been a buoyant year with preparations for international expansion in 2010 well under way.
He said: “Our new division further strengthens the group’s technical offering as it allows us to provide bespoke solutions for both Centrifuges Un-limited and SCES’ customer bases. As well as taking on a dedicated international operations director this year, we’ve been preparing to enter markets in the Middle East and India.
“The company is going through a period of planned growth and our team is about to head to Dubai in January for another trade mission with Scottish Development International.
“We’ve identified the Middle East and India as key areas for SCES expansion, as we see these as where our expertise and solutions will now be accepted as standard practice.
“By establishing Control Systems Un-limited, we can now provide our clients with a full service offering, from concept to design, manufacture and maintenance, and we can take care of our clients’ complete separation needs.”
While the raw materials in their businesses may differ, there is an underlying similarity between Mr Shiach’s work and that of his late great-grandfather, as he explained.
“Well known for his skills in tracking down even the most rare and extraordinary of items, my great-grandfather Cocky Hunter is a celebrated character fondly remembered in the history of Aberdeen. My preoccupation is much the same as his: helping clients, by providing them with solutions to their problems.
“I like to think that my son and daughter Samantha, 24, who works at an energy service business in Aberdeen, will also share the passion and drive of their great, great-grandfather and when the time is right launch their own businesses.”