Two men who started as apprentices with an Inverness firm in the 1990s have become its owners after a £500,000 management buyout.
Marcus Sanctuary and Gary Cunningham are hoping to expand Tom Morrow Tarpaulins after formally taking the company over from its founders, Chris and Denise Townsley, yesterday.
Having built it up over more that 30 years, Mr and Mrs Townsley decided to step aside from the business to concentrate on property interests.
Based in Henderson Road, in the Highlands capital’s Longman area, the firm provides bespoke tarpaulins for a range of sectors, with the fish farming industry currently its largest market.
Mr Sanctuary said the company was looking to build on its work with other industries, including haulage, oil and gas, renewable energy and agriculture. The firm’s new owners hope to recruit a number of new apprentices shortly.
Working throughout the Highlands and Islands, the business has a workforce of five and an annual turnover of more than £800,000.
Mr Cunningham joined the business as a 16-year-old apprentice after leaving Inverness Royal Academy in 1993, with Mr Sanctuary, who went to the city’s Culloden Academy, following him two years later, at the age of 17.
Mr Sanctuary said: “Both Gary and I have Chris and Denise to thank for allowing us to develop the industry and business skills that are allowing us to take over the running of Tom Morrow.
“Our plan going forward is to build on the Townsley legacy and grow the company by attracting new business in all core sectors.
“We are also looking to grow the team by recruiting apprentices into the workshop, allowing us to spend more time getting to know our customers. We have got a lot of ideas about what we want to do. We’ll spend a few weeks settling into our now roles then get to work on them.”
Tom Morrow was also previously well-known in Inverness for hiring out inflatable bouncy castles. Mr Sanctuary said he was considering re-starting the sideline, which the company gave up several years ago.
