Ridgeons recently bid a fond farewell to Paul Mazey, operations manager at Ridgeons Forest Products, who has retired after 28 years with the company.

Mr Mazey joined the Ridgeons Timber Department at Cromwell Road, Cambridge, in 1986, where he was tasked with establishing Ridgeons Bulk Ltd on a site in Herringswell, which had been acquired from Eastern Counties Sawmill. He subsequently played a part in establishing the site as the stock-holding, production and distribution hub for timber and timber panel products for the whole group.

Over the past three years, Mr Mazey has continued to play an integral part in the team that has overseen major projects at the site, including a new single-storey building, the introduction of a new machining line upgrade and twin-saw line, and the rolling-out of Wi-Fi capability across the site to enable the implementation of hand-held devices and bar codes for product tracking.

“Paul is an admired and well-respected individual who will be greatly missed,” said sales and marketing manager Stephan Wait, who has worked closely with Mr Mazey for a number of years. “He has a natural ability to get the very best out of his team. He is incredibly committed and positions the customers’ interest at the heart of everything he does, and he also has a wealth of timber knowledge and operational experience that is second to none.”

General manager Jem Slee added: “Working with Paul is never dull; he is a real character and has this wonderful ability to find an innovative solution to the most complex of problems. As one of life’s true innovators, he had the foresight and determination to shape Herringswell into the modern, efficient distribution site that it is today.”

Following his retirement, Mr Mazey hopes to spend more time with his family and in Wales, and plans to indulge his passion for customising cars.