Our Story

I didn't start my working life as a Heating Engineer and Electrician though. After I completed my higher education in Sheffield at the age of 22, I spent thirteen years as a Plastics Engineer. I worked in the automotive industry on projects for the likes of Ford, Honda, Suzuki and Jaguar Land Rover.

When I started my first business back in 2002 I was fortunate enough to have ended up travelling all over the world as a Project Manager and I spent several months out of the country each year in Europe and Asia.

Around the time I eventually tired of the long hours, the travelling and the living out of a suitcase, I was presented with an opportunity to work for a well respected Direct Marketing company in Chichester called Pro-Active Business Information. It was without doubt the best career move I ever made.

I worked at Pro-Active for almost twelve years and the Sales and Marketing skills I developed while I was there have proved to be invaluable. In fact, the time I spent at Pro-Active has been an integral part of the journey to starting Valmac. I will be forever indebted to the owners of the business for the opportunities they gave me. Valmac quite simply wouldn't exist without them.

When I bought my first house back in the mid-nineties I discovered DIY and the satisfaction that came from working with my hands.

Plumbing and Electrics were of particular interest to me and I've been more than happy to engage in both at every opportunity in my own home and those of friends and family for the 25 years since. It has been a hobby and a passion that I've taken great satisfaction from for almost all of my adult life.

An anonymous sage once said: "do something you love and you will never have to work another day in your life". How true.

So at a point in my life of being restless to start my own business again, it was time to turn what was essentially an all consuming hobby into a fulfilling and full-time career.

I gave up the day job and took an entire year out to formalise my plumbing and electrics experience and I have loved every step of the journey since.

I suppose I'm a bit of a geek at heart so I very much enjoyed the challenge of studying for qualifications again. I had the added bonus of meeting some incredibly talented and skillful people along the way too.

Now its my day job I'm just as enthusiastic about plumbing and electrics as I was back in the 1990's when I bought my first house and completely re-plumbed and re-wired the entire place. This is my calling and I'm finally following a career path that I'm avidly passionate about.

When I began to think about what the new business should be called, there was no doubt in my mind that Valmac should be the name. You see, my dear mum passed away a few years ago. Her name was Valerie Macuix and so much of who I am and the values I hold dear I owe to her.

I was fortunate enough to have been born to loving parents and for my dear mum in particular to have constantly sacrificed and put the lives of her children before her own in order to give my sister and I the opportunities in life she never had.

If there was one thing mum excelled at, it was being a parent. Oh, and given half a chance she could talk the hind legs off a donkey too!

So when it came to thinking about what I should call my new business, it wasn't even a choice. Valmac isn't just a name you see, it is an acknowledgment of the profound influence my mum had on my life and a mission statement for the way I conduct business. It reflects every value I hold dear that mum instilled in me: Integrity; trust; understanding; diligence; tenacity and enthusiasm.

I can never repay mum for all the sacrifices she made for me, but I can be grateful for the life she gave me and live each day as she would have wanted me to.

help@valmac-phs.co.uk