Sending email...Ben Nock Fencing Specialists
Many farmers in the South West have diversified at least once, but for Ben Nock keeping one step ahead of the game has been his mantra in business for the last twenty years.
Having started out in farming back in 1989, at the same time he joined Cornish Mutual; Ben found his niche in fencing quite by accident. Ben, who lives with his family near Bovey Tracey, found he needed to fence his own stock of 100 ewes in and there was also demand from neighbours and friends.
Seven years later, Ben saw an opportunity in farming ostriches to breed and keep over seven hundred birds eventually destined for the UK meat market. He explains, “This was good for around eight years, but the bottom fell out of the industry – breeding and keeping the ostriches was more expensive than the return on the meat and really we came out of the business by market force.”
It has been a blessing in disguise for 42 year old Ben and his wife Rebecca, who now between them, run a successful specialist fencing and landscaping company across the region, employing twelve people with a turnover of £1.4 million a year.
“We’ve diversified even more than most people and now the buildings that we used to keep and breed the ostriches in have been converted into three holiday cottages.”
Cornish Mutual has been insuring Ben and his family throughout all the business transformations and local Inspector John Amery looks after their insurance needs for motor, business, house and holiday lets.
“We wouldn’t have been able to survive without diversifying and Cornish Mutual has made the whole process much easier. Because we have so many policies, we do see John quite a bit, which is good. We’ve never had a problem and the unique thing about Cornish Mutual is they find reasons to pay and don’t avoid claims.”
Ben adds, “With Cornish Mutual, I don’t have to worry and I just know we’re covered. They come out and sort it out. Whenever we’ve had problems they’ve been there and I can’t fault them for getting out and sorting it face-to-face, it’s good to know they’re around.”
Ben’s company manages both large scale and smaller fencing projects including those for construction sites, schools and the agricultural industry, as well as domestic and security fencing and landscaping.
But what about the future? Ben says he’s now looking to explore other potential markets, “I like to think we’re environmentally conscious and it would be good to be more self-sufficient and sustainable. We’re carrying out borehole tests to see whether we can access our own water supply. The idea is to make cost savings and we’d like to recycle more timber and ultimately produce our own energy.”
To find out more about Ben Nock Fencing Specialists, visit www.bennock.com or call 01626 834323 for more information.
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