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.
