Conservatory Blinds, Roof Blinds and Door Blinds direct from the Factory.

Mark Salmon: Managing Director

Previous Experience & Training:

• 25 years in Corporate Banking with Barclays
• 5 years running his own business consulting company before investing in Heritage Shutters.

Personal details:

• Married with 2 children, Emma aged 23 working at UBS in London, and James 15 currently studying for his GCSE's.
• Hobbies include reading, gardening, golf, watching James play football but most spare time is spent on studying business and marketing.
• No real holiday for 6 years - just a few days at a time!
• One day off sick in 31 years of work - it's mind over matter!
• President of the Nuneaton Arbury Rotary Club for 2007/8.

Favourite things:

• My family.
• Books - 'Cider with Rosie' and 'As I walked out one mid-summers morning' by Laurie Lee. Also, 'My family and other animals' by Gerald Durrell.
• Poets - John Masefield - went to the same school that I did!
• Paintings - there is no room left on my walls at home for any more pictures.
• Cutting the lawn -there's nothing more satisfying than a good lawn!
• Being at the birth of your children - a life changing event!
• Testimonials from customers - I love it when our customers get excited by our products.
• My home town - Stratford-upon-Avon.
• Places - the Cotswolds, Lake District, Cornwall, Menorca.
• The Internet - so much information, so little time.
• Films - 'Shakespeare in Love', 'Saving Private Ryan'

Some quotations I like:

• Failure is only the opportunity to more intelligently begin again --Henry Ford, industrialist, inventor (1863-1947)
• You gain strength, courage and confidence by every experience in which you really stop to look fear in the face. You must do the things you think you cannot do - - Eleanor Roosevelt, UN diplomat, humanitarian, US first lady (1884-1962)
• It is easier to do a job right than to explain why you didn't - -Martin Van Buren, eighth US president (1782-1862)
• They can because they think they can - Virgil, Roman poet (70bc-19bc)
• What we obtain too cheap, we esteem too lightly: it is dearness only that gives every thing its value - Thomas Paine (1737-1809) political theorist & writer
• He who is outside the door has already a good part of his journey behind him -- Dutch proverb
• Simplicity is the ultimate sophistication - Leonardo da Vinci (1452-1519)
• Italian painter, sculptor and inventor In the middle of difficulty lies opportunity-- Albert Einstein (1879-1955) German physicist

Sylvia Rotchell: Operations Manager

Previous Experience & Training

After leaving school, I started work as an import clerk for P&O.

Moving to Oxford in 1984 I worked for the government as a clerical officer/finance clerk/staff trainer in the Unemployment Benefit Office. The government introduced a new scheme to help unemployed people to start up their own business called "Enterprise Allowance". I was made responsible for introducing this scheme in the Oxford area and was instrumental in helping many people to achieve their goal of self-employment.

The success of this scheme prompted Ken (my husband) and myself to set up in business. We brought a franchise called "Apollo Blinds" and within 2 years we had the highest turnover for a single shop in the country.

We then moved into wholesale and started our second company - 'The Conservatory Blind Company'.

After 15 years of trading we started Heritage Shutters, the UK's only shutter manufacturing company.

Personal Details

• I am married with one child called Daniel who is 9 years old and still at school.
• I enjoy cooking and have attended Anthony Worrall Thompson's cooking course.
• In my sparetime I enjoy going to the theatre and especially the shows in London. My favourite show is Momma Mia.
• Whilst in London it gives me the opportunity of sampling different cuisines and enjoying my other passion shopping.
• When I am not being mom's taxi, I like reading biographies and listening to my ipod.
• My favourite TV programmes are Cornation Street, Friends, Gordon Ramsay, Jamie Oliver and Saturday Morning Kitchen.

Life Experiences

• Getting married in St. Lucia
• My son being born
• Starting our first business
• Having our blinds on Betterhomes and 60 Minute Makeover
• Turning 40

Carl Baxter: Surveyor/Sales Rep.

I joined 'Heritage' as a sales representative in 2005 and have gained invaluable knowledge of our products, a long with meeting a lot of interesting people.

I spend my weekends either working or playing/watching rugby (union), keeping fit in the gym or sky-diving (- everyone should give this try!)

My favourite foods are Italian and my Mum's Sunday roast.

Some recent holiday destinations are Ibiza, Rhodes, Malaga and sometimes sunny Cornwall/Plymouth.

I have a love of action films, including Saving Private Ryan, Pulp Fiction and The Godfather.

Quotes/Mottos:

• Take just one day at a time'.
• 'Meido nada' or 'Fear nothing'.

I have a pet Springer Spaniel that never sleeps and a cat of indeterminate parentage.

Lauren: Customer Services

Hi my name is Lauren and I have been working in the blind industry for the past 13 years, building my career from working part time assembling blinds (from which I have gained invaluable knowledge for most technical queries) to taking on a full time position in sales and administration. This entails dealing with your initial enquiries through to making final arrangements for our fitters to visit.

One of my hobbies over that last 25 years has been flower arranging, so on reaching my 40th year I decided to turn an interest into a qualification and I gained that with a Distinction in Floristry. Although one of the drawbacks is I'm constantly admiring foliage much to the amusement of my partner.

Proudest moment apart from having my two children was becoming a grandmother (although I prefer to be known as Nanny) to a beautiful baby boy called Jake.

My other likes are musicals either theatre or movie favourites being Joseph Technicolor Dream Coat and Moulin Rouse. I have visited the Royal Opera House in London to watch the performance of Romeo and Juliet. Next March I will be visiting Australia and hope to catch a performance at the Sydney Opera House.

Eva: Customer Services

My name is Eva and I work in the Sales and Marketing Department. My main duties within Heritage include arranging design appointments, managing the customer database and helping to co-ordinate the marketing materials. I also participate in shows and exhibitions promoting our company.

In my free time I like solving Sudoku, going for walks around Warwick and spending as much time as possible with my friends and family.

I enjoy sightseeing and taking photographs of everything around me and I love getting away from the town each weekend to visit different places. I don't travel much but my holiday in Israel last January was the most exiting experience I've had so far.

I'm obsessed with different types of candles and I have a nice collection of them in every room in my house. Apart from that I enjoy ballet, going to the cinema and visiting the Birmingham Hippodrome whenever they have any interesting shows on.

I enjoy being with Heritage, I get to work in a very professional and truly friendly atmosphere. It's not just about marketing information to people; it's about giving them real benefits!

Paul Newman: Surveyor/Sales Representative

I have been with Heritage only 2 months and already have gained great experience with our products and appreciate their great quality.

My previous experience in this business is:

• 4 years as a Curtain and Blind fitter
• 2 years as a Retail Manager

In my earlier years I was in the Catering Industry and qualified as a Master Chef, I moved on to Teaching Professional Cookery in Further and Higher Education and progressed into a Schools and Community Liaison Officer in a College of FE.

I lived in Southern Ireland for 6 years, with my wife, Karen we owned a Bed and Breakfast in Kilkenny. During this time I also worked as a full-time golf caddy at Mount Juliet. (where Tiger Woods won the World Championships)

I have 2 daughters of 33 and 36 years and 2 grand-daughters of 11 and 7 years.

My favourite things:

• Paintings: I have 4 Jack Vettriano limited edition framed prints, 4 Graham Baxter golfing limited edition prints, a Rolf Harris painting of Elvis Presley and 4 Graham Illingworth pictures.
• Having a beer or glass of champagne in our Hot-Tub with my breakfast.
• Receiving an American styled Juke Box from my wife for a birthday present. (100 CD's)
• Collecting Golf Memorabilia, I have over 2.000 score cards from 28 different countries.
• Playing as much golf as possible, I play off a handicap of 13 (some good and some bad !!!!)
• My Cat Jaffa, she is a female ginger, who is 20 years old and loves me !!!!

Some of my life's highlights:

• Travelling to other countries such as Australia, USA, Argentina, New Zealand, Thailand and most of Europe.
• Playing golf with Ronan Rafferty (winner of European Order of Merit in the 90's)
• Cooking for the Queen and other celebrities, such as Wendy Craig, Angela Rippon, Stratford Johns, James Hunt, Richard Stillgo, Molly Sugden. Nick Faldo, Jack Nicklaus and many more.
• During my teaching time, working with special needs children and showing them culinary skills.
• Playing schools rugby and running the 400 yards at Twickenham Rugby Stadium in the 60's
• My favourite quote: "There's always tomorrow" from my days in Ireland