Going ‘behind the scenes’ with Fisk Group Director, Tel Fisk

As the first in a series of Fisk Group’s Director interviews, we catch up with Director Tel Fisk, whose father, Terry Fisk, started the business in 1979.

Since joining the family business in 1996, Tel reflects on the changes over the years, the growth of the business, and what it means to be a Fisk Group engineer.

How have you seen the business change over the past 20 years?

“Technology has been the main driver of change for us. If you look at fire alarm systems themselves, they have changed dramatically over the last twenty years. Everything is now programmable with complex cause and effect planning for many of the buildings and lives we help to protect. I remember, when I first started, I would decommission flag systems that just told you what floor a fire was on. Now, technology is so much more advanced. You can locate the specific detector within a room to know exactly where the fire is and better control the risk to life and buildings with linked systems and cause and effect modelling.

“We’ve also grown the business considerably within that time. We now offer security solutions as well as fire safety solutions and count hundreds of universities, hospitals, schools, large retail outlets, and many more as clients.

“As a team, there are 44 of us; 20 qualified engineers, three supervisors, two contract managers, a developer, eight apprentices, five support staff and five directors.”

What’s your favourite part of the job?

“Mostly, my role involves pricing projects, so I am not on the engineering side anymore, but I still love the variety of environments we work in. One day I might be visiting a University or hospital and the next at a local authority. Every day is different.”

What is it like following in the family’s footsteps?

“I left school and went straight into the business and so I was thrown in at the deep end, but looking back, I wouldn’t have had it any other way. We’ve achieved a lot in the past 27 years. Working with my father has been a great achievement – he has been a fantastic mentor and has really helped to shape my work ethic.”

If you could give your younger self a tip, what would it be?

“If I was to give a tip to my younger self, it would be to say, “trust the process.” As long as you’re always working hard, are committed, and know when to ask for help, everything will fall into place.”

What does it take to be a good engineer at Fisk?

“To be a good engineer, we expect 100% commitment and to work hard, and in return, we really look after our people. We have a great apprenticeship programme at Fisk Group. Progression is key. Just ask one of our Directors, James Moughton, who started life as an apprentice and is now in his 20th year. The sky is the limit – if you have the right mindset, there’s plenty of scope to progress.”

What challenges do you face within the business?

“I’d say that the biggest challenge, or should I say, opportunity for Fisk Group, is finding ways to keep costs competitive for our clients. Every contractor is facing rising material costs, but it’s how we respond to these as a business that makes a difference. We are very open and transparent with our clients and proactively look for opportunities to make installation and maintenance as cost-effective as possible.”

How involved are you within your community?

“It’s great to use our brand to support others. For example, we sponsor up-and-coming athletes who are friends of our engineers. Currently, we sponsor a young boxer and a motocross rider, allowing them to progress in their sport. We also sponsor the Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) event in Colchester, one of James’ contacts. We’ve seen them grow from having an audience of a couple of hundred to live streaming worldwide. We also sponsor a football team and support Chelmsford City Racecourse too. We love to take our staff and clients out for a day at the races to say thanks for their support.

“We participate in local environmental projects such as the ‘Love Your Chelmsford’ project, where we help tidy and maintain local ponds.

“We also get involved in and support staff in fundraising for charity. If we can give back, we will. It’s part of who we are.”