0:00:02 My name’s Cameron Steer. I’m the Branch Manager for Europoint in Glasgow. Our division, if you like, is the side of the business that sells screen printing and sign making materials. What I enjoy most about the job is that every day is different. You, you meet people every day, you become friends with your customers, which means the work is enjoyable.
00:00:26 My two main motivators at school were the sports teachers. Whilst they still had to have that teacher/pupil association, I guess they became friends. When I was younger, there’s, there’s, I didn’t really have an idea of what I wanted to do, hence going to college and getting a very broad brush business qualification. Not knowing any different, I joined a bank and that was a reliable, safe job but you knew what you were going to do before you went in, in the morning; every day was the same. And it was a, a friend of mine who was working at, at a paper merchants in London and said, “Well, look, this is good fun, money’s OK, we’re looking for somebody, I think you should come along for an interview.”
00:01:15 So I guess that, that was a big, I’d never heard of the company before and so for me, at the time, I remember thinking this is a big risk. I was working for a paper merchant in London and all my family from Scotland, I was up for a family wedding and the, the price of houses were so much cheaper than London in the late ‘80s, that I thought I have to move up here. I started off in, in the warehouse on the, on the vans which was fun. Gradually, bit by bit, just went onto sales and out on the road and you know, I always figure, if you just keep your head down and work hard, good things will happen. And I think if I carry on doing well the way I have been lately, there will be perhaps growth, opportunities to grow within an expanding UK signer display business.
00:02:05 I played rugby to age group level to, you know, what I’d like to think was a very good level. As usual with these things, you know, those that persevere go on to, to great things and you’re left wishing, ”Oh, if only I could have stuck in.” I still enjoy playing, just stopped playing last year when I broke my leg and I’ve started running again and getting in the gym, so who knows? I maybe pull out the boots for another 20 minutes or so, but I’ll not be telling my wife.
00:02:32 Team sports are important and, and have instilled a, a certain value to me. It teaches you, obviously, the values that you want to win. You don’t ever take part in a sport and not want to win, but also it teaches you that you can’t always win and when you do get beaten you just have to get up and try again.
00:02:53 What motivates me I guess, is certainly helping customers out. I’d be lying to you if I said that, that earning a good salary and having a good standard of living wasn’t a motivation, of course it is. I think of myself of being successful in the business that I’m in. I’m not a millionaire but, you know, I’m not struggling so that’s good. I guess the turning point for me is having children young. Overnight, it kind of changed from being a bit happy go lucky and, you know, my, my school teachers would have said too much time mucking around in class etc, etc. Overnight, responsibilities, children and much younger than planned, yeah, that kind of focuses the mind and, and that would, that motivated me then and still motivates me now.
00:03:44 There’s, there’s no point in regretting anything you have or haven’t done. I’m happy with the way that things have turned out so far and, and hopefully, the way things are going to be for the next 15, 20 years. I’m certainly happy with what I’m doing and certainly wouldn’t consider doing anything else. I’m good at what I do and I enjoy it.
ENDS
Cameron Steer
Cameron Steer
My name’s Cameron Steer. I’m the Branch Manager for Europoint in Glasgow. Our division, if you like, is the side of the business that sells screen printing and sign making materials. What I enjoy most about the job is that every day is different. You, you meet people every day, you become friends with your customers, which means the work is enjoyable.
My two main motivators at school were the sports teachers. Whilst they still had to have that teacher/pupil association, I guess they became friends. When I was younger, there’s, there’s, I didn’t really have an idea of what I wanted to do, hence going to college and getting a very broad brush business qualification. Not knowing any different, I joined a bank and that was a reliable, safe job but you knew what you were going to do before you went in, in the morning; every day was the same. And it was a, a friend of mine who was working at, at a paper merchants in London and said, “Well, look, this is good fun, money’s OK, we’re looking for somebody, I think you should come along for an interview.”
So I guess that, that was a big, I’d never heard of the company before and so for me, at the time, I remember thinking this is a big risk. I was working for a paper merchant in London and all my family from Scotland, I was up for a family wedding and the, the price of houses were so much cheaper than London in the late ‘80s, that I thought I have to move up here. I started off in, in the warehouse on the, on the vans which was fun. Gradually, bit by bit, just went onto sales and out on the road and you know, I always figure, if you just keep your head down and work hard, good things will happen. And I think if I carry on doing well the way I have been lately, there will be perhaps growth, opportunities to grow within an expanding UK signer display business.
I played rugby to age group level to, you know, what I’d like to think was a very good level. As usual with these things, you know, those that persevere go on to, to great things and you’re left wishing, ”Oh, if only I could have stuck in.” I still enjoy playing, just stopped playing last year when I broke my leg and I’ve started running again and getting in the gym, so who knows? I maybe pull out the boots for another 20 minutes or so, but I’ll not be telling my wife.
Team sports are important and, and have instilled a, a certain value to me. It teaches you, obviously, the values that you want to win. You don’t ever take part in a sport and not want to win, but also it teaches you that you can’t always win and when you do get beaten you just have to get up and try again.
What motivates me I guess, is certainly helping customers out. I’d be lying to you if I said that, that earning a good salary and having a good standard of living wasn’t a motivation, of course it is. I think of myself of being successful in the business that I’m in. I’m not a millionaire but, you know, I’m not struggling so that’s good. I guess the turning point for me is having children young. Overnight, it kind of changed from being a bit happy go lucky and, you know, my, my school teachers would have said too much time mucking around in class etc, etc. Overnight, responsibilities, children and much younger than planned, yeah, that kind of focuses the mind and, and that would, that motivated me then and still motivates me now.
There’s, there’s no point in regretting anything you have or haven’t done. I’m happy with the way that things have turned out so far and, and hopefully, the way things are going to be for the next 15, 20 years. I’m certainly happy with what I’m doing and certainly wouldn’t consider doing anything else. I’m good at what I do and I enjoy it.
ENDS
Cameron Steer is the Branch Manager for Europoint in Glasgow. They sell screen printing and sign making materials. He worked in a bank but found it boring, and was persuaded to go and work in a paper merchants in London. He came back to Scotland because it's cheaper.
External links
Sector Skills Council for the Paper and Pulp Industry
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