McCue Corporation, founded by an Englishman, headquartered in Boston, USA and with a thriving UK subsidiary in Milton Keynes has announced major new investment, a new CEO and a new UK Managing Director.
The investment will help the company, a leading global provider of damage prevention and asset protection solutions for the retail and material handling industries, expand and develop into new market sectors and countries.
New UK Managing Director, Emma Panter says: “Founder David McCue has been slowly stepping down from his owner role in preparation for this changeover. Since forming the company in the eighties he has created not only a successful business but also a business that people enjoy working for.
“David DiAntonio has stepped into the CEO role for the overall company, and he continues to drive David’s vision forward, but he is also working with the new investors on how we can grow in different ways.”
After discussions in the States, Emma’s appointment as UK MD was the natural choice: “I was the Operations and Finance Director at McCue UK and had taken on the Retail Sales Team a year ago, and had great success. The company felt it needed one lead in the UK. Therefore, I was offered the promotion to take on the full UK business.”
Heavy industry remains a predominantly male environment, from the shop floor to the boardroom – not that this slowly changing situation seems to faze Emma.
“My job isn’t about gender, but to some people it might be relevant. Women are built differently to men, but both men and women can be compassionate and empathetic, as well as strong, hardworking and good leaders.
“Of course, there are some very strong women in business – and it can still be very male dominated. Women often feel we must work harder to prove we know what we are talking about and doing. I don’t have a problem with that. But certainly, the gender pay gap needs to be bridged – and in business in general we still have a long way to go. Regardless of what gender you are you should be paid equally.”
With global turnover already at $55m ($8m in the UK), the new investment will see McCue take their array of facility protection barriers and equipment into other markets, including aviation – although there is still much to do in their traditional working environments of warehousing, retail and factory protection.
“It’s unfortunately still true that one of the main accidents in a warehouse environment is people getting injured, or worse, by moving vehicles. Those effects on a company can be catastrophic. We prevent these accidents occurring by implementing barrier segregation between people and vehicles, whilst keeping productivity at a high level – that’s one of our priorities. Utilising our products not only helps companies protect their employees, it contributes to the facility’s overall productivity. Our products organise a facility, protect employees and equipment and prevent accidents.”
McCue might be a forward-thinking company, but the traditions of good service and relationship building with customers remain strong – it’s something founder David McCue embedded into the fabric of the company.
“Yes definitely,” says Emma. “At McCue we like to develop a partner relationship with both our customers and our suppliers, by giving fantastic customer service at all times. Listening and working to meet a client’s needs is key to creating strong relationships. Some of our key products have come from listening and solving our customers’ issues.”
As these new products come to market, they demonstrate how the UK health and safety industry market is ever-changing. It’s something Emma realises is very important to keep tracking.
“We have to adapt as the market place changes. We have seen big changes across the retail and warehouse industry over the past 3-5 years, and we must move with the changes to continue to be successful.
“We have a great team at McCue UK, many of them have been promoted as I have been promoted and it is great to see so many reaching 10-year plus anniversaries. Everyone is passionate about what we do, giving the best customer service but also having fun together and celebrating wins.”
It's a recipe for success that should see McCue grow and go on to protect more clients – and ultimately save more people from injury or worse – as the benefits of the new investment are reaped.
But one thing will remain unchanged at McCue: Founder David McCue’s dictum that the company will be “A joy to work for and a pleasure to buy from.”