Meet the Team: Dale Panter
In this feature, we speak with Dale Panter, F. Ball’s technical representative for the West Midlands and one of our newest colleagues to join the team.
Dale joined team F. Ball toward the end of last year, but he’s been familiar with the company and products for many years. In fact, it was his patch’s former tech rep who is, at least partly, responsible for our interviewee’s move to the company.
Dale describes his beginnings in the industry: “After a few different jobs, including gym instruction and plumbing, I turned my hand to flooring after a school friend told me about a sales rep job selling wood floors to the public.
“I then moved to Polyflor, and it was there I met F. Ball tech rep, Lee Heatherley. We’d often meet on site visits where our respective products were being used, so we got to know each other well, striking up a good working relationship. He called one day and mentioned he’d moved to the technical services team and so there was an opportunity for a tech rep in the area – and I’m glad that he did.”
We’re very glad he did too. When we ask how his experience has been so far, it seems Lee failed to mention one aspect, as Dale continues:
“I often joke with Lee that he never told me I’d be this busy! It can be demanding, juggling site visits, seeing wholesalers, and facilitating training – and I cover a large geographical area. But it’s all good and I’m really enjoying it.”
Another thing we’re pleased to hear. What are these challenges you need to juggle day to day?
“Things change all the time in the flooring world, so every day is a school day. There’s a lot to fit in and my plans change all the time. Sometimes I’ll be on the road early, or staying late to accommodate customers’ needs, though it’s all part of the job.”
It seems that Dale is the perfect candidate for being a tech rep, and he tells us it was in fact the technical aspect of the role that attracted him to apply: “At F. Ball, it really is about helping the customer. I might be recommending the best products for a big commercial job, or it could be doing a moisture test on behalf of a domestic enquirer – this is where I can really add value for my clients and that’s what I enjoy.”
Dale has more than 10 years’ experience in sales and support roles in the commercial flooring industry, including eight and a half years as a trade account manager and a year and a half as a technical representative for a prominent UK PVC manufacturer covering the West Midlands.
He tells us that this week, he’s been with a contractor in Bromsgrove after they enquired about the new Stopgap 1400 smoothing compound, having seen news of its launch in a trade magazine. Later, it was a trek to Leek to drop some samples off to another, before making his way to Sutton Coldfield for a site visit to support with moisture testing.
Also crossed off his to do list this week is a breakfast morning showcasing Stopgap 1400 to a distributor. “It’s keeping me busy. But that’s a good thing,” he says.
We ask him if there’s any standout jobs he’s been on recently. He recalls: “A 5,000m² warehouse space at a shopping centre was a bit of monster. I went in and it had been completely stripped to pillars, beams and concrete. There were also some issues with the substrate: cracks in the base, problems with the structure. It was a large job, but between me and the F. Ball technical services team, we swiftly sorted a recommended specification for it.”
Sounds encouraging. Are there any common issues that crop up whilst on your travels? “Lignite. It seems to be increasingly common – I’d say about one in every three site visits involves it and a lot of customers are not aware of it, so it’s throwing them when they come across it. In short, it’s a coal source found in aggregate screeds, often when pumped in, and it absorbs moisture from wet smoothing compounds, meaning the floor will fail. Stopgap F77 waterproof surface membrane is the solution, creating a barrier between the lignite and the subfloor preparation products. ” (More info can be found on the F. Ball website.)
That’s good to know. Finally, we like to ask all of our colleagues what their favourite F. Ball product is. Dale tells us (again) that Stopgap 1400 is very much flavour of the month: “It’s something we haven’t had before, and it offers a very smooth, shiny finish. Contactors are excited about it, and are asking to try it out.”
