Gerald D Harries celebrate 40 years in business
Quarrying and civil engineering firm marks 40th anniversary year with a host of unusual projects
WEST Wales quarriers and contractors Gerald D Harries are celebrating the end of their 40th anniversary year by placing their first housing development on the market.
The Knights Court development, comprising 15 state-of-the-art family homes in the village of Templeton, in West Wales, is just one of several key milestones in the past 12 months, including completing the UK’s first rebuild of a concrete velodrome and the delivery of granite boulders to the Hinkley Point C nuclear reactor project.
‘This has been a great year which has seen the company take on a host of unusual projects,’ said managing director Ian Harries. ‘We’re delighted that, at 40 years old, the company is still breaking new ground. Knights Court brings another dimension to what we can offer.’
Founded in 1977, Gerald D Harries are one of the largest independent, family-run suppliers of aggregates and civil engineering services in Wales. They now own seven quarries, plus asphalt and concrete production facilities, and employ around 240 local people.
‘It’s a milestone to be celebrating our 40th anniversary this year,’ said Mr Harries. ‘The time has flown. I started out working for my father – who founded the company when I was just 12 years old – and spent much of my teens driving plant machinery. When I was 17 all my mates were buying cars and I bought a JCB.’
Mr Harries, whose daughter Amy has now followed him into the firm, has run the company since 1999 but remains involved in every aspect of the business, frequently driving lorries and machinery. ‘I just muck in with the rest of them – I like to be hands on and still enjoy still enjoy driving the lorries,’ he said.
Looking back over the growth of the business, Mr Harries highlighted the acquisition of the company’s first quarry, in 1999, as a key milestone. ‘That was a big achievement and we now have seven quarries. Acquiring our first asphalt plant was another key step; we now have three asphalt plants.’
He added: ‘While the company has come a long way in four decades, we continue to move forwards. Next, we want to drive the business further east; we are currently looking to fulfil opportunities in Swansea.’
