Industry recognition for Roger Cullimore

Special recognition award from the British Aggregates Association as well-known businessman steps aside

ONE of the industry’s most well-known businessmen, Roger Cullimore, has received a ‘special recognition’ award from the British Aggregates Association (BAA), an organization he himself was a founder member of.

The award, presented at the Association’s recent AGM by former England and British Lions Rugby Union player, Rory Underwood, recognizes Mr Cullimore’s commitment to The Cullimore Group, the BAA and the wider industry in a career that spans nearly 60 years.

Now in his 80s, he has decided to step aside and says he is going to relax and enjoy the Gloucestershire countryside he is so familiar with but insists he will be keeping a keen eye on how the company, and the industry, progresses.

BAA secretary Peter Huxtable described the industry recognition as ‘fitting of the gentleman and a perfect way for him to bow out’. ‘Roger leaves this industry in a far better place than that in which he found it,’ he said.

‘I’m more than aware of the impact he has had in the South West, and in particular Gloucestershire, a county that is very close to his heart. But it is his vision and pragmatism over the years that have been instrumental in ensuring the aggregates industry has continually moved forward on a UK-wide scale. Without Roger, much of what we are achieving across the UK today wouldn’t exist.’

Roger Cullimore took over the now 90-year-old family business in 1961, joining his father Moreton C. Cullimore as joint managing director. Fifty years later he handed over the reins to his son, Moreton F. Cullimore, while maintaining his position as chair.

The family business has evolved from its humble beginnings in 1927 with just a single second-hand Ford Model T truck, to now servicing five counties with 60 haulage vehicles and more than 100 staff. However, it was Roger Cullimore’s vision that steered the company through the post-war years while maintaining the familial ethos and community roots.

He was also responsible for re-energizing the Charles Dickens theme for the company’s trucks in the 1960s – a feature that first appeared during WW2 and is now synonymous with the company and ‘spotters’ alike. Members of the ‘Dickens Truckspotter Club’ can today be found all across Europe.

Roger Cullimore’s son, Moreton, also praised the wider impact his father has had. He said: ‘It was my grandfather who had the foresight to invest in fully motorized transport in the horse and cart era, but it was my father who took the business to the next level.

‘While his first love was the local countryside and communities, which has been well-documented with his patronage of local events and his sponsorship of grassroots sport, he never took his eye off the bigger picture.

‘Not only has he been instrumental in building The Cullimore Group, he has been integral in improving the aggregates industry, helping to create a voice within the corridors of power, government, local authority, and environmental and legislative transport circles.’