Alan Beard announces retirement after 70 years
One of the most well-known figures in the construction business in the south and west, has retired from the family firm where he worked for 70 years.
Alan Beard was the third-generation head at the helm of the construction firm that was started by his grandfather and continues to bear the family name.
Today, Beard is an award-winning construction company, operating across the south west with a turnover of £160 million and offices in Swindon, Oxford, Guildford and Bristol.
It has come a long way since Alan first joined the family firm at the age of 17 in January 1950, when he started working with his father Geoffrey, at Newcombe Beard Ltd, in Cirencester.
Over the years Alan has been responsible for overseeing many memorable building projects but it was his work in the ecclesiastical sector his son Mark, now chairman of Beard, said was particularly important to him. As an active member of the church community himself quite simply, Mark says, ‘it’s part of his DNA’.
The pinnacle of Alan’s success in the sector is arguably the Bishop Edward King Chapel, Cuddesdon, in Oxfordshire. Completed in 2013, this multi-award-winning elliptical structure was one of the most ‘interesting, complex and technically challenging construction projects in recent years’ he said of the project.
The education sector was another growth area that Alan oversaw with contracts at prestigious schools around the region; including Eton, Marlborough and Radley colleges as well as a wide variety of projects for the University of Oxford. It was also an area where he saw great potential for talent which led to a programme for school leavers and university graduates looking to start their careers in construction, and remains in this form of the trainee scheme today.
Over seven decades in the business, during which there have been national crises, recessions and boom times, it has been a time of steady expansion for Beard. Going from two offices to four, entering new sectors such as education, healthcare and culture, as well as establishing Beard as a business with a strong ethos. Its reputation for quality work, fair treatment of customers, suppliers and colleagues is part of his legacy. As well as his sharp-eyed attention to detail which Mark says is an intrinsic part of how Beard now does business.
Mark adds: “We celebrated our 125th anniversary in 2017, which prompted Alan to write a book about the history of the company. The fact that we reached this milestone is testament to his expert stewardship over 70 years - a remarkable landmark to reach in itself.
“My father withdrew from being actively involved with the business a short while ago, his influence is all around us and many of the principles he fostered are still woven into the fabric of the business.
“For me personally it is his keen eye for detail that has shaped the approach we take to our work throughout the business.
“Alan is somebody not only well known in the industry and the region, but also in the community in which he lives where he has always found time to be part of the Rotary Club, and an active church member and leading light on the local political scene.”
