Building firm celebrates 30 years

When engineer Malcolm Clear decided to re-roof his own house he little realised he was also building the foundations of a successful construction company.

Neighbours in Hurst Road, Eastbourne, were impressed by his work and asked him to replace their roofs.

Word of quality workmanship spread and CRB Contractors was born.

Over the years the company grew from the one-man band. Its current workforce of 12 includes skilled craftspeople and the business is well placed to take advantage of any upturn in the economy.

Malcolm, pictured above left, is still involved but son Ben, pictured with him cutting an anniversary cake, is at the helm of the business in Bourne Street, Eastbourne.

Next door his mechanic brother Nathan runs Auto Upgrades.

Ben takes great pride in the company’s history and enjoys talking to customers who remember work done for them in the past by CRB Contractors.

They remember, for example, the Great Storm in 1987 and how Malcolm operated a strict first come first served list with no queue jumping.

Ben said: ‘It’s great talking to people now planning an extension who remember how we helped them after the storm.’

The company has carried out many landmark projects in the resort.

They include refurbishing the town’s bandstand and the £1 million re-build of parts of the Grand Hotel destroyed in a fire in the ‘90s.

The middle turret and a major part of the upstairs were lost. ‘We were there on the night with a fleet of vehicles waiting for firemen to control the blaze so we could cover the building,’ said Ben.

Outside Eastbourne a prestigious job for CRB was the building of the spa at the East Sussex National Golf Hotel and Spa near Uckfield.

They also have other clients across the south east.

One project Ben was particularly pleased to secure recently was refurbishment and extension of the village hall at Laughton, near Lewes – he remembers sitting cross-legged on the floor in there during school assemblies.

CRB is a member of Eastbourne Construction and committed to employing people and sourcing materials locally so money is generated for the local economy.

It also invests time in building long-term relationships with suppliers and other related building tradespeople they can trust, such as scaffolders Austins Cradles, who they have worked with for more than 20 years.

The company prides itself on offering sound professional advice.

It is still supporting apprentices through day release courses at college and backing the new vocational GCSE by taking on young learners for one day a week during term time to show them how the industry works and give them an opportunity to experience different trades.

Business founder Malcolm lives in Chalvington with wife Jacki, who helps at the Demelza charity shop in Heathfield and raises funds for the organisation which runs children’s hospices.

He is a keen golfer and a member at the East Sussex National where he was captain of the scratch team which twice won the Davies and Tate trophy.

Recently-married Ben lives in Seaford with his wife Aimee, Year 3 teacher at Harlands Primary School in Uckfield.

Ben shares his father’s interest in golf and is a member of the Seaford Head Golf Club.

He is also a member of the Seaford and Newhaven Round Table which is currently working towards building a BMX park in the town.

Looking back over the years Malcolm said: ‘I never dreamed when I started learning how to re-roof my own home that I was building a business which would stand the test of time.

‘I still enjoy the construction industry and look forward to new challenges knowing that CRB is in good hands, Ben’s hands and those of the skilled craftspeople we employ.’

(Added to site Monday, October 12th, 2009)