Meet the W. L. West & Sons Team

Our customer service revolves around working closely with our customers to build a lasting relationship that produces repeat work. As you may already know, bespoke work is about tailoring the experience as much as the product.

Since a lot of our project communications happen over the phone these days, here is your chance to put faces to names in the W. L. West & Sons team!

The Directors

Meet Dave West and Simon Smith, the joint managing directors of W.L. West & Sons Ltd.

Dave West

Dave West is a direct descendent of Walter Luke West, who founded the current business with his son Cecil in the early part of the last century. W. L. West & Sons Ltd is very much a family business; here are records showing the West’s go back 200 years in the timber industry!

Dave spent twenty-six years in the communications industry initially, then in Materials Planning, Logistics and Project Management, before joining the family business in 2000.

Simon Smith

Simon Smith is our timber technologist and product expert. A member of the Mycological Society of Great Britain, Simon studied Economic and Marketing Geography at Sheffield City Polytechnic, after which he joined the timber industry and gained post-graduate qualifications in Timber Technology.

Simon worked for a number of prominent timber companies, such as Fitchett & Woolacott and Mallinson Deny, before joining WL West & Sons Ltd in April 1992 as Sales Manager and being appointed a director of the business in 1994.

Simon manages the sales team, whose `in-house’ based training system remains key to the unique, project-based nature of our business. Simon is also instrumental on many of the special projects we get involved with, including heritage and restoration jobs.

A Family Business

To this day, there are six members of the West family still in the business.

Martin West is head of W.L. West & Sons’ PRO Fencing division based in Farnham, which manufactures and installs gates, fencing and decking. Martin joined the company in 1987 as a sales assistant before taking over the running of the yard operations and managing stock control and deliveries out to customers.

In 1999, he was appointed as a Director. Following the company’s acquisition of PRO Fencing in 2005, Martin moved to the Farnham site to manage the Fencing side of the business, a role he still holds.

The Workshop Team

As a business of bespoke work, the range of services we offer rely on the adaptability and versatility of our machines. Our fantastic team of engineers and woodworking technicians are highly skilled with each machine and maintain the highest standards of quality and efficiency across all projects. Some of these men have been with us since their school days.

David Thorpe

Dave Thorpe, our senior sawyer, joined us 47 years ago and has seen many significant changes in our business with new machinery and products.

Jim Passmore

Our fitter, Jim Passmore, recently celebrated his 80th birthday after installing every machine in our yard for 44 years and counting!

We’re also delighted to say that although we have not had apprentices for many years, two successful candidates will be joining us in the new year.

The Sales Office Team:

No business can survive or thrive without a cracking office and administration team as your first point of contact during your project. They will answer any questions you have or find someone who can.

Craig Thorpe initially joined us for holiday work experience, then joined the yard team in 2000. After building his timber knowledge, he took over management of the yard. He has now been part of the sales team for some time, and also has timber purchasing expertise under his belt.

Sammy West joined us in 2016 from the hospitality industry. She very quickly picked up the methods of our trade and is a key member of our sales team.

Help From Overseas:

Sometimes, we have a yard project so huge that we need a helping hand.

Meet the team of engineers who helped us build our MEBOR Monster sawmill over the hottest days in the summer.

WL West & Sons Ltd is a timber merchant and sawmill business with 150 years of experience. We provide a wide range of air dried and kiln dried oak timber products and supplies. We also build and install custom projects for our customers.

For more news, tips and updates, follow us on Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram.

For entirely finished products, timber supplies or woodworking tools, have a look at our Retail Shop (which is temporarily closed for lockdown but will re-open when restrictions are lifted).

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