Celebrating 75 Years of Combined Service at JET PRESS

At JET PRESS, the experience, commitment and knowledge of our people have played an important role in the company’s continued development.

This year, we are proud to celebrate three significant long-service milestones. Dawn Bellwood is marking 35 years with JET PRESS, Martin Belcher is celebrating 25 years and Claire Wallace has reached 15 years with the company.

Together, they represent an incredible 75 years of combined service. We spoke to Dawn, Martin and Claire about how their careers have developed, what they enjoy about their roles and their interests outside of work.

Dawn Bellwood: Celebrating 35 Years

Dawn joined JET PRESS in 1991, initially expecting her time with the company to be relatively short. Having recently moved house and needing new windows, she accepted the role with no intention of staying long-term. However, the friendly atmosphere and strong sense of teamwork soon changed her plans.

When Dawn joined, JET PRESS was run by Barry Perry and Gus Schwarz in Ireland. She remembers it as a welcoming place to work, with a brilliant group of people, many of whom are still part of the company today.

Dawn began her career at JET PRESS as a Materials Clerk, processing orders and working closely with the warehouse team to develop its processes and procedures. She also played an important role in establishing the company’s export arrangements, setting up relationships with carriers and helping to manage courier costs.

She later progressed to become Warehouse Manager, a position she has now held for more than 20 years. During this time, Dawn has helped the warehouse team adapt to changing customer requirements, new processes and the continued growth of the business.

One of Dawn’s proudest achievements has been developing the way JET PRESS manages its exports and maintaining control over courier pricing. However, she is particularly proud of the people she works alongside.

“My team are the best. Whatever comes our way, we adapt and change.”

Dawn is also looking forward to the introduction of the company’s new warehouse management system. It is a development she has been waiting for since becoming Warehouse Manager and an important project she is determined to see through.

Dawn also has a memorable story from her first day. Although Barry had interviewed her and offered her the role, she had not yet met John Miller, who was to become her manager. John was apparently less than pleased to discover that Barry had recruited someone for his team without consulting him first. Fortunately, the appointment worked out well, with Dawn going on to build a career at JET PRESS spanning more than three decades.

Outside of work, Dawn enjoys spending time with her dogs and taking part in dog training. She also enjoys socialising with family, taking long country walks and going on holidays both in the UK and abroad. Her other interests include long bike rides and more recently, growing her own vegetables, which has already proved very successful.

Martin Belcher: Celebrating 25 Years

A time-served engineer, Martin joined JET PRESS in 2001 as an Application Engineer. His role involved visiting customers, understanding their technical requirements and identifying the most suitable products for their applications.

In 2003, Martin moved into the Technical Department, where he became Assistant Technical Manager. He later progressed to Technical Manager following the retirement of his predecessor.

Throughout his 25 years at JET PRESS, Martin has built valuable relationships with many of our manufacturing partners and customers. His technical knowledge and experience have seen him take part in high-level meetings with customer engineering teams, helping to resolve challenging application issues and supporting the design and development of bespoke components.

Martin’s contribution has extended far beyond identifying suitable products. He has played an important role in helping customers overcome technical challenges and develop solutions that meet their specific requirements.

Outside of work, Martin is a talented musician and singer. He is also no stranger to the stage, having performed as the Dame in local pantomimes for the past 14 years.

Claire Wallace: Celebrating 15 Years

Claire joined JET PRESS in July 2011 as a Receptionist and has been a friendly and welcoming voice for our customers ever since.

She particularly enjoys meeting new customers, answering the telephone and taking the time to have a friendly conversation with the people she speaks to.

Over the years, Claire’s role has continued to develop. Most recently, she has taken on additional responsibilities as Purchase Ledger Clerk while continuing to support customers and colleagues through her reception duties.

Outside of work, Claire enjoys spending time with her family and friends. She also loves travelling in her motorhome and exploring new places.

Thank You for Your Continued Contribution

Long-serving employees provide invaluable knowledge, experience and continuity to a business. Dawn, Martin and Claire have each made an important contribution to
JET PRESS and have supported colleagues, customers and the wider company throughout their careers.

We would like to congratulate them on reaching these impressive milestones and thank them for their hard work, loyalty and continued commitment to JET PRESS.