From Army Infantryman to Assistant Manager

My name is Daniel Pack, and I’m the assistant manager at Travis Perkins Rushden, where we provide general building products, as well as specialist building materials, to both the trade and members of the public.

I joined the Army in September 2011, where I started as an infantryman at ITC Catterick. After completing an initial 14 weeks training programme of basic military skills including weapon handling and field craft, it was then onto phase two which consisted of another 14 weeks solely concentrating on role-specific training. This also involved more intense physical training as well as learning both battle and weapons tactics.

After completing my training, I joined my parent unit the 2nd Battalion Royal Anglian Regiment who at the time were based in Cyprus. I was stationed there for six months and during that time, took part in a number of operations and exercises across the country. The battalion then moved back to the UK to take over at RAF Cottesmore from the Air Force. Once back in the UK and after initially enjoying some time at home, it was straight back to further training for numerous upcoming operations and exercises.

I went to Kenya for pre-deployment training for an upcoming tour, where I took part in a six week exercise for more unconventional warfare tactics for deployments such as Afghanistan. This included the use of more specialist weapons and vehicles, followed by an adventure training package where I qualified as a mountain bike instructor.

After Kenya, I spent time learning to drive more specialist military vehicles in preparation for the battalion’s deployment to Afghanistan, where I was stationed for 8 months. Our role was to maintain and build relationships with the Afghan national police and military, as well as performing daily patrols and/or operations in the local area.

My other postings included Germany and a support role with the Parachute Regiment in Belize, where I was trained in jungle warfare and survival skills before leaving the Army in January 2016.

After leaving, I felt that my driving qualifications (along with the personal enjoyment I gained from driving in various situations), would be the best career path for me personally. My first job was driving for a skip and disposable waste company, although I had also applied for a role at Travis Perkins which I had seen advertised through their careers web page. I really wanted the position at Travis Perkins especially as they offer many additional perks, but also as they are a huge supporter of recruiting ex-forces personnel. I was delighted to be offered a Class 2 driving role for them based out of the Wellingborough branch in February 2016.

It was a great job especially as everyday was different, with new challenges and situations arising. I could be delivering to both commercial and domestic sites via means of a crane mounted vehicle one moment, or working in the yard packing and picking various deliveries the next.

After approximately nine months, I was ready for a new challenge and was especially keen to progress within the company, so was delighted to be offered a role at Rushden as a customer service assistant. This was a much more sales focussed role dealing with both the trade and public, taking orders and processing deliveries at the counter and via the phone. This was my first office/sales based role and involved a massive learning curve, but a really enjoyable one! I held this role for 14 months before the opportunity came up to apply for an assistant manager role based at the Rushden branch, which I happily secured.

I’ve now been at Rushden for 8 months and truly relish this varied role. I love the responsibility of managing others, of getting more involved ‘behind the scenes’ including reviewing the sales figures and the management accounts, through to generally ensuring that we’re performing as an effective and profitable business.

The transition from life in the military to civilian life is never an easy one. I feel what could have been a hard time in my life was helped made easier to adjust when I started working for Travis Perkins, especially as everyone from the regional director through to my branch colleagues were so hugely supportive. My time in the forces helped shape me as a person, teaching me to be proactive and organised, with great time-keeping and man-management skills, helping to instil in me the importance of working as a team to get the job done, which is exactly what we do here at Travis Perkins.

I believe I am a strong example of what the company can really offer in terms of progression, not only within the Travis Perkins business, but also the opportunities within the wider group of companies such as Wickes, City Plumbing, CCF and Tile Giant. As long as you are willing to work hard and offer good customer skills along with maintaining a safe working environment, the opportunities are there for the taking. I would highly recommend a career within the Travis Perkins Group to any ex forces personnel as the number of roles available, along with the different career paths to take, make it a business to be a part of.

A Note From Jonathan Craddock, Manager, Travis Perkins.

I took Dan on in the role of assistant manager after hearing of what a success he had been in his previous role, that along with being impressed with him at his interview. Dan took to the new role very quickly and I believe his experience in the forces certainly had a role to play in his development. He has shown himself to be very well organised, punctual, confident, as well as a real team player. On top of this, he is great at building strong relationships with customers and colleagues, both of which are very important in a managerial role. I am sure with his skillset, he will go on to have a very successful career.