Member firm thrives and diversifies thanks to strong family values
To help celebrate our 125th anniversary, we’ll be going behind the scenes with the Members and Member firms who hold a significant place in our history. Here, we meet the team from P Blackhall Ltd and find out how the association has helped them move with the times.
As a company that’s nearly as old as SELECT, P Blackhall Ltd has seen plenty of changes down the decades – and like the association, it’s continuing to diversify to keep pace with modern trends.
The history of the longstanding Member firm is closely intertwined with our own, with former Managing Director Ian Blackhall serving as President in the early 1970s and being awarded an MBE in 1990 for his services to the electrical industry.
Today, the Edinburgh-based outfit is run by Ian’s grandson Stuart Blackhall, who is also the great, great grandson of Peter Blackhall, who founded the company back in 1913.
Stuart told us: “We’re very proud that the company is now in the hands of the fifth generation of our family. Since we began as a one-man business, we’ve grown into a respected multi-trade firm doing electrical, plumbing and heating work.
“As a child, I spent my school holidays washing vans and helping out. I soon realised that a career as a tradesman wasn’t for me, so I went to university and got a BA Hons in Business and Marketing, which led to my current role as Managing Director. My expertise is in making the phone ring – or these days, getting the emails in.”
The company currently has separate plumbing and heating, renewables and electrical teams, with 15 staff in total. It employs five electricians and two electrical apprentices and carries out a variety of electrical work, including domestic and commercial testing and inspecting, fault finding and upgrades.
In recent years it has also diversified into the renewables sector and now installs electric vehicle (EV) charge points, heat pumps and solar PV and battery storage systems.
Stuart said: “My own passion is renewables and I understand the pressing need to decarbonise and save energy in our homes. From learning about it at school to seeing it in real life, I feel that the world desperately needs to get on with decarbonisation.
“We’ve branched out into a growing and competitive market but it has gone well. So far we’ve installed over 200 EV charge point and around 20 solar PV and battery systems, including a large PV installation on a listed building that we’re particularly proud of.
“SELECT has always been key to our upskilling and we did all our renewables training via the association’s partner, GTEC, including the solar PV and battery storage courses.”
Creating the right balance
As you’d expect from a fifth-generation firm, family values run deeply throughout P Blackhall, with Stuart’s wife Alison working as the company’s Financial Director.
She told us: “Working with immediate family often involves a balance of professionalism and maintaining a healthy personal relationship.
“We strive to set a clear boundary between work and personal life and both have clearly defined roles, which helps us not step on each other’s toes!
“We’re fortunate to share in the business’s successes together and can lean on one another when facing challenges.”
Stuart agrees, adding: “We look after our staff like family and respect that we all have families and respect our non-work commitments.”
Alison went on: “I think we take advantage of the inherent trust of working with family. The shared values, history and commitment are powerful drivers when working towards a common goal.”
That common goal includes training the talent of tomorrow, as Stuart explained: “We’ve always had apprentices and we’re strong believers in training the next generation. With the growing reliance on electrical technology, apprentices are more vital than ever.”
Firm moves with the times
Away from the work itself, and inspired by its growing focus on green technology, P Blackhall Ltd has also made changes to its day-to-day operations.
Stuart explained: “The business has changed considerably in the past few years, so we now drive electric vans, use cloud-based customer software and issue digital certificates.
“Capping the gas at our head office and installing our first heat pump also proved to all our employees that renewable technology is a viable option for the future.
“We also recently gained MCS certification in solar PV, battery storage and air source heat pumps, which shows our commitment to industry standards.”
Looking ahead, Stuart says he believes renewables are key to both electrical contractors and their customers – as is regulation of the industry itself.
He said: “I want to prove that energy-saving and clean and renewable energy is the future and want to help people reduce or eliminate carbon emissions in their homes and businesses.
“I would like also like tighter regulation of the electrical industry to stop rogue traders and recognise time-served, qualified tradesmen like the ones who have helped make the company what it is today.”
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