Introducing…Paul Purton
We spoke to Paul Purton, Finishing Manager at CMCS, about his role, his career so far, and how golf can take over your life if you’re not careful.
So Paul, what’s your role and what does that entail?
My actual title is finishing , so I manage the team on finishing side of things here at CMCS. But I’m also warehouse manager and a warehouse operator, and generally muck in wherever I can. I get into a lot of things, including internal audits, and health and safety too. I’d like to think of myself as a jack of all trades.
I think I enjoy the finishing work the most, but I like all of it really, though it can sometimes be stressful when we have to make machine changes to work on an urgent request from a client. We tend to have to react quickly due to the nature of what we do, but I like it that one day to the next can be totally different, depending on the workload.
And what’s your career background?
I’ve been at CMCS nearly 19 years now, and before that I worked for a company who had CMCS as a customer, working on print and mail for Birmingham City Council. When I first moved here it was across three different sites, so a lot has changed in that time.
One of my first jobs was managing a clothing shop in the city centre. I was there for ten years until it closed, and then a friend asked if I wanted part-time work for the National Lottery when Camelot won it, sending out letters to all the retailers. I enjoyed it; it was all hand fulfilling and stuffing envelopes. There was loads of work going there at the time – everyone’s nan and grandad were working there.
What are you working on at the moment?
It’s mainly the normal day-to-day work I’ve already mentioned, although today we’ve had some overflow work through from a different part of Paragon, printing credit card statements, so I’ve been involved in working on that.
Great! What do you think makes a good finishing manager?
Flexibility is the one for us – you’ve got to be adaptable, recognise what jobs are coming in and where they’ve got to go. That kind of thing comes with experience, and it helps you do the job properly in the time you’ve got.
What’s a common misconception people have about your job?
Most people think it’s a very mundane job, and generally the perception may be that we don’t do any work cos we’re disaster recovery. But we’ve got so many customers with things that need doing, with lots of change, so we’ve got to react quickly and do the job as soon as we can. A lot of our customers are in regulated industries and can be subject to fines if communications aren’t sent when they need to be, so we have to be ready and prepared to react when they call on us.
Right, I think that’s enough about work. What did you have for tea last night?
I had a pizza. Very boring, just a cheese and tomato. The mrs makes them from scratch and I think they’re much better than takeaways. I can’t get enough of them. We’ve got one of those Jamie Oliver pizza ovens and they’re great.
Do you have a favourite crisp?
Cheese and onion Walkers, definitely. I’ve had them since I was little so there’s probably some nostalgia to it – my mum used to give me a pack every day.
Good choice. Where’s your favourite place you’ve ever been?
Errrrm I’d have to say a golf course that’s not too far away from here, The Belfry. I love my golf and try to play every weekend, though not there as it’s a bit pricey! Golf can take over your life if you let it, just ask my wife. My son’s just started playing as well, and I think she likes it because she can kick us out of the house for the afternoon.
Which three guests would you invite to a fantasy dinner party?
Tiger Woods would be one, definitely, then Jack Nicklaus to represent the old guys. And Colin Montgomery to stir things up a bit, because he doesn’t pull any punches. It’d all be golfers I’m afraid! If I had to choose someone else I’d probably go with a footballer from the Villa, probably Andy Gray or Brian Little.
On the day we’re doing this interview, someone in the UK has just won the Euromillions, so in honour of that story what’s the first thing you’d do if won 150 million quid?
Well there’s a few things on my list – but I think first would be to take the kids to Florida. And continuing the golf theme, I’d like to go to the Masters in Augusta. Then I’d probably do a world cruise.
Do you have a favourite word?
To be honest I can’t think of one that stands out. If you ask someone else here at CMCS, they’d probably sarcastically say “happy” because I can sometimes be a bit grumpy.
How about a word you don’t like?
It’s not an actual word but a phrase: “you can’t do that”. There’s always a way of doing something. You need to have that kind of attitude for what we do at CMCS.
Good choice! What superpower would you choose?
I think to live forever – immortality. Life can sometimes feel like it’s getting shorter and shorter.
What’s the best piece of advice you’ve ever received?
Be positive – everyone tells me that, which is probably to do with me being a bit grumpy!
Have you met a celebrity?
I’ve met various golfers and footballers over the years – the highlight would probably be Jack Grealish. He seemed like a nice bloke – I was with my kids and he treated them really well. Whenever I’ve seen him around children, he’s always been brilliant.
And finally, what did you want to be when you grew up?
A footballer! If my mum was still around, she’d tell you I was always wearing kits and carrying a football. I played for my school and Sunday league and did all sorts of other sports too, like cricket, rugby and athletics, but football was always number one.