Byker-based JK Lifting has been in operation for almost four decades, having been founded by John Kesson in 1983. The business was acquired by James Bright in 2019 and following continued growth, in May 2022 the firm celebrated the launch of JK Industrial Services and the opening of its new specialist marine base at Port of Blyth.
What was your first job (and how much did it pay)? I have always preferred to work outdoors. Much of my youth was spent helping out on a local farm in Northumberland. I guess my first job with a contract would have been when I was 21-years-old working as a sales executive for Rickerby, an agricultural machinery dealer. My salary was £150 a week. I loved it!
What is the best advice or support you’ve been given in business? Invest in people and surround yourself with the right people. There is a quote by a writer Maya Angelou that sums this philosophy up for me “People will forget what you said. People will forget what you did. But people will never forget how you made them feel.”
