More than a hundred friends and family gathered for a surprise celebration of a Leicester businessman who has dedicated half a century to his Oadby manufacturing company and the wider business community.
The party, at the Brick and Bean, in Queen Street, Leicester, was held in honour of Jaspal Minhas, managing director of control panel maker Electrical Design & Manufacturing.
Mr Minhas, a well-known face on the county’s business scene, came to Leicester from India in 1964 aged nine.
He left school at 15, and – unable to fulfil a family tradition of joining the British army, because he didn’t have a British passport – began working for EDM Electrical Design & Manufacturing.
His journey with the business took him from an apprentice to becoming the managing director and ultimately the owner of the company.
Under his leadership the company grew and worked on projects with some of the UK’s leading aviation, airport, and nuclear, steel and pharmaceutical companies.
Uday Dholakia, a close friend and Leicestershire-based business ambassador, said Mr Minhas was a “true community stalwart”, leading the Leicestershire Asian Business Association as president and sitting on the board of the Leicester and Leicestershire Economic Partnership.
He said: “Jaspal oversaw the training of several hundred apprentices over the years, resulting in a strong long-lasting bond with many of them.
“A passionate lobbyist and advocate for apprenticeships, he convinced Sir Vince Cable – then Secretary of State for Business – of the importance of apprenticeships and their impact on the future of British manufacturing.
“He passionately advocated the case for the government to bring British Steel into public ownership, as an important and strategic national asset.
“Jaspal’s dedication complements his warm and sincere personality. In the manufacturing fraternity his reputation is second-to-none.
“He personifies the manufacturing icons of Leicestershire, who have underpinned our industrial base through ups and downs.”
Jaspal’s son Tajinder S Minhas also started as an apprentice in the family business 17 years ago.
He said “It has been a pleasure to work with my dad, he is a great mentor and boss, but above all a great father.
“If I can emulate half his success in the future, his legacy will surely live on.”
