A man who joined Harlech Foodservice as a teenage part-time van driver’s assistant has been given a top job there.

Ten years ago Morgan Jones from Chwilog was a 16-year-old schoolboy looking for a summer job. Now he has a key role as warehouse manager.

He is one of four new promotions announced by Harlech at their headquarters near Criccieth, with Tomos Owen, a new HGV Class One driver, Jason Martin, Class Two, and Shane Parker joining the Business Support Team from telesales.

Now living in Nefyn, Morgan said: “The company have been fantastic and have really given me the chance to progress and build a career with them.

“I started part-time while still in school, helping drivers load and unload, then came back from university and started full-time as a van driver before the company put me through my HGV Class One.

“I worked as a driver through Covid. Then I was made Transport Supervisor, then Transport Planning Manager and now I’ve moved out of transport and into the warehouse.

“But it’s not just me. All four of us have been given opportunities by Harlech and we all live really close to the business headquarters and have been given the chance to progress and build careers.”

Jason, from Trefor, who worked in the company’s butchery department for 10 years before moving into the warehouse and retraining as a driver, has just gained his HGV Class Two.

He said: “I just wanted to progress and do driver training and it’s worked out very well for me. It’s been a real bonus being given the chance.”

Tomos Owen, 26, from Nefyn, originally trained as a chef. He said: “I worked locally but was looking for a change of career and I joined Harlech in February and re-trained.

“I’ve passed my HGV Class One and have started driving and am really enjoying it – the hours are a lot more social than a chef and it’s a good job for getting out and about.”

Shane Parker, 42, from Llanystwmdwy, in telesales in November. He said: “I enjoyed that and I live so close that I can walk to work if I like and now I’m moving up to work in IT in the Business Support Team, looking after the website and tracking trends and patterns in sales.

“Our job is to support the sales and purchasing teams here in the office and out in the field.”

Harlech Head of Operations Ian Evans added: “As we have grown we realise we needed these kinds of IT skills and support right across the range of the company’s activities.

“These four new appointments are another good example of how the company promotes from within and how there are opportunities to develop new skills and build careers here with Harlech and that is so important in an area like this.”

Harlech Foodservice, founded in 1973, now operates from bases at Criccieth, Chester, Merthyr Tydfil and Carmarthen.

For more on Harlech Foodservice visit https://www.harlech.co.uk/