The Story of Dave at Rapid Welding

From Mini Cabs to IT Director!

Have you ever heard of a ‘sliding doors moment’?

It refers to a small action or decision that ends up having a huge impact on the course of your life.

These things happen to us all the time. It could be missing a bus, getting stuck in a traffic jam, or choosing one job over another.

It’s about small choices or twists of fate that can shape your future in the most unexpected ways.

And it’s kind of what happened to Dave in 2005, when he made a four-hour trip to work on the IT system at a company called Rapid Welding, and by chance had a conversation with a chap called Roy Edwards.

If he’d never made that journey, if he’d never met Roy, how different things might have been.

A Talent for Tech

At 12 years old, Dave was the very proud owner of his first computer.

As impressive as this sounds, today’s Smart Watches that kids wear on their wrists are a thousand times more powerful than the computer Dave had at home.

But it was tech, and tech was what Dave wanted to do.

It was here that he honed his passion, spending hours learning to code – that is, writing instructions for computers to understand and follow, like how to do calculations or run websites and apps.

In his mind, he wanted a high-flying, high- earning career in IT. 

What he got, having handwritten a whopping 50 letters to companies saying, “I can code, give me a job”, were 50 disappointing replies of, “Thanks, but you need a degree to work here.”

And this was the beginning of the problem.

Black Cabs and Hollywood stars

Covering the cost of a university education was completely out of the question.

As disappointing as it was, Dave inherited his dad’s philosophical outlook on life, in that he tends to look forward, while some people can only look back. You can stamp your feet in frustration, but ultimately you can’t change things.

Having this mindset meant that Dave packed his tech dreams away in a box labelled ‘things to think about later’ and set out into the world to earn some money.

His first job was in a lab printing photos.

Then he worked at the social, handing out benefits.

At one point, he ran his own little business with four vans delivering papers to newsagents.

All of which made him some money, but not a lot.

At the end of 1999, Dave did a stint driving a mini cab in Soho, London.

He’d drive up from Southampton and spend the whole day running around the city, and it was a job he absolutely loved.

You see, it’s easy to assume that if someone’s techy, they’re naturally a bit of an introvert. Jobs like coding and IT generally require long periods of working quietly and on your own.

But this doesn’t apply to Dave. He’s a proper people person, and he adored being a cabby.

He vividly remembers the time actor Mike McShane, who played Friar Tuck in the Kevin Costner blockbuster, Robin Hood, jumped into his cab.

Having recognised Dave’s car air fresher as the Dastardly and Muttley characters, he did a superb Muttley laugh before launching into a tirade against the hotel he was staying at – they’d lost two pairs of his plus size trousers in the wash, and he was furious!

But, as much as Dave loved the job, there were also moments that annoyed him.

For instance, Dave had to be home before it was dark.

Night driving meant earning three times as much money as in the day, because there was much less traffic at night and you could take extra fares. The problem was, Dave didn’t really know London roads that well, and driving at night meant he couldn’t have his map-book open on his lap to read the directions.

It was a point of contention, and Dave decided it was time to move on.

Time to Learn

Having never lost sight of his passion for IT, Dave decided to give it another go.

Knowing he needed qualifications to be successful, he paid £5,000 to take fifteen Microsoft exams, earning himself the designation of Microsoft Certified Engineer.

Dave started working for a local company based in Southampton, creating and installing finance apps for customer systems, such as Navision – a program which helps businesses manage daily operations like accounting and finance.

One of his customers was a chap called Rob Edwards, who co-owned a business called Rapid Welding with his brother, Roy. Dave was tasked with rebuilding the server there, which was fondly named Derek after one of Rob’s pet dogs.

Thinking back to those early days, Dave remembers a small incident with Harry and Alfie – two beautiful dalmatians owned by Roy. The boys were visiting the office, only Harry managed to disgrace himself by doing a wee in front of Derek the server. After a bit of initial alarm, all was ok. Derek dried off and went on to run perfectly for another 15 years.

It was at this point that the company Dave worked for was bought out by a Warrington based business, some 200 miles away from Southampton.

Dave stuck with his role and made the move up north, renting a house but keeping some of his loyal customer portfolio down south.

It was November 2005 when Dave returned to Rapid HQ to do some essential work on the Navision system.

His point of contact at Rapid was normally Rob, but on this day, by chance, Dave got to properly meet and chat to Roy Edwards.

Dave can remember it vividly. He was working in the storeroom and happened to mention that, while he enjoyed his job, he didn’t like being away from his family and was looking to move back to Southampton.

Roy’s response was, “There’s always a job here if you want one.”

Dave was a little taken aback – they’d only been chatting for half an hour.

He walked out of Rapid, rang his other half and said, “I think I’ve just been offered a job.”

As seems to be the Rapid way, rather than Dave walking back in and saying “yes, I accept, thanks very much”, they all went out for a curry that night, and over dinner everything was decided.

It stands firm in Dave’s mind that, if he hadn’t made the drive from Warrington to Southampton that day, and if he hadn’t had that conversation in the storeroom with Roy, how different things might have turned out.

Life’s Work

One month after being offered the job, Dave officially joined Rapid Welding.

For the first six months he still had to work in Warrington, so Roy loaned him a little MGF to make the commute.

Dave would work at Rapid and stay at his parents’ house from Tuesday to Thursday, then he’d drive up North for the rest of the week, and he did this until the end of May.

Dave has been at Rapid now for 20 years, and he says it’s like one big family – sometimes a dysfunctional one, but a family, nonetheless.

One that has been a huge support and strength throughout key chapters in Dave’s life.

In fact, Dave likens Rapid to a traditional family scene around the Christmas tree – not the picture-perfect one where everyone is singing carols and roasting chestnuts on an open fire, more the one where they all have a punch up over the turkey dinner and hug it out afterwards!

Dysfunctional maybe, but it’s very much a term of endearment, and Dave wouldn’t have it any other way.

One amusing incident was when Roy took a marker pen to Dave’s treasured packet of Nice biscuits, writing a very different choice of word in big black letters. Roy was crying with laughter when Dave finally noticed, and to this day, Dave still threatens Roy with industrial tribunal action.

“It’s impressive that you can always rely on Dave to come up with a solution, no matter how challenging. Our website would not have the features or usability without Dave’s tireless efforts.” 

Richard Noyce, Website Assistant

When asked what the milestones at Rapid have been, Dave is very humble when he says, “I’d like to think I’ve made a reasonable impact.”

This is a bit of an understatement, as it’s clear the work he’s done over the years has massively driven the company forward.

From writing the original code to working closely with Roy, developing what today is an award-winning website is something Dave is very proud of and still incredibly passionate about, although he’s very quick to add that it was a team effort and credits Rich, Andy and Mason for their efforts, too.

Ultimately, Roy describes how he wants the system to run, and Dave makes it happen. Or, as Dave puts it, “Roy hums the theme tune. I play it.”

It’s taken a while for Dave to recognise and appreciate his true value, and an example of this would be when, summoned to a meeting in 2014, Dave walked into Roy’s office with his fingers crossed, hoping for a bit of a pay rise. When he walked out, he’d been elevated to senior management. It was a total surprise, and the last hour and a half of Dave’s workday consisted of him sitting at his desk, speechless and in shock.

It was also around this time that Roy put Dave forward to complete a Higher National Diploma in business, accounting and marketing.

While Dave was very much up for the challenge, it was quite a daunting prospect, particularly walking into a room full of smart kids with A levels!

It was horrifically hard work, needing 15 hours-a-week study and writing big essays outside of his normal working day, but Dave thoroughly enjoyed it because, as he says, he doesn’t like standing still and he loves to learn.

In the end, Dave was the only one who got a distinction out of nine people on the course.

It was a very proud moment: In his mid-40’s, Dave finally had the qualifications he’d always wanted.

And the cherry on top? Attending the ceremony, wearing a mortar board and gown, and throwing his hat up in the air.

To complete the fairytale, in 2022, Dave was asked to become a Director of Rapid Welding.

“Dave has been pivotal in developing our IT systems. He built Rapid’s website and is a main player in our success and specifically, Rapid’s online presence. It made perfect sense to offer Dave a directorship – he’s been exceptionally loyal to the company, a valued member of the Rapid family, and we couldn’t afford for him not to be a key member of staff.”

Roy Edwards, Managing Director

Today, Dave is responsible for Rapid’s IT systems, including security, and is continually modifying and improving processes. Interestingly, but not surprisingly, Rapid was one of the first suppliers to employ a full-time IT specialist.

In Dave’s mind, he can’t see himself anywhere else but Rapid – it would be weird, having put so much of his life into the company.

As for another sliding door moment, had he been able to attend university and follow his original dream of obtaining a degree, would his life be rosier?

One of his mates studied for the same qualification Dave wanted, and yes, he got a great job earning great money. But the reality is, he also does a lot of shuffling paper. While Dave, he gets to come to work every day, write code, and feel like he’s really achieved something.

He’s exactly where he wants to be.