Leading industrialist David Grove dies suddenly
A LEADING West Midland industrialist and entrepreneur has died suddenly. David Grove was chairman of Grove Industries, which owns a clutch of manufacturing and engineering firms centred in the region.
Mr Grove, who was 63, died at his home in Warwickshire on Saturday. He had a strong reputation for acquiring and turning around engineering businesses and won many admirers for his no-nonsense approach to business.
Lord Digby Jones, who worked with Mr Grove over more than 30 years, said the West Midlands had lost “one of the good guys of business.”
He said: “David was a lovely man – a quality businessman and a dear friend.
“He demonstrated in his business values and ethics an enormous common sense, and he never let success go to his head.
“Whether buying or selling a business he treated the people he dealt with with enormous respect, and in business never took the short-term view.
“And he stood up for the little guy, too. When he bought a business from Hampson, he thought he’d been misled in the sales process. If Hampson thought they were too big to be taken on, they were wrong, because he took them to court and won.
Mr Grove was awarded the OBE for services to business in 2009 and he was a former president of the Birmingham Chamber of Commerce. He was also involved with turning around the fortunes of Shirley-based Hill & Smith during an involvement which lasted more than decade.
Current BCCG president Michael Ward said: “We have lost one of our great industrial heroes. He famously led Hill & Smith to great success both in the UK and globally and his passing is a great loss to UK business.
“He has similarly led all the individual manufacturing businesses that operate under the banner of Grove Industries to leadership in their sectors.
“David’s passing leaves a massive gap. His passion for manufacturing and his conviction about the rising potential of Midlands manufacturers was infectious. He leaves a legacy of achievement that Midlands manufacturers will benefit from for decades.”
Jerry Blackett, chief executive of the Birmingham Chamber Group said: “David’s passion was his belief in the potential for local manufacturing businesses to never stop improving their productivity while at the same time improving quality.
“His watchword was innovation and he was inspirational to Midlands manufacturers. David also believed he should put back as much as possible to the Midlands community.”
In a recent interview with TheBusinessDesk.com he was typically forthright saying manufacturers in the region were not getting the support they should from banks and so were being left to fend for themselves – often with dire consequences.
Mr Grove leaves a wife, Jane, and two sons.
