Duckers & Diving: It’s Hanmer Time!

THIS week our dishevelled diarist pays tribute to one of his longstanding contacts and leading Black Country business figure, Charles Hanmer and recalls one his favourite stories about King Charles.

Congratulations to old mate and legendary businessman Charles Hanmer whose design and marketing company, as revealed in TheBusinessDesk.com, is celebrating its 30th anniversary.

Kingswinford-based Charles Design & Marketing’s milestone also coincides with changes to the company structure with founder Hanmer taking on the role of chairman and promoting some young blood to eventually take over.

A jolly rascal, not much moves in the Black Country without Charles knowing about it.

One of those voluble idiosyncratic characters of whom there are far too few these days.

A man who has got through recession after recession and who freely gives of his advice and time.

My favourite story about him was his experimentation with mobile phones when the things were in their relative infancy.

There he was driving along while speaking on the wretched thing – in the days before that was banned.

It nearly caused him to have a terrible accident and he was so shaken up that he pulled to a halt further down the road to recover, by coincidence next to a large lake.

After taking several deep breaths and no doubt seeing his whole life flash before him, he picks up the mobile, steps out of the car and hurls it as far into the water as it will go.

And that experience finished Charles with mobile phones for ever.

“I still wonder sometimes whether it is keeping the fish amused,” he told me the other day.

He admits he has subsequently flirted with the idea of getting another one, but, while fully accepting it is the lifeblood of business for many people, never has. “I always felt it got you into making decisions on the spot when actually you should be giving more thought to them.”

And, anyway, he doesn’t need to be in contact with others because everyone is in contact with him – he claims 1,000 emails a day.

He has chaired 62 organisations in his time and his “short” CV is six pages long.

Companies he has previously run have included a Willenhall firm selling whistling kettles to Japan and a paint products business which once exported to 30 different countries.

And Charles, who turns 70 in December, is hardly slowing down.

In his latest role involving West Midlands Manufacturing Club, part of Wolverhampton University, he is off to China in October for 10 days on a marketing mission to see how his clients and others might be able to benefit.

“Just because I have white hair doesn’t mean I don’t still have a burning ambition to succeed.”

And the secret of getting through recessions? Diversify. Don’t have all your eggs in one basket.

“Mind you it is still tough – if it was easy everyone would be doing it.”

I think I once described him as a Black Country Braveheart.

What a guy!