WCA September 2023

People

WMC announces the death of Steve Williams Wrexham Mineral Cables (WMC) has announced the death of its commercial manager, Steve Williams, who has been a key figure at the company over the last 16+ years. His death, following a short illness, is a great loss to the team and the cabling industry. “Despite the lessons learned over the last five years, we do not believe this is the case, particularly when it comes to the installation of fire-resistant cables.

“Ensuring which construction products are subjected to are relevant and can be relied upon is the only way we can make buildings truly safe.” that the tests

Mr Williams spent much of his time driving positive change in the area of building safety. WMC said that the impact of his work to increase awareness of the benefits of fire-resistant mineral insulated copper clad (MICC) cable – and to challenge current product certification standards – have been felt across the built environment. Mr Williams joined WMC as quality assurance manager, and quickly made his way up the ranks, becoming commercial manager in 2016. He strongly believed that there are still too many cables classed as ‘fire-resistant’ that would not be adequate in the event of a fire, as the tests they undergo do not represent real-world conditions. For this reason, he led the company’s lobbying efforts for all enhanced fire-resistant cables to undergo true fire scenario tests. He worked with the industry and his supply chain to educate customers and consultants on these points. It was a topic he was passionate about. Mr Williams’s passion for change is captured in a press statement he made last year: “It is our belief that there should also be a higher classification of cables introduced to identify those which can survive, rather than simply resist fire.

Steve Williams

and encourage a team of accounting professionals to be their best.” Prior to joining GSS, Ms Agee worked in a wide range of accounting capacities, from accounting clerk to vice president of finance. As the company’s controller, she initially performed all financial functions, from payroll to producing year-end audits. Over time, the company’s growth tripled the size of the finance department, requiring Ms Agee to relinquish most day-to-day tasks and assume a leadership role, which includes finding ways to make accounting processes quicker and more efficient, hiring new accounting personnel, and ensuring her department can accommodate unique customer needs. Ms Agee commented, “Global Shop Solutions is such a special company and culture. It seems hard to believe I’ve been here 15 years. I love my job, the people I work with and the family environment. “We keep growing and growing and the company remains a very close-knit organisation.” “We are all devastated by Steve’s death,” said John Allden, WMC managing director. “He brought unparalleled MICC knowledge, passion and dedication to everything he did. “On a personal note, he was everything we could wish for in a colleague: 100 per cent personable, smart, witty, engaging – quite simply a great person. “In his professional life, Steve was a change-maker and an energetic advocate for revolution in the building standards arena. His hard work and efforts in this field have paved the way for change in how cable products are specified. “The impacts of his tireless work in this area have been tremendous – and we will keep his memory alive by pursuing the work he was so passionate about. We salute him for this work and, as a colleague, we will miss him enormously.” Mr Williams is survived by his wife Kath, three children, and the recent addition of his first grandchild. Wrexham Mineral Cables https://wrexhammineralcables.com

GSS controller achieves 15-year milestone In 2007, independent accounting contractor JoAnn Agee closed the year-end books for ERP software company Global Shop Solutions (GSS).

A few months later, the company’s chief financial officer invited her to become a full-time employee, and Ms Agee is now celebrating her 15 th year as GSS’s controller – one of a growing number of the company’s staff to achieve this milestone.

“A pro- fessional, JoAnn has a unique combination of accounting and people skills,” said Dusty Alexander, president and CEO of Global Shop Solutions. “Since day one, JoAnn has worked tirelessly to improve internal accounting proces- ses to benefit the company, our employees and our customers. “Fifteen years later, and she is still pushing us to simplify our accounting processes, im- prove our accounting acumen skilled financial

JoAnn Agee

Global Shop Solutions, Inc www.globalshopsolutions.com

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September 2023