Meet our new Operations Director, Gary Chalklin
Posted by Whitehall on 08th JunAs the UK’s longest standing Solid Surface Fabricator, 
we are always on the lookout for talented individuals within the industry to join the Whitehall team. We recently welcomed Gary Chalklin to the business, who joins us as Operations Director with 30 years of industry experience.
To get to know him a little better, we sat down to ask him a few questions:
Q: How long have you worked within the surface fabrications industry?
A: I’ve worked for over 30 years in the joinery and interior fit-out sector, developing an in-depth knowledge of a multitude of materials including solid surface. For the last 12 years I have specialised in solid surface fabrication, so understand just how many different uses it has.
Q: What key changes have you seen over this period?
A: There’s been a huge increase in the availability of solid surfaces. The rise of new solid surface brands has led to growth within the residential market, but it has also increased its use more widely within commercial settings. Solid surfaces are now used for features like decorative wall cladding and designers can even utilise its translucency with backlighting to create signage or art installations.
Q: What initially attracted to you to Whitehall?
A: Whitehall is the longest standing Solid Surface Fabricator in the business, with a reputation for delivering excellent quality and service, whilst leading innovation in the market.
Q: What are you most looking forward to about joining the team?
A: Exactly that! Joining the team of market leaders. I’m looking forward to working with a team that has consistently pushed the boundaries of solid surface fabrication in order achieve increasingly ambitious outcomes.
Q: What do you hope to bring to the role?
A: Alongside a commercial awareness of the market, I will bring the added ability to think outside the box. Bringing new expertise to a team is a catalyst for innovation, helping to develop new ideas and better realise designer’s visions.
Q: How do you see surface fabrication technology progressing over the next few years?
A: There is an increased drive within the industry to innovate, this is witnessed by recent developments such as Deep Colour Technology. Manufacturers are also working on increased scratch resistance, as well as improved water repellent properties, and increased thermo-formability is already enabling more extreme shapes to be practically produced. All these developments are enabling us to achieve increasingly ambitious, yet hard wearing designs for projects in a huge range of different settings.
Want to consult our solid surface expertise? Talk to our team about innovative surface design for your next project.
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