At PCS we are privileged to have a powerful, experienced and dedicated management team who have all given many years’ service to the company. The business that became PCS Ltd was founded as Pedersen Pigs Ltd in 1976 by Enjer Pedersen, an experienced trout and pig farmer originally from Denmark. After Enjer’s death in 1990, the business was taken over by his sons David and Michael Pedersen, who have taken the business forward ever since. In 2014, Nick Pedersen was taken on as a director of the company, continuing the family character of the business. We also employ a team of managers and directors from outside the family, some of whom have been promoted from other positions within the company.
Material Change, an experienced waste and anaerobic digestion plant operator, became involved in the business in October 2021 looking to work with the existing management team to grow the business and continuing to provide a high-quality service to all our customers.
In their own words: our management and support team
Michael Pedersen: Chairman
I left school in 1978 and joined the family business Pedersen Pigs Ltd. I spent a period working elsewhere in the early eighties, for three years as a Groom, rearing calves on bucket milk, and then a general farm worker before I came back in 1986 to set up a contracting business looking after a very large spent cow fatting business. We fed 9,000 cows and 15,000 sheep on veg waste. I lost my father in 1990, which is when we branched out and got into the poultry house cleaning business. 1991 turned out to be a busy year for us. By early 1991 we were looking at diversifying into cleaning out Poultry sheds and moving away from general contracting. In March 1991 we won the cleanout business of Lincs Turkeys Ltd. In July 1991 we took over all the cleaning out and disposing of litter and dirty water for J P Woods in Unigate.
We took all poultry litter back to land, so we set up an agricultural muck spreading business to deal with this.
In July 1994 they built and opened a power station at Flixborough, Scunthorpe to burn poultry litter. We applied and got an O-licence to run lorries. This is when we down-sized the spreading business to concentrated on the haulage side. In November 1994 we started the live collection of poultry for Lincs Turkeys Ltd and in December 1999 they opened another power station burning litter at Thetford – so we moved our contract from Flixborough to Thetford.
We’ve diversified over the years to supplying Anaerobic Digestion (AD) Plants, Composters, farmers and are presently running in 1,200 tonnes of poultry litter a day into Thetford and Eye power stations. Nearly all our lorries run full both ways, moving specialist sand/glass and now veg waste into AD Plants.
The success of the family business has always been important to me. Now I’m taking more of a backseat role as chairman, I can oversee the next generation of management coming through, which will, in turn, drive the business forward in this ever changing economy.
Chris Blades: Managing Director
I started working with Michael in his contracting business in 1987 as a farm labourer working with feeding and looking after cattle. In 1989 Pedersens started in the Poultry house cleaning and I became involved in the cleaning out crew which included the operating of bobcats, and the tractor and trailer transport from Poultry sites to farmland around the Scunthorpe area.
In 1993, Pedersens started lorry haulage, transporting the litter into Fibrogen at Flixborough Power station. I passed my Class 1 lorry test in 1994 and then became a full-time lorry driver involved with bulk haulage and live bird collection with Lincs Turkeys for seven years.
In 2001 I became a working manager, organising the clean out operations and this eventually became full time, working alongside the haulage department, we have developed the lorry operation to be as of now over 30 artic lorries and 10 low loaders of various sizes.
In 2015, I became a PCS Director and now in 2016 a Joint Managing Director along with Nick Pedersen. Together we are going to continue driving the company forward.
Paul Crooks: Heath & Safety/ HR Manager
I joined the company in October 2000, having worked within the industry for the past eighteen years. I became a team leader a year later, after about two years of running my own team we gained a large local contract and I was appointed to oversee and organise the two teams operating there. During this time I started to help out in the office working alongside the operations manager and doing holiday relief when he or the transport manager were away. With more involvement in the office, I took an instructors course to become our in-house trainer for all the machinery we use, a position I still have today. In 2014 I qualified as a C.I.E.H. teacher, allowing me to train employees Manual Handling and then in early 2015, I was appointed Health and Safety / H.R. Manager for the company.
Craig Jacklin: Transport Manager
Since leaving school in 1999 I have gained a good experience in the agricultural and haulage industry. In 2003 I took my HGV test then followed on to do 10 years driving, which gained me a good knowledge of the road networks and haulage industry. From there I took my Operators CPC and wanting to be more involved in day to day running of vehicles. I joined PCS in January 2016 and enjoyed my role as transport manager with day to day planning and keeping all legal matters up to date.
Vaughan Jaines: Transport Manager
I have been involved in the haulage industry in various ways since leaving school in 1983. I moved out of general haulage and into fuel distribution in 1988 when I began working for a small family run business. I began in the office and after gaining my HGV licence in 1991, combined office work and making customer deliveries. In 2001 the family run business became part of one of the largest independent fuel distributors in the country. In my role as Operations Supervisor, I was responsible for ensuring all aspects of the delivery side of the business, were run in compliance with current legislation. I began working at Pedersens in 2015 after deciding I needed a new challenge.
Wayne Burrows: Operations Supervisior
Upon leaving school at 16 I joined Universal Construction Services as a groundsman, block paving and drain laying, driving dumper trucks and JCB 360 diggers. At 27 I joined PCS as a machine driver, cleaning out sheds in different areas of the country. Two years later I was offered a Team Leader role in the Humberside area, running a gang making sure deadlines were met and jobs finished to a high standard. In April 2016 I was promoted out my gang of eight years to the office to learn and assist in the day-to-day planning of the entire cleaning out operation.
Jude Hyland: Financial Assistant
I was born in June 1959 and educated locally in Lincolnshire. I left school in 1975 and started work in retail which I did until 2003. Due to circumstances and a change in personal life I started working for Pedersen Contracting Services Ltd in 2003, a completely new venture for me.
I work alongside Marian, Anne and Christine in accounts. I invoice the haulage customers, sort the supplier invoices, check statements and make payments to suppliers, work within our payroll department keeping check of time sheets, holidays and processing payroll.
Since I started, many changes have been made within the company. All vehicles are now recognised with Pedersen logos, we moved into our new offices, and we keep updating our systems trying to keep one step ahead with a successful business which continues to grow.
Anne Kemp: Accounts and Invoicing
I was born in May 1954 and educated locally in Lincolnshire. I Left College in June 1971 and started working for a local Petroleum Company. I Left in January 1982 due to my eldest daughter’s birth. I worked for husband’s furniture business until its closure in April 1988. I then started work for a local supermarket part time and left in 2001 to begin employment with PCS. I work alongside Marian, Jude and Christine in the accounts section. I was trained by Bryan Summerlin to invoice our customer invoices relating to all cleaning out and Fibro-Thetford letter deliveries. Bryan was employed by the Company from its early days in 1976 and assisted Michael with its growth.
This Company is growing in size and stature every year and it is a privilege to work with such a forward-thinking and progressive. Craig and Vaughan have taken up the challenge in the transport office and have carried on improving the business that Richard worked hard to establish.
Find out more
To find out about our latest career opportunities, or to chat one of our team about the services we offer, please send us an email to [email protected], or give us a call on 01526 353978.