Flexible Reinforcements has been delivering exceptional products and customer service since 1966, in 2022 we recognised that 25 of those years of industry service have been abley assisted and managed by our very own Rachel. 

Find out all about Rachel here ⬇️

What did you do before you worked here?

I had a couple of jobs before I began at FRL. I worked as a Duty Manager in a Leisure Centre, before which I worked in call centre for a catalogue company and then prior to that in an IT recruitment agency (we spent every Fri afternoon in the pub planning the next week it was AMAZING).

I actually also applied to work in Rectella's sales team (our sister company) originally but never even got an interview. Jan (Jan Montwill) pulled my CV from the pile a few weeks later and asked me to come see him. The rest, as they say, is ANCIENT HISTORY 😊

What is your job title?

Head of Commercial & Operation

What are your main duties at Flexible?

To ensure we really do meet the standards we set ourselves as a business and a team. Exceptional experiences for everyone, delivered with dedication, enthusiasm and passion! 

My role means that I look at opportunities for the business to work better for our customers, with new products and future markets. I look after the Flexible team, ensuring we are all highly effective within our roles and promote the best working culture within the business. My favourite part of the job is building relationships with our customers, building the team and ensuring we offer and provide the very best service possible.

Tell me about your family / home / pets.

I live at home with my husband Steven who is a chef (my cooking skills are limited), Isabella (aged 13) who plays for the Purple Under 14’s football team sponsored by Rectella International, Joe who is an Xbox pro and MMA Green belt (aged 9) and Woody the Wonder Dog who we got from Cyprus in Nov 2020.

What do you enjoy outside of work? 

Mostly you will find me walking with Woody and watching Isabella play football. Afterwards we love eating out and spending time with family and friends.

Have you ever met anyone famous?

A few people over the years but the story that still tickles me to this day is when I met a guy that I recognised from the telly in a bar and after chatting for a while he looked confused with the direction of the conversation, and asked ‘Do you know who I am?’. I was feeling very confident as I declared “Gladiator Ready, Contestant Ready” in my best announcer's voice. I was sure Wolf would appreciate my inside knowledge of his career. 

At this point my friend explained that he was actually the BOGOF guy from Safestyle windows and doors. Needless to say we found it funnier than he did. 

What's changed in 25 years? 

When I first started at FRL we used the trusty fax machine to communicate with customers. My children don't even know what a fax machine is! 

One of my first tasks, on my first day, was to send out a fax offer to all customers within a customer group. I really struggled. I couldn't seem to get the fax to arrive with customers. After an hour of trying - I was made aware that we needed to prefix the number with a 9 to get an outside line, it then became clear why EVERY fax was failing 🤣🤣🤣

What would you say have been the biggest challenges you have faced at Flexible?

Working through Covid has undoubtedly been our biggest challenge to date, as we navigated through such uncertainty and the material shortages that became apparent. Historically we thought the phthalate changes were tough for the industry but that was nothing when compared to what we have all endured over the last few years. What has made it better is our amazing customers and staff.