Meet our finalists for Britain’s Top Tradesperson 2017

We’ve scoured the nation to find the best tradespeople from across the UK. With nearly 5,000 applications, and 60 regional finalists, the following eight tradespeople have proven they have what it takes to compete at Wembley Stadium for the coveted title of Britain’s Top Tradesperson! Now our top contestants will do battle at this month’s showpiece final. In return our victor will win the most coveted title in trade – plus a £32,000 (OTR) Toyota PROACE van or Hilux pick-up.

Lluis Dalmau
Plumber and Heating Engineer
Clydebank, Scotland

Having started his career as an apprentice in 1991, Lluis has always been dedicated to bettering his skills and investing in the latest technologies. Lluis’ main priority is customer satisfaction and after-care services. His team takes great care in people’s homes and he always tries to give honest and unbiased information. He even rewards good customers with vouchers to thank them for the business. Lluis is extremely qualified with a raft of qualifications and accreditations. Lluis, who trades under the name LCD Heating and Gas Services, thinks his experience, dedication to keeping his knowledge up-to-date, customer service and impressive qualifications will help him to stand out from the crowd.

Karl Mather
Electrician
Wigan, England

After serving four years in the Armed Forces, Karl decided to follow in the footsteps of his granddad and father and began working as a sparkie. Karl, who trades under the name KDM Electrical, thinks his dedication to his customers and positive spirit will help him to stand out from the crowd while competing at the national finals. During the recession Karl nearly lost everything, but thanks to the help of his family and friends he was able to get back on his feet. Having gone through this experience, Karl has made it his mission to always give back to the community by offering his services to local charities. Recently Karl supplied and fitted a storage heater for an elderly couple in town for free and was contacted by the CEO of NICEIC and invited to attend the NICEIC Live Show as a VIP.

Ryan Spencer
Joiner
Stockport, England

Although much younger than the other finalists, Ryan is dedicated to proving that age is just a number and that it shouldn’t hold him back in this competition, in fact it could give him an edge. Ryan started out in his career as an apprentice under his father at the age of 14. Having started his own company three years ago, Ryan has already taken an apprentice under his wing and has a packed diary full of work from repeat customers. His goal now is to grow his business to become an Ltd company by the end of the year; a task he is determined to succeed in. Ryan, who trades under the name R.S Joinery, thinks his entrepreneurial spirit, dedication to his customers and commitment to bringing more people into the trade will help him to stand out from the crowd.

Ian Sproat
Electrician/ Renewable Energy
North Shields, England

Ian will never leave a job until it is absolutely perfect and exceeds his own expectations. Ian has worked on thousands of projects but most recently worked on over 850 houses in just six months. Ian is most proud of his 5 star customer rating. Ian’s main priority is to offer up renewable energy options to customers and teach young aspiring apprentices about alternatives in the trade. After 20 years in the trade, Ian and his business partners stay relevant with the times by offering renewable alternatives to customers to make the world a greener place. Ian, who trades under the name Eco Home Electrics, thinks his innovation, thoroughness, dedication and customer focused mind-set will help him to stand out in front of the judges.

Tom McPhilimey
Plumber
Coventry, England

With over 13 years of experience in the trade, Tom is passionate about providing exceptional customer service when on the job and is constantly looking to enhance his trade’s skills by attending trade events and additional courses. Tom, who trades under the name McBathroom & Boiler Co., thinks his passion, commitment and successful business structure will help him to stand out from the crowd. When Tom launched his own business 10 years ago he found it difficult to get new clients since he was so young. Through this hard time of having to prove himself he set up a successful business model which he uses and credits to his success to this day. He never asks a customer for money upfront or a deposit, he only gets paid at the end of a job which ensures that the customer is therefore 100% satisfied with his work. Even more impressive is he has never had one customer not pay him. Since customer satisfaction is the core reason for his success he goes out of his way to reward repeat customers by giving them gift vouchers for local restaurants for referrals and repeat work.

Rochelle Hibbert
Electrician
Birmingham, England

Rochelle, who trades under the name Hibbs Electrics, thinks his customer focused approach, skills and passion for the industry will help him to stand out from the crowd. Rochelle is known by other electricians within the Birmingham area for his willingness to help problem solve or to help get a job completed. Rochelle’s diversity within the electrical industry means he covers a different variety of electrical work. Rochelle’s most recent achievement is a rewire for a property worth £4million. To keep on top of his game and remain a top electrician Rochelle carries out practical installs on new products in his own home, attends workshops and offers customers a guarantee on his work to ensure their ultimate satisfaction.

Toby Sloley
Builder and Plumber
Exeter, England

With 16 years’ experience in the industry Toby has a broad set of well-rounded trade skills and knowledge in building, plumbing and bricklaying. Toby feels he has what it takes to be crowned the winner. During the recession, Toby learned that no job is too big or too small. Although this was a tough time, Toby spent this time learning new skills to make him the well-rounded tradesmen he is today. Toby, who trades under the name TOBY’S Building Services LTD, thinks his broad skillset, customer focus and dedication to the trade will help him to stand out from the crowd. To this day, Toby still meets with his mentor who is 72 years young to get advice from him since he has been through and seen everything that this trade has to offer. Focused on providing the best quality work for his customers, Toby loves being hands on and seeing the face of his customers at the end of a job, and the glowing reviews they give him.

Scott Clarke
Heating and Plumbing Engineer
Hook, England

Scott, who trades under the name Upsher Heating + Plumbing, thinks his dedication to his customers and passion for keeping up-to-date with the latest technology will help him to stand out from the crowd. Scott is passionate about sharing his skills and has recently taken on an older apprentice who has had a mid-life career change. He has also adopted new technology to raise the profile of his business, including creating videos to run on his Facebook page to showcase the type of service that he offers. With ten years in the industry Scott has a passion for providing excellent customer service and has a strong eye for marketing to customers in the area to attract new business. Every year at Christmas he sends out a Christmas card offering a discount to customers. To show his dedication to winning this coveted title, he is even missing half of a Stag-do to compete!