Who Said Accountants Aren't Interesting?!

Phil

• 4 min read
Who Said Accountants Aren't Interesting?!

OK, so now I have your attention, perhaps it's not 'Interesting' we mean, but 'Interested'!!

Many accountants are perceived to be pretty dry and only interested in numbers, so as you can imagine, we were delighted when our company accountants approached us and asked if we would answer some interview questions for their company newsletter, they were interested in us for a change :-)

Laura was tasked with the job of answering their questions, as 3rd Generation of the Evans family who own & run Connevans, we thought she was the perfect person to answer their interview questions, especially as she happens to be married to an accountant!

So the following is an extract from our Accountants Client Interview feature, which we hope, Dear Reader, gives you a small insight into the history of and life at Connevans Limited ...

How was your business started?
We were founded by my grandparents Meurig and Connie Evans in 1961. My grandfather had worked in the AID (Aircraft Inspection Directorate) during the war, working with everything from radios to bomb releases. Later on he moved into the development of radar.
Germany's first freely movable radio telescope from 1957 stands on the Stockert, a mountain near Bad Münstereifel. Today the world's largest and most powerful radio telescope in the hands of amateurs.
Photo by Stefan Widua / Unsplash
After the war he moved into private electronics manufacturing, eventually starting his own firm Connevans.

Back then, Connevans was the first UK company to manufacture Language Teaching Laboratories, with installations all over the world. The late 1960s saw the business change direction slightly towards equipment for deaf and hard of hearing people and our products are now used in schools, homes and workplaces across the country.
Captured in a metropolitan Atlanta, Georgia primary school, this photograph depicts a typical classroom scene, where an audience of school children were seated on the floor before a teacher at the front of the room, who was reading an illustrated storybook, during one of the scheduled classroom sessions. Assisting the instructor were two female students to her left, and a male student on her right, who was holding up the book, while the seated classmates were raising their hands to answer questions related to the story just read.
Photo by CDC / Unsplash

Who purchases your products and where are they sold?
We supply local authorities, health authorities and the audiological profession as well as to private individuals and social services, we also supply the Emergency Services and have been known to supply batteries for earpieces to MI6 aka Spooks!
Our local fire department showed up with two firetrucks and in full gear to this three year-old’s birthday party. Pretty much the best moment of his life. Here he looks up in awe at all the firemen, right before giving them a big high five. I’m not sure who was happier — the kid or the firefighters.
Photo by Hamza El-Falah / Unsplash</small

Our main focus has traditionally been in education and supplying equipment for use by deaf and hard of hearing young people in schools and universities but over the last 5 years we are seeing an increasing number of people purchasing through our www.DeafEquipment.co.uk website for use at home.

together now
Photo by John Schnobrich / Unsplash

In 2020, the RNID (Royal National Institute for Deaf People) decided to outsource their products sales division, supplying assistive hearing technology to their supporters and members. Following a competitive tender process we were successful and now Connevans donates 10% of sales from a dedicated website to RNID, the UK charity supporting deaf people and those with hearing loss and tinnitus. This relationship allows them to continue to provide product information and support and helps fund their campaign for equality and pioneering research.

How long established?
This November we will celebrate our 60th birthday. Celebrations are likely to be postponed until next year when the covid situation will hopefully be a bit more stable but we are delighted to have reached the milestone.
The Ballons
Photo by Adi Goldstein / Unsplash
As the third generation of our family business, I’m looking forward to the next 60 years! We have lots of exciting plans for the future, including developing a smartphone app to make it easier for people to identify assistive technology that will work with their hearing aid and implementing a barcode-based warehouse management system.

Photo by Adrian Sulyok / Unsplash

Tell us something interesting about your team?
Our team are amazingly loyal. Our longest-serving member of staff is planning on retiring next year after clocking up an impressive 54 years service!! Across our team of 27, we have 543 years of Connevans experience, with nearly half of us having been working here for 20 years or more – we think it’s the staff Christmas lunch they stay for!
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We’re so lucky to have such a great group of people to work with and their passion and commitment is reflected in our excellent Trustpilot score (4.9 out of 5, over 3,364 reviews).

Share something our readers may not know about you or your business?
For the past 6 years, we have been proud to hold a Royal Warrant as Manufacturer and Supplier of Audio Equipment to Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II! As a supplier to the Royal Household, we are naturally expected to meet and maintain very stringent standards regarding the quality of the products and level of service we provide, as well as environmental and sustainability criteria.

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To read more about the sometimes more quirky side of Connevans, simply click here :-)