19) Derrick Potter
Title: Founder and executive chairman, Potter Logistics
Derrick Potter celebrated both the 50th anniversary of the founding of Potter Logistics and his 50th wedding anniversary in 2015, marking the occasion with the title of Motor Transport Haulier of the Year.
While company isn’t the biggest in the UK by any means – coming in at number 93 in the 2015 Top 100 with turnover of £25m – Potter is a great example of how to combine family ownership with an innovative approach.
As well as being a member of the Palletline network, Potter has at Selby the longest container train railhead in the UK, handling a daily container train from Felixstowe, and has developed a range of added value services for its customers – many of which have been with the firm for two decades or more. Potter has become a specialist in niche markets such as chemicals and pharmaceuticals, and two of its sites are top-tier Comah registered for storing and handling chemicals.
A great philanthropist, Potter has always been a supporter of Business on the Move, a board game similar to Monopoly that requires players to develop a logistics system to move goods from China to the UK in the most efficient and environmentally way.
- Every day over Christmas and the New Year we will be counting down the Motor Transport Power Players from 20 to one, so come back tomorrow at 9am to see who is next in our countdown. As ever, we'd welcome your feedback and input into the debate. Send us your thoughts on Twitter @Motor_Transport using #MTPowerPlayers
