With first-hand experience as a Plankbridge customer, Andrew Gueterbock brings a unique perspective to his new role as Managing Director…
Your first experience with Plankbridge was as a customer. Can you tell us about your hut and what inspired you to buy it?
It’s a traditional 14ft Snug, which we bought in memory of my late father. We have positioned it in a three-acre arboretum in Dorset that we kept after the sale of the family home – a mix of native trees interspersed with specimen trees and flowering shrubs, including a magnolia that my father cultivated himself and is recognised by the Magnolia Society.
In keeping with the natural surroundings, we’ve kept the hut simple: it has a double bed, a woodburning stove and a traditional stable door. When we brought my mum to visit the Plankbridge workshop – once, before the hut went into production and then just before it was finished – it all felt very special for her, especially as there was a family connection with Plankbridge’s co-founder, Jane.
What do you see as the key strengths of Plankbridge, and how do you plan to build on them in your new role?
In short, our strengths are the fabulous products we build and our highly skilled team who build them. It is our quality standards and attention to detail that differentiates Plankbridge from our competition. This is founded on 25 years of hut-making experience and a workforce with diverse backgrounds, but a common desire to create and craft beautiful products. Like many small businesses Plankbridge has grown organically to meet demand that has been driven by increasing awareness of the brand. We have delivered almost 700 unique huts and cabins around the globe, we have a growing following on social media and an increasing number of important partnerships to ensure we offer the fixtures, finishes and fittings that our customers ask for.
My plans are to build on these foundations and ensure that the company grows steadily, sustainably and efficiently while keeping absolutely true to the values and heritage that Richard, Jane and Hannah have imbued in the business since the beginning. Based on the demand that we are currently fulfilling, we have opportunities to extend our product range, sell into new geographies, and continue to improve and adapt our designs. We need to do all of this while staying focused on what we are good at and bringing talented people into the business who share our passion and values. I am very proud to be trusted by the family to help steer the business into the next phase of growth.
What do you enjoy most about working at Plankbridge?
Three things: the location, the people, the product. Driving up the lane on a sunny morning, parking the car and then walking into the workshop and seeing all the huts in their various stages of production is always the best part of my day. It’s also great to see the reaction on people’s faces when they finally get to view their finished hut. I’d only been at Plankbridge a short time when we had a customer in tears because she was so overwhelmed by the level of craftsmanship that had gone into the build, and then there was the reaction to our Sauna Snug and Garden Privy at Chelsea. Everyone loved them!
What’s your vision for Plankbridge in the years ahead?
My vision is Plankbridge being recognised globally as the leader in the hand-crafted hut and cabin market. The business will stay true to our core strengths and values but on a larger and more profitable scale, allowing us to invest in new product development and take on additional local, skilled staff and apprentices as we grow.
I love the fact that our Workshop Lead, Rikki, started as an apprentice many years ago and I want to make sure we offer the same opportunity for other young people who are looking to make a start in a joinery or furniture making career. I see the brand evolving slightly to build on quality and heritage: to be recognised as a leader in interior design and innovation in small living spaces. Demand continues to grow for spaces that bring you closer to nature and provide an escape from the day-to-day stresses of modern life. The success of our wellness huts, off-grid huts and Plankbridge Standard accommodation huts are all evidence that we are heading in the right direction, but we need to keep Plankbridge on the forefront of meeting this need and increase the brand recognition that we are the best.
And finally, what do you like to do outside of work?
My wife Emma and I have grown-up children, so we have more freedom nowadays to go off on adventures with our two rescue spaniels, Roo and Jazz, and sea swimming at Southsea Beach, where we live. I recently completed a forestry course so I could find out how to look after and protect the trees in our arboretum, and we escape to our hut whenever we can. There’s no mobile signal and it’s just the most beautiful, peaceful oasis with a stream running through it. The moment you close the gate, and watch the dogs charge off in all directions, you know you are in for a spell of total relaxation.
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