A HULL businessman who started his own company from his mother's garage is set to turnover £1m this year. Craig Kemp, 28, set up his firm CRK Engineering just over three years ago, but now employs 14 staff at a 4,000sq ft industrial unit in Sutton Fields.
After finishing his apprenticeship at KayGee Engineering in Hull, Mr Kemp worked for a number of different businesses in the region.
In 2011, Mr Kemp decided to branch out on his own and set up CRK.
The company has since grown rapidly through word-of-mouth recommendations.
Mr Kemp said: "It was very daunting when I first set up the company – I didn't have a clue what I was doing.
"We started off doing small jobs for some large local firms and it just grew from there.
"The company has grown a lot quicker than I thought it would, but we have managed to cope.
"We receive a lot of recommendations from other firms, so we're never short of work."
CRK Engineering employs a skilled team of specialist welders, mechanical engineers, machinists and designers, who work primarily in the food, pharmaceutical and recycling industries.
Some of the company's top clients include major food producers Cranswick and Greencore Group.
Mr Kemp is passionate about training a new generation of engineers and he has worked closely with Prospect Training to find the right apprentices for the company.
He said: "We have four apprentices on the staff at the moment and it was always very important for us to employ people that we can offer training to.
"Without apprentices, the industry wouldn't have a future."
Although Mr Kemp said loves being his own boss he admits it was a challenge to start his own company from scratch.
"I would really recommend it to other young people who are starting out, but I would warn people that you have to make a lot of sacrifices," he said.
"It is very hard – I haven't had a day off or a holiday in three years, but things are starting to get to the stage now where I'll be able to take some time off."
Looking to the future, Mr Kemp plans to expand the business overseas and he is already advertising for more staff.
He said: "About 70 per cent of our customers are based in Hull but we have others across the UK in Crewe, Northern Ireland and Wales.
"After only three years we are already a national company, so Europe is definitely the next step."
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