Members only – Insight Event – Pendle Doors – Blackburn

Our Insight Event at Pendle Doors

When Ryan Anderson was offered a job in Dubai a few years ago, it was the trigger for a conversation with his parents about his role the family business. After years working at Pendle Doors, his assessment of the culture was honest: “I wasn’t sure that I would want to work here.” The autonomy his parents gave him to change things was a big part of his decision to stay.

The transformation of Pendle Doors tells the story. During this week’s Family Business Community insight event at the Darwen fire door manufacturer, Ryan, now Managing Director, his sister Rebecca Barrow (HR Manager) and Mum Sue Anderson (Financial Director and co-founder) shared how they’ve quadrupled revenue targets since 2018 and went several years without losing a single employee. They also shared what hasn’t worked.
Ryan’s credibility comes from having worked every role in the business – he could step into just about any job on the floor. Rebecca’s comes from somewhere entirely different: corporate HR experience leading teams in the oil & gas industry, retail, and higher education.

Sue, who founded the business with her husband Steve, acknowledged that things needed to shift. In years gone by, disputes would have been settled by a ‘conversation in the car park’ – definitely not how things are done in 2025.

Key takeaways from the visit:

• Make values visible and useful. Pendle’s six core values appear on uniforms, factory banners, appraisal forms, and interview questions. When employees suggested adding “teamwork” as a sixth value, leadership listened.
• Be prepared to bin what doesn’t work. Their birthday reward “spin the wheel” seemed fun but employee feedback revealed otherwise. They scrapped it and gave employees birthdays off instead.
• Two sites mean double the culture challenge. Maintaining cohesion between an older facility and a modern site requires deliberate strategy, not just goodwill.
• Standardisation is hard when everything’s bespoke. Heavy, custom fire doors resist production line efficiency. The team is constantly balancing craft with scalability.
• Business growth exposes systems and processes you’ve outgrown. From payroll systems still running on spreadsheets to corridor conversations that no longer work at 60 employees (heading to 100), scaling means professionalising communication and processes – even when cash and priorities compete.
• Recruitment is an ongoing puzzle. They’re exploring college partnerships and recruitment agencies and trying to “think like a bigger business” without losing what makes them distinctive. They recruit for cultural fit and train for skills.
• Honest progression conversations work. Examples of employees moving from shop floor to management roles, clear frameworks showing growth opportunities, and open discussions about succession planning all create trust.

As with other insight events, wider discussion in the room touched on everything from providing meaningful work opportunities for offenders, to the challenges of succession. To find out more about Pendle Doors, see their website.