T&J Founder - Derek Jones

T&J Installations was founded in 1984 by Derek Jones, as a technical services provider for the drinks industry.

Born in Birmingham on 29th November 1945, Derek began his professional life in beer dispense in 1970, when he left a job as Department Manager at C&A after a chance job offer from one of his customers.

Ever the hard-worker, Derek’s position at C&A was one that he’d worked up to since leaving school at the age of 15 and began working as a shop assistant. Fortuitously, he made the life-changing career move to become a brewery technician at Scottish & Newcastle Brewery.

Derek created T&J, having been made redundant from his job as a brewery technician at Scottish & Newcastle Brewery, when it closed the department he worked in.

He started T&J with Ken Taylor, who had been a friend and colleague of his at the brewery. With the Jones family today dominating the company’s management team, many ask where the ‘T’ in the company name comes from – the answer is, it comes from Ken.

Derek believed in a hands-on approach, bringing new employees into the industry as apprentices, having them trained on the skilled work of a beer dispense technician. This is something he would eventually do for his sons, Ian and Paul Jones, who now work as T&J's Managing Director and Operations Director, respectively.

Well-loved in the industry, Derek was known for his personal approach and endearing wit, which helped to grow the business and its client base. Much to the embarrassment of his sons, he liked to use his slogan, ”You’ve tried Mickey Mouse, now try Tom & Jerry” – a nod to the company’s initials of ‘T’ and ‘J’.

Along with these traits, Derek wouldn’t have achieved what he did without being a shrewd businessman and a forward-thinker. He was instrumental in bringing the company into the digital age, instigating the development of the company’s website and introducing an online job status portal for the use of staff and clients – when he did this, he was way ahead of his time.

Derek retired in 2008, although still keeping an eye on the business and helping it to continue to grow.

Derek passed away in 2017, leaving his sons, Ian and Paul, to further develop the business, which has grown from a team of 2, to one of over 100 employees.

One of Derek’s two sons in the business, Ian Jones, Managing Director of T&J, said: “We owe Derek a great debt. The company, as it now stands, supports the livelihoods of over 100 staff and their families, and that number continues to rise.

“Derek was very personable, and that earned him a lot of love and respect from the team and clients alike. He was great at making people smile. His approach and personality have shaped the way we do business and will do so for many years to come.

“He will be greatly missed, not just by myself and my family, but by the whole T&J team. We are his legacy, and are immensely grateful for that.”