40 years and counting!
We are thrilled to celebrate a remarkable milestone at Calder. As of 2025, Steve Sharp, our Sales Director, marks 40 years of dedicated service. And that deserves a few words …
In the Beginning
Our sales director for the last 20+ years joined Calder as an apprentice in 1985. Starting ‘on the tools’, he gained valuable experience including time spent on various customer sites giving him a great understanding of the industries we serve. As employee number 6, there were no departments per se – so Steve quickly became involved in most aspects of the company. A combination of the knowledge he gained, his understanding of customers’ applications, and his relaxed demeanour resulted in a natural move for Steve into a sales role.
Sales Director
Steve’s leadership and strategic thinking have been crucial to Calder’s success – to our success. The 2009 global recession, the downturn in the oil & gas sector, and Covid were just three events that required enlightened thinking to get our company through relatively unharmed. Advancements in pumping technology along with an improving focus on safety, both onshore and offshore, resulted in a constantly evolving product range. In addition to promoting these products, Steve ensured our customers understood the role Calder took in these developments.
Success
Notable among Steve’s many successes are our expansion into the Middle East and our progression into the energy transition. In 2009, we looked at the requirement in the Middle East for safe and reliable high pressure pump units. The demand was certainly there. A demonstration of our products over three days at the Ritz Carlton Hotel in Bahrain garnered interest from an invited audience of specialist industrial contractors, oil & gas operators and shipyard owners. Then followed the hard work of frequent visits to Saudi Arabia, meeting potential customers and product demos. Thanks to Steve’s vision and relentless efforts, Calder has firmly established itself in the Middle East, achieving a significant milestone in 2023 with over 40 high-pressure pump units sold in that year alone.
Handling our move into the emerging energy transition industries was/is a balancing act. We needed to show how our products are naturally suited to energy transition applications. However, we also needed to protect our business in its more traditional energy sector markets. Through Steve’s considered decisions, we continue to be the supplier of choice for our long-time customers and our move into the energy transition markets is demonstrated by the projects currently in build in our workshop.
1985 – the Year
To put into perspective the length of Steve’s service with Calder, here is a summary of the year 1985.
As shoulder pads and leg warmers were seen in every high street and Sir Clive Sinclair’s C5 was launched, Cilla Black hosted the first Blind Date on ITV. The BBC launched its iconic soap opera, EastEnders in February, Back to the Future hit the cinemas, and Boris Becker became the youngest male Wimbledon champion at the tender age of seventeen.
Formula One racing driver, Lewis Hamilton, was born in the January, and his mum likely popped to the shops to purchase milk at 23 pence per pint, whilst George Michael, perhaps, celebrated the success of his hit song, Careless Whisper, with a pint of beer for 83 pence. In July, Bob Geldof and Midge Ure held Live Aid concerts simultaneously in London and Philadelphia. After spending an average of £29,143 on a house, any spare money may have been spent on a Walkman or a Rubik Cube.
Who stayed up late one April evening in 1985 to watch the World Snooker Championship Final between Dennis Taylor and Steve Davis? The final attracted a BBC2 audience of 18.5 million viewers. After several incredible misses on the final ball, Dennis Taylor finally held his nerve to win.
And Steve started work at Calder.
The Future
Steve still has lots of work to do. Supporting the sales team, bid clarification meetings, customer visits, company strategy, new product launches, and three exhibitions this year.
2025 is a particularly exciting time here at Calder. Our factory is busier than ever with some impressive machines in build. Our engineering department has its focus in three areas – existing projects, an extension to our high pressure MultiJet range, and the ongoing projects for pump systems in carbon capture and sequestration, hydrogen, and green fuel injection applications. Our sales team are meeting so many new faces as we seek new companies and applications for our products. Steve’s wealth of experience and steadying hand continue to guide all aspects of our company and is instrumental in our success. And long may that continue.
A Word from Ian
Our founder, Ian Calder-Potts, speaks fondly of Steve, “ When young Steve Sharp joined our fledgling company consisting of my wife Jilly and I, David, Karen and Sandra 40 years ago, his passion in life was golf. He was, and probably still is, extremely good at it. Four days a week at work, one day a week at tech college and the rest of the time chasing a little white ball around the golf course.
“In his early months with Calder, Steve learned all about the workings of high pressure pumps very quickly under the guidance of the guru David Abbatiello. It was not long before Steve had acquired the skills and knowledge to commission and service equipment on site. The hard work of Steve and Dave, their attention to detail, quality of workmanship and knowledge quickly contributed to our reputation as a quality supplier who could be relied on. I remember being particularly impressed by young Steve’s sales skills; he would almost always return from a service or commissioning job with a nice order for additional spare parts, accessories and often enquiries for new pump units. The move from apprentice fitter to service & commissioning engineer, to salesman and subsequently sales director were written in the stars. Thank you, Steve, for your enormous past contribution and ongoing leadership in this topsy-turvy world where we face so many challenges. Your positive and wise attitude to life, your get-up-and-go, determination and delightful personality are an example to us all.
“How lucky we are that Steve chose pumps rather than golf where he certainly would have become a world champion.”
