Twenty years ago Building visited a slate of family-run SMEs, to give them the attention we felt they deserved as the backbone of the construction industry. One of these family firms, based in a village in Lincoln’s suburban hinterland, was Lindum. Founded in 1956 by civil engineer John Chambers with just four staff, it had by 1998 swollen to become a £27m-turnover company employing 245 people. 

The founder’s son, former banker David Chambers, then 42, was in his seventh year as chairman of the group. He told Building of his concerns about a decline in industrial jobs as the strong pound caused exports to slide, but said housing had recently become a lucrative new area for the firm.

Two years before, Chambers had introduced share ownership for employees, and by 1998 it had become core to the DNA of the business – today, about two-thirds of its 663 employees are shareholders. Back then, Chambers said he felt it was “important to encourage staff to want to see the business thrive, if I’m not to push my own children into the business”. As Building reported at the time, “Chambers’ sons, aged 14 and 16, and daughter, nine, are too young to know if they will want to join the company”. 

“We never say a job is wonderful because it’s big. Big contractors do. They always talk about the big jobs, but the desire to do them is silly”

David Chambers, Lindum

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