James Keay: Select-a-skip

James Keay
Age: 31
Company: Select-a-skip

Keay’s former employer at a skip hire company pooh-poohed his suggestion the company should go nationwide, so seven years ago he decided to start from scratch. To make ends meet he worked evening shifts at Little Chef for £3 an hour. Now Shrewsbury-based Select-a-skip turns over around £10m a year and the man who ran a mobile tuck shop at school and never borrowed a penny is in charge of 19 people and a UK network of skips.

2016 update:

Keay has remained as managing director of Select A Skip throughout its 20-year history as a leader of the skip hire and waste management sector. Today, the company employs almost 40 people, lists annual revenues upwards of £21m and has a network of over 2,300 fully licensed waste collection providers. Select A Skip now provides on site services such as storage containers, office, canteen and toilet hire, hazardous waste and recycling services.