David Wade’s journey from a hands-on apprentice to the founder of Aberdeen-headquartered Enerpro Group is a story of determination, hard work, and a passion for building things.
Growing up in a mechanically inclined family, he was drawn to engineering from an early age, spending his childhood fixing motorbikes and working with engines.
After leaving school at the age of 17, he always knew he wanted to build his own business one day.
Now the 37-year-old is managing director of offshore project management and construction specialist Enerpro, with a turnover of £10 million.
The dad-of-one has described Aberdeen as the “bread and butter” for his firm which he started 10 years ago.
Determination to succeed
David, who went to Thurso High School, was never a big fan of school and recalls a number of teachers telling him “he wouldn’t amount to anything”.
But he was determined to make the best of it and in his words “knuckle down”.
Upon leaving school, at the end of fifth year, he went and did a four-year mechanical engineering apprenticeship with local company JGC engineering, working at Dounreay.
He said: “I was told by several teachers, I’ll never amount to anything.
“I didn’t get on in school. I didn’t understand how they taught.
“But I had to knuckle down, stop mucking about, and get my exams results for my apprenticeship.
“I knew from a young age I just wanted to make and build things. I got my first motorbike at six, and I loved working with engines.
“I was offered an electrical apprenticeship, but I chose the mechanical because I like working with my hands better.
“Once I started my apprenticeship, I understood physics, I understood maths and making things. I could see it so clearly, but I couldn’t in school.”
Entrepreneurial spark
After completing his apprenticeship David, who is married to Shelley, started working for Global Resources at the age of 21.
It was a job that saw him travel globally and the start of his interest in project management.
He said: “I started doing offshore projects in Invergordon and I enjoyed that. Working on the start, middle and end was great.
“You could be in Holland, Norway, or all over the world with them.
“I was a young guy but I felt I was well respected.”
It was then David got headhunted by Rigmar Services.
He said: “I really enjoyed my time there. I ended up working in Egypt and Casablanca in Morocco.
“But then a consortium group bought them and the whole dynamic changed massively.”
It was then David’s entrepreneurial spirit kicked in and he thought about setting up his own business.
David, dad to three-month-old Belle, went into partnership with his uncle, Hugh Macleod, and launched Enerpro in September 2015.
He said: “I always wanted to build my own business and I think it comes from an entrepreneurial background with my granny’s brother running a business.
“I’ve always liked making things and I hated the way I was treated as an apprentice.
“I disliked the way big corporate companies treat people and I figured let’s just have an honest business and trust the people that you hire.”
Aberdeen Enerpro ‘bread and butter’
Enerpro started with an office in the Dyce area of Aberdeen, Thurso and Dundee.
But its headquarters is now in Aberdeen.
The firm completes onshore and offshore projects across the energy sector, both in the UK and overseas, with specific focus upon drilling rig upgrades for both mobile offshore drilling units (MODU) and fixed offshore platforms.
In addition to its drilling rig upgrade services, Enerpro completes installation, scaffolding and construction projects for some of the North Sea’s main players.
David said: “We didn’t have pots of money. I put everything I had into Enerpro to make it successful.
“I knew I wanted to grow it.”
David, who spends every second week working in Aberdeen, bought his uncle out pre-Covid to take control of the business after he decided to retire.
The first year turnover was around £500,000 but it has now grown to £10m.
There is around 190 contractors and eight members of staff.
Plans are underway to hire two new employees.
A year ago he invested £2m in new headquarters for Enerpro, moving to 2 Queen’s Cross.
He said: “Aberdeen has given me my career. That’s why I wanted to invest in the city.
“The attitude in Aberdeen is second to none in the world, I would say. It’s an extremely can-do attitude.
“Aberdeen is our bread and butter. Oil and gas is what we’re known for. And that’s what our team is known for.
“We have done projects in Norway, Croatia, Baku, Qatar, Doha, Gulf of Mexico, but kept the headquarters in Aberdeen.
“It’ll always be headquartered in Aberdeen, but we will probably have to look at opening up offices abroad to de-risk the company.”
Enerpro challenges
One of the biggest challenges David thinks the industry faces is attracting young talent.
It’s something he’s spent a lot of time looking into as vice chairman of the IADC North Sea Chapter’s Associate Members.
He said: “Part of my role during my two year tenure is to look at the next generation workforce and also to grow energy awareness.
“It’s a big challenge we’re focusing on as a company and getting support from other drilling contractors and some of our competitors as well.
“It’s a problem for all of us. Probably the biggest and obvious one is not having a clear energy strategy from the government so we know where we’re going.”
‘I like to stay humble’
Reflecting on his achievements David is proud of what he’s managed to achieve.
He said: “Something I’m trying to take from my wife is, to be proud of what I’ve built.
“Looking back now, I’m extremely impressed at what I’ve done, very proud of it, but probably don’t talk about it nearly enough.
“I like to stay humble. I’ve been through the hard times and you don’t know what’s around the corner.
“So that’s why the business is going to be quite lean management wise.
“The team and staff know that we can ride the waves of the industry, because the industry is tough.”
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