DW Group History - David Webster Ltd. (DWL)

Now definitively his own boss, David put many of his ideas into practice in the company.  It is quite possible that DWL would have continued to be another street lighting installation company, maybe more efficient, but with no particular differentiation, were it not for Charles Gordon Maynard.

Maynard started DWL on a course that would transform the street lighting industry in the UK. He had known David since he was a child as he lived in the same village of Northaw, but was now Chairman of Hatfield Rural District Council. In that position he had had enough of what he considered to be appalling service from the Eastern Electricity Board in maintaining Hatfield’s street lights. He decided that David was the solution to the problem and persuaded David to start a maintenance activity. He followed the electricity board vehicles for a few weeks and spotted what he thought were all the problems in their activities and set about eliminating them.

Maynard’s faith in David was well placed and a trend to the contracting out of public sector services was started that has never stopped since.

The reasons for the success of the company are simple to document. David was inherently fair with his employees of all levels. He employed free thinking people who were encouraged to work their way around problems. David’s own work ethic left no‑one in any doubt that everybody was expected to work hard. Quality of service was always the prime aim of the company and the customers respected this and repaid it with loyalty and more business wherever they could.

None of the many innovations that were brought into the industry by the company would have been possible without David’s drive and determination and his ability to inspire others to similar heights.  David was insistent that employees had to enjoy themselves as well as work hard.

David’s passion for lighting was far broader than for the benefit of his company. He spent a substantial amount of time working on behalf of the ILE of which he became the first private sector contractor to be elected President. More recently, despite having sold the main company, he continued to work tirelessly with a small group of others lobbying government to release funding to restore public lighting to adequate standards for the general public. This has so far resulted in over £1 billion being released by the government to Local Authorities for capital spending through the PFI route.

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