ON SITE That has not deterred his company from carving itself a healthy slice of the demolition business across the “Garden of England”. Nor has it prevented Padgett and his team from earning admiring nods from fellow demolition contractors in the South East of England. Yet despite Padgett’s reservations, the profile of Kent Demolition is on the rise. And it owes much to fellow director, qualified site manager and daughter, Ellen. Yes, she is a woman; and yes, she is feminine – There is no mistaking the blonde ponytail, the mascara or the girlie pink fingernails. And the Kent Demolition logo on her company branded sweatshirt is not pink but “raspberry”.
But more than all of this, she is young and brimming with youthful vigour; a demolition professional for the social media age. And for Ellen Padgett and many more of her generation, business naturally takes place – at least partly - on platforms like Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn and Twitter.
Seven Years Later
Even though she has demolition in her blood, Padgett says she never set out to work in the industry. “I finished my A Levels and decided to help my dad out for six weeks over the summer,” she recalls. “That was seven years ago, and I am still here.”
36