A fine furniture retailer on Teesside has been officially opened by Lt Col Matthew Murphy RHA marking the fact its Managing Director, a former serviceman, has decided it will support military personnel.
Turnbull and Thomas, established by two Teesside entrepreneurs, has achieved a business milestone with the official opening of a showroom just months after it launched online.
Terence Turnbull and Gareth Thomas are behind the fine furnishing business, which now has a showroom at Studio 24/25, The Old Offices, Urlay Nook Road, Eaglescliffe.
The retailer is demonstrating its philanthropy by providing a discount on its products to service men and women.
The official opening ceremony was carried out by Lt Col Matthew Murphy, of the 3rd Regiment Royal Horse Artillery, who was Mr Turnbull’s commanding officer for five of the years he was in the Army.
Lt Col Murphy said: “Terence is a great example of a talented solider having a fulfilling and successful career in the British Army and then going on to launch a thriving business.
“It was a privilege to officially open the Turnbull and Thomas fine furniture showroom and I am sure that Terence and Gareth will go on to further success with business.”
Managing Director Mr Turnbull, who was a Battery Quarter Master Sergeant when he retired from the Army, said: “It was a proud moment to have my former Commanding Officer officially open Turnbull and Thomas’s showroom and help promote what I, and Director Gareth, feel is an important element of our business and that is supporting men and women in the Armed Forces who are serving and protecting their country.”
Mr Turnbull added: “I hope our gesture not only will acknowledge the vital role played by the military in today’s society, but also allow service personnel and their families to have money to utilise elsewhere. I have personal experience of the cost of resettling and moving home that comes with being in the Services.”
He was Battery Commander Lt Col Murphy’s logistics expert and their service together included ‘intense militia fighting’ in Iraq.
Mr Turnbull clocked up 24 years’ in the Armed Forces where he was renowned for his meticulous attention to detail and his distribution, re-supply and logistics expertise.
He served alongside Lt Col Murphy in peacetime roles in Germany, Poland, and Canada and in the Iraqi war. He also did tours of duty in Northern Ireland and was involved in Operation Desert storm and Op Telic - both Gulf Wars - Bosnia and Cyprus.
During his service he was decorated with NI, iRAQ MEDAL WITH CLASP, OP Telic medal, former Yugoslavia medal, UN Cyprus Medal and a 2002 Jubilee medal.
After leaving the Army, Mr Turnbull amassed in-depth retail experience, which most recently included four years as the general manager of an online furniture retailer.
Gareth is an established entrepreneur as he is Managing Director of Teesside manufacturing firm, Icon Plastics at Eaglescliffe.