The family of a respected Derby businessman who died unexpectedly last year has pledged to preserve his legacy by taking the helm of the company he led for more than three decades.
Andy Priestley started working for design, refurbishment and fit-out firm DSP (Interiors) in 1988 and took over the reins four years later, dedicating his entire career to the company until his sudden death aged 57 last year.
Now Louisa, his wife of 35 years, has taken over as Managing Director, while daughter Olivia, 23, has become Marketing Director, with 20-year-old son Harrison undertaking an apprenticeship at the firm.
The family, which also includes Harrison’s twin brother Mason, who is studying for a degree at Sheffield Hallam University, hope they will do Andy proud by continuing his legacy.
Louisa, who has been part of the company for more than 20 years, said: “Losing Andy was a total shock. We had just returned from a bucket list trip to Scotland completing the NC-500.
“We are all still very much grieving however, we know that he would want us to continue his legacy – DSP was his passion and the team here were his second family.
“We owe it to him, to his team and to our customers to ensure DSP remains the leader in its field. His influence is still very much present in everything we do, and that won’t change.”
DSP (Interiors) has worked with some of the biggest companies in the East Midlands including Rolls-Royce, Alston, SureScreen Diagnostics, Ward Recycling, Charterspace and KTM Motorsports.
The firm, which provides bespoke designs and fit-outs, employs 12 members of staff and many have worked for the company for between 20 and 30 years.
The family has spent the last few months putting transparent systems in place which are shared across the team and introducing a cloud-based CRM system to harness the skills and knowledge Andy and the team had.
Olivia, a former Trent College pupil, has recently graduated from the University of Leeds with a degree in Business and Spanish. She had always intended to join the family firm eventually, but had not expected it would be under such tragic circumstances.
Olivia said: “I spend a lot of time each day asking myself what Dad would have done, and now I understand the operation so well there are many things I would love to be able to chat about with him.
“I know Dad would be incredibly proud of us all and not a day goes past where we don’t talk about him. I think looking after – and growing – DSP is an appropriate tribute to him.
“We’ll never stop missing him, but I hope we can continue to honour his legacy by carrying forward his vision, values and passion for what he built. His influence is felt in everything we do and we are committed to making him proud every single day.”
