Potatoes in Practice, the largest field-based potato event in the UK is back for 2021, and will be taking place on Thursday 12 August at the James Hutton Institute’s Balruddery Farm, Fowlis DD2 5LJ.

JD Cooling’s Scotland team are looking forward to greeting all new and existing customers at this year’s free event. A highlight of the season not just for JD Cooling but for the whole of the potato industry, the event will bring together key players from within the industry, and will be a great opportunity for all to network following a difficult 18 months.

JD Cooling Scotland has been serving the Scottish fresh produce industry for over 20 years and will be on hand to provide not just expert knowledge in refrigeration, but also on how our full in-house turnkey solutions can help keep your produce fresh.

For more information about our Scotland team and all the services they can provide, please click here. Otherwise, we look forward to seeing you at what is expected to be another fantastic event.

JD Cooling Group are proud to once again sponsor the fantastic World Refrigeration Day.

World Refrigeration Day is now in its third year, and is an international awareness campaign to raise the profile of the refrigeration, air-conditioning and heat-pump sector and focuses attention on the significant role that the industry and its technology play in modern life and society.

Held on the 26th June every year, this year World Refrigeration Day’s theme is “Cooling Champions: Cool Careers for a Better World” and will celebrate the people and careers that underpin our industry. As this year’s event falls on a Saturday, the celebration will be extended to the two weeks either side of the main event.

To keep up to date with the latest events and updates, please visit: www.worldrefrigerationday.org

JD Cooling Group are proud to sponsor the fantastic World Refrigeration Day for another year.

World Refrigeration Day is an international awareness campaign to raise the profile of the refrigeration, air-conditioning and heat-pump sector and focuses attention on the significant role that the industry and its technology play in modern life and society.

Held on the 26th June every year, World Refrigeration Day is the world’s biggest celebration for all the refrigeration, air-conditioning and heat-pump sector.

To keep up to date with the latest events and updates, please visit: www.worldrefrigerationday.org

JD Cooling Group were delighted to join members of UK Fresh Produce Network (UK FPN), a network of fresh produce companies, in support of the last ‘clap for key workers’ at the Queen Elizabeth Hospital, King’s Lynn.

UK FPN Lincs member vehicles were spectacularly liveried to thank the NHS and essential transport workers as they drove from Spalding to King’s Lynn to provide high quality fresh fruit and flower bouquets to the QE Hospital staff on the evening of Thursday 28th May.

Freshlinc trailer 871 who led the procession has become well known across the region leading the ‘clap’ at a number of hospitals on Thursday evenings, bringing a smile and joining together key workers in a brief interlude to say ‘thank you’!

John Dye, JD Cooling Group Chairman said, “Thank you so much to the team UK FPN, Lincolnshire for all of your efforts with the various NHS Trusts in helping to deliver support to the fabulous people working to save the lives of our loved ones!

We enjoyed being part of the last Clap for Carers at the QE Hospital. Thank you for letting us join you in what was another fantastic event.

Lee and Robin of Freshlinc deserve a special mention for their unbelievable support of this tour, and to Neal Collishaw and his colleagues at Worldwide Fruit together with all of those at UK FPN Lincolnshire, especially Angie Stuart who also gave their support.

THANK YOU 🌈

1. Name? Hayley Jackson
2. Whilst at school, where did you think you would take your career? I really wanted to study medicine but my lack of confidence and belief that I could do it meant it wasn’t something I pursued.
3. Was a career in engineering ever discussed with you at school? No, never mentioned in any career days.
4. What was your first job? Pot washing in a hotel in the village where I grew up, I was 13.
5. What is your current role and what does it involve? My current role is commercial director of the JD Cooling Group. It involves liaising with all departments of the business to review efficiencies and processes, to assess how we can maintain and improve our position within the market
6. What job satisfaction do you have? I love my job; I am passionate about making JD Group the number one choice for clients and employees. I get to work with a great team to deliver this.
7. What excites/interests you about the Air Conditioning & Refrigeration (ACR) industry? My background is as a chartered accountant so when I moved to work for the JD Cooling Group it was a move to a totally different industry. It’s fast paced and the projects we get involved in are highly interesting. I’m slowly getting to grips with the terminology used!
8. Is it usually male orientated? Does this have any bearing on your attitude to your job? As this is about promoting International Women’s Day, you may like to expand a bit on your views of working in an industry more often filled by men. The engineering industry is usually male dominated. At JD Group we have a good mix of males and females and seek out the best individuals in their profession, regardless of their gender. Being the only female in the boardroom often means that at times I bring ideas to the table that my colleagues haven’t always considered. I think most of the time they see this as a positive!
9. Do you have a preference to working with men, women or a mix? No, I am used to working with both and think the best outcomes usually come from having a mix of us in the room.
10. Which woman in history (past and present) inspires you the most? Past: Emmeline Pankhurst, after all if it wasn’t for her efforts all those years ago, we may have a different world today.
    Present: Sara Blakely, business woman. Her drive, determination and strong business acumen has placed her well in the world of business along with her down to earth nature and ability to talk openly about work life balance, making her both inspiring and relatable.
11. What is one thing you think that you can do to help create a gender equal world (#EachforEqual) between men and women? Keep paving the way for equality, keep encouraging our female team to believe in what they do and what they offer and encourage them to be bold enough to share that. I also strongly believe in raising our children to understand the importance of equality, to respect what both men and women can bring and to encourage them to work together. After all, this is when the best outcomes are often achieved.
12. What is the best piece of advice you were ever given? A wise lady once told me to “always put my business head on” when dealing with issues both inside and outside the workplace. It hasn’t failed me yet; I just have to remember to always put it on!
13. Is there a little-known fact about yourself that would surprise other people (secret skill, unusual hobby etc)? Not a surprise but a lover of lists and all things organised!

1. Name? Steven Garfoot
2. What is your current role and what does it involve? Senior design engineer overseeing the technical team at JD Cooling, providing detailed technical design and drawings for system installation.
3. Why do you think our industry is usually male orientated? A combination of issues. Firstly, there is a significant lack of young people entering engineering in general, heightened by the fact that engineering courses are badly publicised and as a result the industry fails to attract new recruits of all genders. This has led to maintaining the male dominant portrayal of the industry, which may further deter some women from looking into it from the start.
   Secondly, studies show that in other countries that are close to true equality of opportunity see a natural inequality in the workplace, which is a result of personal choice rather than any specific issue within those industries, despite the fact that those who do choose to enter engineering often go on to become extremely successful. However, it does also have to be acknowledged that some companies are generally run by an aging generation who may still have an outdated bias against women.
4. What different qualities do you think the females at JD Group offer as opposed to their male counterparts? This begs the question as it assumes men and women are different. Personally, I feel that you cannot differentiate certain qualities between groups as this would be a hasty generalisation. Qualities can differ from man-to-man, woman-to woman, as well as man-to-woman. When looking at grouping qualities by gender it has to be acknowledged that in reality there is no fixed line and that a majority of qualities found in men are also found in women and vice-versa. The attempt to highlight difference between groups leads to the creation of stereotypes and introduces the concept to people’s minds that it is acceptable to view the two groups as different, despite them both deserving equality of opportunity.
5. Which woman in history (past and present) inspires you the most? Pippa Mann (British Indy 500 Driver), Amelia Earhart (Aviation Pioneer), Lise Meitner (Nuclear Physicist)
6. What do you think JD Cooling Group could do to improve equality here? Assuming we’re talking about equality of opportunity, it is important to continually ensure that all employees are being treated fairly and that there is no culture of casual sexism.
7. What is the one thing you could do personally to have a positive impact on gender equality? (#EachforEqual) Continue to treat everyone in a fair and reasonable manner and promote a positive working environment for all.

1. Name? Julie Stokes
2. Whilst at school, where did you think you would take your career? Physiotherapist for a long while and then after I represented my school on some entrepreneurial workshops, I ended up studying economics instead.
3. Was a career in engineering ever discussed with you at school? No
4. What was your first job? Marketing executive in a financial software company if you don’t count my Saturday job in a shoe shop.
5. What is your current role and what does it involve? Identifying and contacting prospective customers, introducing them to JD Cooling, meeting with them, carrying out site surveys, pricing contracts and selling JD’s service. I also work closely with the marketing team to promote JD Cooling Group and build our presence in Scotland.
6. What job satisfaction do you have? I love starting with identifying a company, the correct person I need to speak to right through to handing over the site to our team and then getting great feedback from the customer on how well we are doing and how happy they are they used JD Cooling.
7. What excites/interests you about the Air Conditioning & Refrigeration (ACR) industry? The diversity of customers I work with and seeing how food is produced – it feels like getting to see through the playschool window daily.
8. Is it usually male orientated? Does this have any bearing on your attitude to your job? I’d say 95% of my customers are male, but we’re all people and have the same stresses and strains in life. They all just want a supplier they can rely on, so I don’t actually think it has a bearing.
9. Do you have a preference to working with men, women or a mix? No preference.
10. Which woman in history (past and present) inspires you the most? My Mum, she went back to study at night school when my brother and I were toddlers to sit her O’Levels & Highers (the Scottish equivalent of GCSE’s & A Levels). She then went to college when I started primary school and studied to be a teacher, graduating when I was in Primary 5. She then went on to have a career for 30 years as a primary teacher – in a time where there really weren’t that many professional working Mums. People still stop her in the street to say thank you.
11. What is one thing you think that you can do to help create a gender equal world (#EachforEqual) between men and women? Encourage my daughter to be whatever she wants to be no matter what – the fact that her favourite subjects are currently maths and science means she may well and up in a historically male oriented industry.
12. What is the best piece of advice you were ever given? You can’t win every fight, so choose your battles wisely.
13. Is there a little-known fact about yourself that would surprise other people (secret skill, unusual hobby etc)? I have a black belt in Taekwondo.

1. Name? Matt Roberts
2. What is your current role and what does it involve? I am the finance director for the JD Cooling Group. My role involves me looking after the finances, accounts and cash flow of the JD group of companies. Oh….and making sure everyone’s wages are paid!
3. Why do you think our industry is usually male orientated? Engineering is predominantly seen as a very physical job. Traditionally such roles have become very male orientated because of the incorrect belief that women are not capable of being able to carry out such a role.
4. What different qualities do you think the females at JD Group offer as opposed to their male counterparts? The women working the JD Cooling Group bring a wide range of qualities to the business. They offer a different outlook on many aspects of the business, or indeed life in general, which makes the company more versatile. A balance of men and women within the company helps create a more welcoming family feel to the business. In my experience women can often be better organisers than men.
5. Which woman in history (past and present) inspires you the most? Past: Marie Curie for her pioneering research, which has helped save the lives of thousands of people. She was also the first woman to win a Nobel Prize and the only woman to have won the Nobel Prize twice. She is also the only person to have won the award in two different fields.
   Present: P J Harvey, an outstanding singer, songwriter and multi-instrumentalist, who has won multiple music prizes, including being the only artist to win the Mercury Music Prize twice. She has also been awarded as an MBE for services to music. She has her own strong, distinct style that allows her to stand out from the crowd in her own right, but also collaborate on an equal footing with distinctive performers such as Nick Cave. If you don’t already know her music, I highly recommend you have a listen to Stories from the City, Stories From The Sea.
6. What do you think JD Cooling Group could do to improve equality here? More women in the boardroom would be a good start. Actively promoting engineering roles to women would also help massively. Increased promotion of flexible working for everyone.
7. What is the one thing you could do personally to have a positive impact on gender equality? (#EachforEqual) I can encourage people to look beyond whether someone is male or female and to focus on the work that that person is capable of. Beyond that I can help ensure that everyone has access to the training and support they want and need to drive their career to wherever they want to take it. Gender shouldn’t have to play a negative part in such things for either men or women.

1. Name? Jodi Whitehead
2. Whilst at school, where did you think you would take your career? I thought I’d spend my life working with horses.
3. Was a career in engineering ever discussed with you at school? In the late 80’s in my school there was a definite divide between men’s’ and ladies’ vocations. Girls still had to take up sewing and typewriting!
4. What was your first job? Working on a farm when I was 10 years old, just helping feed cattle and ‘buck thistle’, which was chopping the thistles in the grass paddocks.
5. What is your current role and what does it involve? I am a business development executive for the JD Cooling Group, My main focuses are within the industrial refrigeration and HVAC cleanroom sectors. I also help support the marketing department.
6. What job satisfaction do you have? My job satisfaction comes in several ways. I have great satisfaction finding new clients for the group but that is increased ‘tenfold’ when the customer is extremely satisfied and return for repeat business – that’s an amazing feeling!
7. What excites/interests you about the Air Conditioning & Refrigeration (ACR) industry? Engineering excites me – the ever-changing technology that we adapt to within the diverse nature of our business. We could be looking after an air conditioning system for an office or a global food production factory.
8. Is it usually male orientated? Does this have any bearing on your attitude to your job? As this is about promoting International Women’s Day, you may like to expand a bit on your views of working in an industry more often filled by men. This is a very male dominated environment, which I find incredibly fascinating. Turning up to a site can have its challenges as some people have a pre-conception to whether a lady can understand their requirements. It’s most satisfying when this barrier is overcome.
9. Do you have a preference to working with men, women or a mix? I prefer a mixture of all genders, everyone person has ideas and reasons that bring the best kind of solutions, a total holistic approach.
10. Which woman in history (past and present) inspires you the most? It must be the controversial Margaret Thatcher. I don’t necessarily agree with what she did but what an achievement to lead an absolutely male dominated environment, the head of our Country! The prejudices and her ability to rise above them to carry out her job to her best ability in an era that was very male dominated.
11. What is one thing you think that you can do to help create a gender equal world (#EachforEqual.) between men and women? To be the best in my role that I can be, that will help a gender equal environment. Respect for the work I do irrespective of my gender.
12. What is the best piece of advice you were ever given? You can be/do whatever you want to, but you must work hard, listen and respect everyone.
13. Is there a little-known fact about yourself that would surprise other people (secret skill, unusual hobby etc)? I can rock and roll jive and ride my own motorbike!

Watch this space for more Q&As supporting #IWD2020 #EachforEqual

Wednesday 25th September saw the official launch of the South East regional office with a celebratory lunch.

Colleagues, associates and representatives from local businesses came together for an informal celebration at the Kent Science Park , which gave the perfect opportunity to make new connections.

Led by James Tumber, Specialist Services Director and Shaun Webb, Regional Director South East, the site employs over 10 specialists including multi-skilled engineers and project managers; who are further supported by JD Cooling’s national engineering network and technical resources.

Thank you to all that joined us and a special thanks to Kent Science Park for hosting the afternoon and for the lovely spread.