Ken Salt, the well-known garden machinery industry innovator and salesman, has died aged 88. He passed away on Monday 28 July 2014 at Woking Hospice. He leaves a daughter, Caroline, son-in-law Ian and two grandchildren Charles and Raffaella. Ken’s wife Pam passed away in 2005.
Ian Lobb says, “Ken had suffered from cancer for around 15 years but coped with it extremely well. He was still driving until a month ago, and only entered Woking Hospice 10 days before he died”.
Ken joined the Royal Marines in 1942 at the age of 16, and left in 1945 after he lost the sight in one eye after being hit by shrapnel.
After the Services, he worked first as a motor mechanic, before joining Alfred Dunhill in central London in the sales department. He was then taken on by leading garden machinery specialist Robert H Andrews of Sunningdale as a ‘salesman and canvasser’, rising through the company to become managing director.
But he always had the ambition, in his words, “To row my own boat, rather than sail someone elses.”
He set up Bob Andrews Ltd, as both a distributor and manufacturer of garden machinery. The company was the main UK distributor for Billy Goat vacuum sweepers. Always one to back his own hunches, his first order to Billy Goat was 12 container loads.
The company manufactured its own range of machinery such as the Lawn Doctor, Turf Doctor and Spin Trim, and acted as distributor for Cyclone Spreaders, IBEA, Walker ZTR mowers and Giant Vac.
Distribution of Billy Goat later transferred to Pinnacle Equipment and in the mid-1990s, Ken started to prepare for retirement, spending more and more time at his home in Spain.
In February 1999, Bob Andrews Ltd, then run by Ken’s partner Roy Mason, was acquired by Allen Power Equipment.
Ken Salt will be remembered by the trade as a forceful, effective and talented salesman, always with an eye to spotting a new sales opportunity. He would lead from the front on the Bob Andrews stand at the Chelsea Flower Show, the crowds barely allowed to pass without being offered the opportunity to put their hand their pocket!
There will be a private funeral for family and close friends on Tuesday 19 August at St Michael’s Church, Sunninghill, Berkshire at 2.00pm.
