TOM Flockhart, the entrepreneur behind a business which has dominated Scotland’s office equipment sector for over 40 years, has died.
The father-of-four died after a short battle with cancer. He was 73.
A charismatic figure, Mr Flockhart was proud of his roots as an adopted child growing up in a council house in Prestonpans, East Lothian.
He credited his upbringing and his school years at Preston Lodge High School with giving him the drive to go on and build his successful business empire – Capital Documents Solutions – the company he founded in 1979.
From family holidays with all of his children and grandchildren in Mull and Kingussie, to sailing trips with friends on the west coast and fishing on the North Esk and the Spey, he always made time for people and his energy, enthusiasm and love for life was infectious.
Fishing was a great passion of his and he was extremely good at it. With many parallels to his business life, he stuck at it even in the most unfavourable conditions and when other people had given up, he eventually succeeded.
He was also generous with his philanthropic activities, both financially and through the extensive network of connections he was willing to share, but remained low key about his support of many projects and causes over the decades.
He was passionate about his backing of the arts in Scotland, which saw him actively support the Royal Scottish National Orchestra, Edinburgh International Festival, Scottish Opera, and the Scottish Chamber Orchestra over many years.
Lynn Harrison, Mr Flockhart's personal assistant for the past 17 years, said: “We are all in shock. To describe him as larger than life doesn’t do him justice. He was passionate, driven and once you met him, you certainly couldn’t forget him.”
From a young age Mr Flockhart showed an entrepreneurial streak, working schoolboy jobs including gardening, paper rounds, fixing up old bikes and even selling sweets and haircuts to the other children in school.
He went on to complete an apprenticeship at Ferranti and gained an HND in Mechanical Engineering and would often jokingly recall how during his apprenticeship he was given his most important career advice when his boss advised him to get a job in sales. In 1970, he took that advice, securing a role with 3M selling photocopiers.
A naturally gifted salesman, by the age of 30 he had been 3M’s top copier salesman in the UK for three successive years and was determined to strike out on his own.
Using part of the proceeds from a house sale, he set up his own business, initially called Capital Copying Services in a small office in Montrose Terrace, Edinburgh and based on three abiding principles – “the best products, the best advice and the best after sales service and support”.
As it grew over 43 years from just three staff to over 200 employees, the firm’s name changed a few times to reflect the changes in the market and the wider range of products and services the business was providing whilst always staying true to the three founding principles.
Capital Document Solutions is said to be Scotland’s largest independent supplier of office technology and a major employer with bases in Edinburgh, Glasgow, Dundee, Aberdeen, Inverness, and Lerwick in the Shetland Islands.
Ms Harrison said: “He was working right up until the end, still going over documents and putting in his thoughts and ideas for a Scottish Government tender.”
He is survived by his four children Pamela, Stuart, Neil and Lynsey, seven grandchildren, and his partner Mandy.
Mr Flockhart's funeral will be held at Warriston Crematorium at 12pm on Tuesday May 10, followed by a celebration of his life at Prestonfield House Hotel from 2pm. Family flowers only.
His family have received so many messages of condolence and comments about the impact or impression Mr Flockhart made on so many people that they have set up a special email address to collect memories of him – 90TFmemories@gmail.com
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