Former J&E Hall director of engineering, Dave Ball.
“The passing of a good friend, Dave Ball, was a great loss to J&E Hall and the refrigeration industry. His knowledge and experience greatly benefited both the company and industry for more than 40 years.
“Dave rose through the ranks at J&E Hall to director level and even after retirement was still working as a senior advisor to the company.
“It is not just his technical expertise in refrigeration that helped him in his role, but also the way he was able to engage with staff, customers and industry colleagues. He had a great ability to communicate complex information in a straightforward way to different audiences.
“His long career began at LEC Refrigeration in Bognor Regis, Sussex, where he worked in special products. He joined J&E Hall in 1977 where he worked as a design and sales engineer in Kenya before returning to the UK in 1981 to progress up the career ladder.
“The late 1990s were turbulent times for J&E Hall as the company was forced to close its manufacturing sites in Dartford and Thetford to restructure the business. It was at this time that Dave was promoted to director level, working alongside the managing director and the senior team. He was instrumental in rebuilding the company to provide a strong foundation for growth and development.
“Dave was never one to shy away from difficult decisions and he proved to be a staunch ally at director level through to retirement.
“As well as building strong relationships with customers, Dave enjoyed working with industry colleagues. He was a familiar figure at Institute of Refrigeration (IOR) meetings, was a fellow of the IOR and served on the Institute’s executive council. He enjoyed socialising and engaging with fellow refrigeration engineers.
“After he retired he continued to attend the inductions of new employees. He recognised the importance of apprenticeships in helping to maintain high levels of competence.
“Outside of work, golf was his passion in sport and playing off a handicap of 14 he was a member of the Dartford and Mid Kent clubs, as well as being an active participant in the J&E Hall golf society. He also enjoyed cricket, walking and gardening.
“Dave believed passionately that it is the responsibility of all of us in the refrigeration industry to ensure that we put in place building blocks for the future. His service to J&E Hall and the industry shows there is no limit to what you can achieve. He will be missed.”