Sports and play construction industry pioneer, Charles Lawrence, has sadly passed away aged 86.
Charles was one of the sector’s true entrepreneurs. After starting a landscaping business in the 1960s, he went on to establish (and lead) a group of companies providing artificial surfaces for sports pitches, courts and tracks during a career that saw him remain active in the sector long into the 2010s.
Charles was also instrumental in the foundation of the Sports and Play Construction Association (SAPCA). A passionate advocate for establishing and maintaining standards in sports facility construction, Charles was a driving force for setting up SAPCA and served as the association’s first-ever chair after the association’s launch in 1997.
In his role as chair over a four-year period (1997 – 2001), he helped build the foundations of the association and steer it on the path that has seen it grow to become the play and sports sector’s leading trade organisation with more than 230 member companies. Even after stepping down from his role as chair, Charles remained a crucial part of the SAPCA board for several years.
He was also one of the first individuals to be awarded with the SAPCA Lifetime Achievement Award.
SAPCA CEO, Richard Shaw, said: “I only had the pleasure of meeting Charles once, but I witness the impact he has had on the industry every day. He was a hugely charismatic man armed with a drive and zeal which he stamped on SAPCA and the many businesses he helped create. He was a true innovator and entrepreneur who shaped our industry and left it in a much better place than he found it.”
Former SAPCA CEO, Chris Trickey, who worked closely with Charles in the early years of the association, says that Charles was a “leading light” of both SAPCA and the wider industry.
“As an entrepreneur within the sports and play construction industry since the 1970s there has been no bigger name, no greater single influence – and the legacy he leaves behind is immense.
“Charles’s story is quite incredible: from leaving school with no qualifications, then setting up his first business cutting grass, to the array of successful businesses he started, the innovations he created.
“As SAPCA chair, Charles adhered doggedly to the principle that all SAPCA members were equal and that it was beholden on all companies to contribute – and when supporting the association ‘to take off the company hat and see things from the whole industry’s point of view’.
“Even after he retired Charles continued to keep a close interest in the industry, both the progress of the association and the well being of his great many former colleagues and friends.
“Charles was a hard worker and while being a savvy businessman, he was very much a people person. He always excelled at the personal touch and knew how to get the best out of colleagues.”
To this day, several SAPCA member companies are linked to Charles and his legacy, including Replay Maintenance, Conica and Charles Lawrence Tennis Courts.
He will be greatly missed.