September 2022

Total Talk: SSQ
“THE CLUE IS IN THE NAME – PEOPLE
LOVE NATURAL MATERIALS”
Total Contractor puts the questions to Ahmed El Helw, Managing Director of SSQ,
discussing the importance of trust in business, why people love natural materials, and
why, despite the challenges of the last few years, he feels there are reasons to be
optimistic for those in roofing and the wider construction industry...
TC: Tell us a bit about SSQ, the history of
the company, and the types of projects
your customers get involved with.
A.EH: SSQ, or Spanish Slate Quarries as it was
then, started life in 1980.
Looking back now, it was an incredibly bold, some
would say naïve, step to take. I had no real
knowledge of slate – I’d been working for the
Qatari Foreign Office, which obviously had
nothing to do with building products whatsoever.
But after befriending a Spanish teacher, I
ended up going with him to a mining
exhibition in Ponferrada, effectively
the capital of Spanish slate
quarrying.
There, I saw Spanish slate being
hand-split for the first time. I was
transfixed and that’s what set me on the
path to becoming a supplier of it.
It was one of those moments where if I’d turned a
different corner, my life would’ve ended up going
in a completely different direction.
Today, we supply hundreds of pallets of our
world-class Del Carmen natural slate and
Riverstone phyllite to a huge array of different
projects and properties around the world – from
renovations of historic Listed buildings to cuttingedge
new builds.
TC: You recently celebrated the 30-year
partnership between yourselves and
supplier Del Carmen. What do you feel
has been the secret to this relationship,
Left: Ahmed El Helw, Managing Director at SSQ; Above: Bodmin Jail project which used Riverstone slate.
and how has it navigated
the ups and downs of
what must have been some
real highs, as well as
turbulent times for construction over
the three decades?
A.EH: That’s easy – trust. I think that’s the
secret to lasting relationships in business.
In all the years we’ve worked together, Del
Carmen’s owners and I have never signed a
formal contract. We respect and trust each other
to an extent that we’ve just never needed one.
As you say, we’ve been through plenty of ups and
downs in that time, but that relationship has
never wavered.
It’s a friendship, and like all good friendships, you
support each other through good times and bad.
“There are always
reasons for optimism”
Our relationship with Del Carmen has also
allowed us to build excellent partnerships with
customers who’ve remained loyal to us for
decades in Bethesda in the US, Melbourne in
Australia and many others throughout the UK –
something we’re especially proud of without a
written agreement.
TC: How have contractors’ expectations
and requirements changed over the
years?
A.EH: Fundamentally, I don’t think they have
changed. People want what they always wanted
– a quality product that’s been extensively
tested, has a proven track record of excellence
around the world, and is available with decent
20 TC SEPTEMBER 2022