IN our series Meet The Boss we profile East Lancashire movers and shakers. Here we speak to Stephen Bentley, chief executive of Granby Marketing Services.

TO most people the work carried out by Granby Marketing Services is invisible - to their clients it is invaluable.

The firm handles and delivers promotional marketing items to blue-chip companies, marketing agencies and public sector organisations.

Clients include Sainsbury's, the BBC, Unilever, Coca Cola and many government departments.

From its 60,000sq ft base in Stanley Street, Blackburn, Granby sends out thousands of promotional materials through traditional mail, telephone, email, text messages the internet or via interactive TV.

The company has a response systems which can be accessed 24 hours a day by clients to see how their campaigns are going.

Stephen Bentley bought Granby from previous owners, Omnicom, in 2000 and the company has not look backed - taking turnover from £1.5million to £4.2million.

He said: "What should have been a simple, over by five, negotiation ended up carrying on until the early hours of the morning.

"It was finally concluded at 4am and, after two hours' sleep, I was back at Granby standing in front of the staff and introducing myself to them as the new owner."

Born in Burnley, the 49-year-old left Burnley Grammar School at 18, deciding to find a job where he would be paid while training.

Mr Bentley was thrown in at the deep end joining Elgin Manufacturing, which had bases in Burnley and Brierfield, working alongside 200 women in the knicker factory. After nine years he was headhunted to work for William Baird Group plc before setting up his own consultancy firm.

Mr Bentley, who lives in Clitheroe, got his first taste of sales and marketing industry when helping a business associate who had set up a similar firm, in Nelson which five years later was sold for £10million.

He then spent the next three years looking for a similar company before buying Granby.

The company, which employs about 100 staff, is now expecting to increase turnover by 10 per cent next year after opening its first regional office in Stanstead.

Mr Bentley added: "I spent the first month meeting clients introducing myself and finding out what they thought of Granby.

"I was pleased to say a lot of good was said about the company but it was apparent that there was little or no structure.

"I pride myself in building good teams and although some faces may have changed over the years I am happy that we are the strongest we have ever been."