VERONA, Italy.

Basking in the city's artistic heritage, thousands of tourists wander the streets like cultural sponges, absorbing every facet of its grand Roman amphitheatre and operatic festival.

But not Fred Jones.

Instead, his Veronese adventure is taking place in a quarry.

This is no holiday, it's work, and Fred is meticulously checking the quality of Italian firm Antolini Luigi's granite, ensuring it matches the demands for his family-run Middlesbrough-based kitchen and bathroom surface business.

Such conscientiousness is deeply ingrained in Fred's business mantra.

Striving for perfection and supplying the highest quality craftsmanship is not the aim, but an outright expectation.

This charter is echoed in the company's history of nurturing young local people into skilled workers, with the vast majority of its shop floor staff having come through apprenticeships.

It also re-invests its growth back into new machinery to maintain quality standards and its trusted position with customers and suppliers.

For Fred, who started making marble fireplaces 30 years ago after finding affection for architecture and antiques through his father, this ethos has allowed the firm, F Jones Cleveland, to build into its current guise, and he has no plans to change its direction.

He said: “Quality is hugely important in what we do and a lot of our customers have been with us for 20 years and more because of the standards we set.

“What we are buying is the more unusual rocks, the day to day rocks that everyone buys don't change.

“But what we are offering are exotic rocks that are different, and that is why I would go over to Italy and see them first-hand.

“We always need people and take them on from Middlesbrough College and Middlesbrough Community Learning to train and eventually become employees.

“There is not really a history of people with the skills we need in the North-East, so when we want someone we have to go out, bring them in and teach them.

“We are committed to being part of the community and that includes employing local, young people.

“A key part of our company vision is to build a local workforce and offer a training programme to young people.

“We saw the impact of training and a recognised NVQ award and what this meant to our staff.

“Our of 30 workers in the factory, all but two have come through an apprenticeship scheme, and our young workers go through a training matrix, which includes two nights per week.

“Our training and philosophy is one of the driving forces of our company.”

The company's growth means it now employs about 50 workers in a fully-modernised factory, complete with the latest machinery to cut granite and marble, and hopes to further expand in the future.

The workforce includes Fred's brothers, Simon, Jeremy, and Ian, but he says the family connection isn't the contributing factor for their roles.

Indeed, it comes back to those virtues of quality and keeping the company at the forefront of what it does. He said: “They are not here because they are my brothers, they are here because they have the skills to make us the best in the business.

“Simon is our production director and great with the machinery, Jeremy, who used to work in the steel industry, is in charge of sales and purchasing, and Ian is using his experience from the music industry for our marketing.

“I'm proud of our plant and our staff, who I value immensely.

“You have to give them a good place to work and somewhere they can come in and make a good living.

“As a family-run business, we support each other in our management roles and all support the company vision of sourcing the highest quality stone, provide the best customer service and employing local, skilled craftsmen.

“Our commitment is to sourcing only the highest quality materials and each quarry around the world produces a unique and individual stone with different effects and colours, and we very proud of our collection.”

Favourite North-East building and why? Raby Castle, Staindrop, near Darlington. A magnificent building with great historical importance.

What was your first job and how much did you get paid? Tyre fitting after school and at weekends. Didn't get paid much.

What is the worst job you've had? I don’t think there is a bad job What would you cook for me if I came around for dinner? Organic chicken and vegetables from our local supplier, Chris at Pierce Bridge Farm.

What would your superpower be? I’d be Pragmatic-Man.

Name four people, dead or alive, who would be at your perfect dinner party. Mel Brookes, Luciano Pavarotti, Baroness Thatcher and Barry Humphries.

Most expensive thing you've bought - other than car or house - and how much? A grand piano for my wife Valerie’s birthday.

Who is the best person to follow on Twitter and why? I don’t tweet.

Favourite book? Of Mice and Men, by John Steinbeck.

When did you last cry? I’m from Yorkshire.

What is your greatest achievement? Building a successful business from nothing.

What's the best piece of advice in business you've ever been given? My father told me to work harder than everybody else.

Favourite animal and why? Our dog Ginny. Most famous person on your mobile phone. Can’t possibly tell you.

What was the last band you saw live? Steely Dan, in Birmingham, in 2007.

Describe your perfect night in. Homemade lasagne, a glass of Cote du Rhone and a John Wayne film.

In another life I would be... Howard Carter discovering the tomb of Tutankhamun.

What irritates you? Greed, litter, bad manners and laziness.

What's your secret talent? I have a decent knowledge of antiques and architecture.