Patrick Timber, Ltd
By the early 1980s, things had started to change in the structure of the business in Europe. The traditional structure stared to disintegrate, helped along by rapid changes in communication technology, which allowed for more direct communication and a shortening of the supply line. Some of the old line firms, most notably Price and Pierce, went out of business and Patrick eventually became aligned with a new agency called William Brandts. This new agency was undergoing some turmoil and when the dust settled the key people at William Brandts were looking for a new place to land.
Carstensen saw opportunity. In 1984, he established an independent agency called Patrick Timber Co. Ltd. Former Brandts agent John Groves was named Chairman and managing director. Other former Brandts agents who came to Patrick Timber at the start included Mike Hickey, Pat Carson, Geoff Davies, and Peter Herga.
With company-owned agencies in Australia and the U.K. Patrick’s “British Empire” was well established and the Company was poised for tremendous export-fueled growth.