‘Hard graft’ key for founder

The term self-made man could not be any more apt for Alfie Cheyne, the man behind awardwinning Ace Winches.

Despite not having had much of a formal education, he joined the ranks of the northeast’s leading entrepreneurs through hard graft and an instinctive business brain.

He once said he was born to overcome challenges through “sheer perseverance” and working all hours.

He grew up and went to school at Turriff, where his late father, also Alfie, ran a haulage firm.