Regional Site Manager winner 2022 - East Anglia

Number of units: 350 new homes.

Features: Attractive new homes just outside Norwich, complete with fibre optic internet and excellent local schools, with apartments, bungalows, and houses on offer. 

How did you feel when you found out you had won the award?

I think surprise is the best word for it. I tend to focus on the project day-to-day, and didn’t really think about awards until I realised I was put forward by Big Sky Living.

It’s quite a compliment to be nominated by a client, it’s a sign of how well we’ve built our relationship. I’m pleased to have been nominated against other very hard-working guys in my role across our industry.

What does it mean to you personally?

I do feel very proud to have won. I think for me, it’s also a representation of all the support I have from across the team, from Pentaco through to our supply chain partners and Big Sky themselves.

Whilst winning the award is a nice personal achievement, it’s also a nice signal I’m representing all the hard work that goes on across the entire project, and the people in it.

What does it mean for your team / business?

You’ll have probably guessed, but I find it hard to separate the ‘me’ from the ‘team.’ I wouldn’t be able to excel in my role with the team, and as I say, I include a cross-section of people in that phrase.

As a client, Big Sky Living has a very complementary approach to Pentaco, which allows us to see the bigger picture behind our projects together.

Equally, they have a really good understanding of what it takes day-to-day to achieve that bigger goal, so winning an award for what we are doing, and how we are doing it, is very validating for the entire team.

What makes a good Site Manager?

There can be a tendency in construction to focus on processes and the physical aspects of a project, but I think people are central to good site management. Having a good team behind you, but also being good to that team is really important to me.

Of course, we have targets to meet and tasks to accomplish, but it’s often the communication and being present for people that makes the most difference. People are under a lot of pressure and construction is a stressful and busy environment, so mental health and openness are something I promote.

I also think the basics are key – keeping a tidy, clean and organised site first and foremost means you can focus on the challenges that surface without worrying about whether you have that basic level of organisation that a successful site and site manager need to succeed.

What challenges have you faced, like COVID, supply issues, the economy, and how have you overcome them?

Undoubtedly, any pressures on material or labour will have an impact on our projects. Typically, our focus is on pre-empting these issues wherever we can, ensuring that whether it’s a positive or negative, we’re prepared for it.

After the experiences we’ve had in the past few years, we’re much better at preparing for these challenges, and now we’re focused much more on the future and creating a positive environment in the industry – one that encourages a focus on solutions to issues, rather than the issues themselves.

What one success in your work are you most proud of and why?

The challenge here is picking one thing, when we’ve accomplished a lot as a team. For me, I am passionate about leaving any project with positive relationships across the board. Supply chain, clients and community – I want to ensure that whatever the challenges or successes of a project, those relationships are good ones that we can build on in the future.

I’m proud to say I’ve achieved that consistently with Big Sky, and prouder still given the scale of works undertaken with them. I definitely think that goes both ways, and the way we’ve learnt to work together has made each subsequent stage of the project more successful as a result.