Meet managing director of WOODSmith Construction Group, Gary. We caught up with him to hear about their journey since the business began in March 2021. Read on to find out what his daily working life looks like and what he enjoys most about being managing director…
What is your role at WOODSmith Construction?
My role consists of a full array of tasks – this includes being responsible for monitoring work on our residential and commercial projects to ensure jobs are completed on time and within budget, to the standards that I set.
I manage schedules of work and delegate tasks to senior colleagues and their teams, to ensure that projects run smoothly and our clients are happy.
What does a typical working day look like for you?
My typical working day is never really the same which is something I thrive off!
I’m usually up at 6 o clock am and have three coffees before I leave my home office to get me into stride for the day. I’ll then head up to the office, around the sites or into meetings.
What do you enjoy most about your job?
I say it’s stressful but the 100mph pace of the construction industry really drives me. Every day is different and I enjoy working with some great people.
Why did you choose to work in the construction industry?
I left school not knowing what I was going to do but always had an interest in making things out of wood. I was given the option of a joinery or bricklaying apprenticeship with my dad or my uncle and decided on joinery – the warmer and drier one!
What do you enjoy most about working at WOODSmith Construction?
Working for myself and trying to be better than the previous day for my family and I. Everyone who works for WOODSmith has to be of a certain attitude with the right attributes, so it’s an honour to have a lot of people who I can call friends at the company.
What’s been your favourite project you’ve worked on?
It has to be Anglo American’s WOODSmith Mine or British Steel – as this type of environment is my bread and butter. But it’s also amazing seeing the residential projects take shape and how they look when they are complete.
Please can you give us a brief career history?
I started at Tolent Construction as a 16 year old apprentice joiner and worked my way up to foreman joiner working under a fantastic leader in a gentleman called Simon Fairbank. I was then lucky to have an uncle and some people at Tolent who helped me progress into a site/construction manager running some big projects.
Now I’m MD at WOODSmith and the rest is history!
What did you want to be when you grew up?
Either a footballer or a pilot.
How do you have your tea/coffee?
White, no sugar, as I’m sweet enough!
Do you have any hobbies?
Until recently I was a keen footballer who played semi-professional since I was 16. I now play golf when I can and enjoy family days out and holidays. I’m a big horseracing man and have a few horses so like to go and watch them run.
Do you have any hidden talents?
That would be telling!
Is there anything else you’d like to add?
#OnwardsAndUpwards
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