New staff prove crucial link for busy boss
12th December 2008
Sarah Welford and Antony Henderson
A rapidly increasing workload has prompted the boss of a Guisborough firm to appoint his first-ever Personal Assistant and a full-time Director of Finance.
Antony Henderson - managing director of civil engineers, Henderson Campbell – created the job of Personal Assistant to help him maintain constant contact with the office while he is out on site.
Former property valuer Sarah Welford is now his vital link with headquarters while he is checking progress on the company’s contract jobs around the country.
Business has boomed since Henderson Campbell became accepted as a preferred supplier to the Home Office and to extend 15 prisons at sites across the UK, in partnership with Newark-based Caledonian Building Systems - specialists in pre-engineered buildings.
The knock on effect has been a rapid increase in turnover – 200 percent during 2008 – which, in turn, has led to the appointment of Phil Heathcock as financial director.
Now, Antony is able to personally oversee the planning and preparation of each site, prior to arrival of the pre-engineered units, confident that Phil is implementing stream-lined procedures to deal with the firm’s continuing growth and that Sarah will keep him up to date with all other events back at their base in Morgan Drive, Guisborough.
Said Antony: “I have been away for the last eight months, managing projects in the South of England. Prior to the arrival of Sarah and Phil, I couldn’t have done that because there were too many other issues to deal with back at the office.
“I know from client feedback how much my presence on site is appreciated. I can answer their queries and manage any changes in person, rather than being an anonymous voice on the end of a phone: in fact, I think that is what makes us stand out in the construction industry. But this is only possible if you have a strong team supporting you back at base.”
Prior to Phil Heathcock’s arrival, Henderson Campbell employed a part-time Accountant. But, as more and more new contracts were won, the role became increasingly demanding. Phil, who had seven years accountancy practice experience before moving into Industry in 2003, most recently with Whessoe Oil & Gas Ltd in Darlington, actually began his career in Guisborough and is delighted to be back - especially at such a thriving concern.
“It gives me an opportunity to develop a system that can grow with the company and to manage that growth,” said the 32-year-old
Sarah, who lives in Nunthorpe, worked as an estate agency branch manager and valuer for 13 years before having her first child and deciding she wanted a job with less travelling.
After going back to college to gain her European Computer Driving Licence, she stayed in the estate agency business for a further 12 months – this time as PA to her old boss – before accepting the job at Henderson Campbell.
“It’s been a steep learning curve as I had no prior knowledge of civil engineering but I have really enjoyed the challenge,” said Sarah.
“Some weeks I only see Antony for a total of half an hour so most of our communication is done via the telephone and email. The knowledge that having me here is making life on the road a little easier for him, gives me great job satisfaction!”