A Career in Construction - Part 15

In the summer of 1979 I remember quite vividly being asked to join an operations meeting with just Tony Whale, Mike Stafford and Brian Warren. They were keen to exclude both the Southern Director (Colin Brooks) and Peter Horth. This seemed to be like a secret hijacking of the southern organisation. But one that, I have to admit, was very exciting.

This culminated on 17th September when David Woolf. the new MD for Henry Boot, called a meeting of senior managers where he outlined the re organisation of the Division. Colin Brooks and Peter Horth were leaving the company and the new Southern Director would be Brian Warren (my fourth boss in the fledgling Division). Brian was a really lovely guy (Bunny to his friends of course) but more of a salesman than managing operations . My notes have provided one gem in that I was to take over the Turnover and Budget Reporting from Peter Horth. Brian also insisted that Ken Ottley would no longer have any involvement so I was basically on my own. But not for long.

At the end of 1979, the company won the first phase of what would be all three extremely successful sections of a major industrial and office complex on Wood Lane for the developers Arrowcroft, opposite the BBC. This would make a huge impact on the growth of the Division and had a positive impact over the next three years.

Tony Whale was the operations manager and Mike Ellis transferred from Cheshunt as Project Manager. Tony and I already had Nuneham Park under our control as well as the end of Cheshunt and Harlow and a new contract in Huntingdon so we were forming a distinct group within the Division. We started demolition of the old buildings on Wood Lane (now called White City Industrial Park) in the New Year (the site was often used as a location for The Sweeney) and the tall chimney being blown up was shown on the news.

After the completion of Brentford, Mike Stafford relocated to Head Office in Sheffield to look after Management Contracting. Brian Warren was looking after some new fee contracts and took on an ex-colleague, Brian Gregory,  to look after the surveying. What was a shock to me was that he was employed on exactly my grade as a Regional Surveyor. I guess as he was Divisional Director, Brian Warren could do what he wanted. As it turned out, Brian Gregory and I got on really well for the next year, and formed a good working partnership to run the Division's surveying. I had enough on my plate not to have to worry about these other contracts, small though they were at that time.

One event stands out at the beginning of 1981. The groundworks  sub-contractor had been taken to arbitration by their haulage company, a dispute about the quantity of spoil removed from site. This took place at Glazier's Hall with the famous QS John Sims as Arbitrator. I was called as a witness in the afternoon of Friday 6th February. All I can remember about the cross examination was being queried about my knowledge of what happened on certain dates in the previous August. I was able to show my diary with my two weeks holiday clearly shown.

The third phase for White City was the office block and this became the focus of our attention for 1981.

Unfortunately I was soon in for yet another shock.