| 61 T T Hugh de Lacy Rising to the challenge The company specialises in repairs and upgrades to drainage systems and underground water services, the installation of new drainage and water services, and trenching for underground utilities. CONTRACTING JWL Drainage He was looking for a challenge, and James Lover found it when he decided to set up his own drainage and earthworks company, JWL Drainage, in the Manawatu after working his way up through the ranks at former development giant, Higgins Construction. Drainage and earthmoving had always held some attraction to James, in large part because his father, Bill Lover, ran a residential building company in the Manawatu, and James got his first taste of driving diggers while working for him. Today JWL Drainage sports a machinery inventory that includes three tip-trucks and the same number of diggers, operated by three full-time staff, with James ready to jump aboard when necessary. The company specialises in repairs and upgrades to drainage systems and underground water services, the installation of new drainage and water services, and trenching for underground utilities. Based in Bunnythorpe on the outskirts of Palmerston North, JWL Drainage finds most of its work in the commercial and civil sectors, but James has also taken on the occasional residential sub-division work to give his apprentices experience in that sector too. Establishing his business provided James with all the challenges he needed, especially when the Covid-19 pandemic struck in 2020, just two years after he launched his company on the back of a $50,000 mortgage on his home that paid for a 4WD ute, a concrete saw and a laser level. “It was pretty tough going but I pulled through, and I was really lucky in the people who joined me as staff, first as apprentices and now as full-time tradesmen,” James says. “Jordan Terry is a New Zealander but had been in the scrap-metal industry in Australia where he’d done a bit of work with excavators before he became my first full-time employee. “That was five years ago, and he’s since completed his drainage apprenticeship and is very much my right-hand man. “Backing him up is Eruera Maurirere who came to us through a Work and Income scheme and is just in the final stages of completing his apprenticeship. “It makes for a tight little team that allows me to handle the management side of the business and build relationships with clients while still being on call if needed on-site.” James started fresh out of school at 16 on a dairy farm, but after a few years decided the sharemilking farm ownership prospect was too far in the distance, so he got into driving stock-trucks around the North Island, and hopped over to Australia to spend six months truck-driving around Brisbane, before coming home determined to get into the drainage industry. After completing his apprenticeship he worked for four years for Higgins Construction, rising to Drainage Supervisor and establishing a strong connection to the Higgins family even after the company was sold to Fletcher Construction. Beyond the commercial construction sector, local government is an important client, and JWL Drainage is listed as an approved services connections contractor by the Palmerston North City, Manawatu and Rangitikei District Councils. “It makes for a tight little team that allows me to handle the management side of the business and build relationships with clients while still being on call if needed on-site.” Jo Carter Insurance Broker Phone: 06 280 0493 Mobile: 021 308 950 Email: jo.c@provincial.co.nz www.provincial.co.nz Providing total insurance solutions Our key services: We provide personalised insurance solutions across Business, Rural, Personal, and Life & Health, with claims advocacy and relationship-driven service that put clients first.
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