Business Central February 2021

| 13 Waikato Business Awards - Beca Waikato Beca keeps delivering in the Waikato Sue Russell Beca in the Waikato has a team of 150 staff servicing the needs of a broad range of markets, including water, transport, defence, government, education, health, commercial, industrial and other sectors. Airside. Poolside. Parkside. Naylor Love Waikato/Bay of Plenty and Beca Waikato make a great team! www.naylorlove.co.nz Seddon Park Lighting Towers Cambridge Pool Redevelopment Tauranga Airport Extension R ichard Douch, Regional Manager for advisory, design and engineering consultancy, Beca says that the most significant change in the company through its 100-year journey has actually taken place in the last two decades and that pace of change will continue. “We’ve expanded our service offering to clients to supply them with end-to-end solu- tions.” A proud New Zealand company, Beca started 100 years ago. New Zealand owned, New Zealand headquartered and largely New Zealand based today the company employs over 3300 staff. The company supplies its professional capabilities across a broad range of markets, including water, transport, defence, govern- ment, education, health, commercial, industri- al and energy sectors . In the Waikato Beca has a team of 150 staff, with a transport and infrastructure group, a community shaping group including design- ers, town-planners and environmental special- ists, a buildings group including structural and building services engineers, a water group of and a project and cost management team. “I’ve been with the company 15 years and come from a town-planning background. My main responsibility is to make sure we have a sustainable business in the Waikato through securing work and that our delivery is consist- ent,” Richard says. With an ownership model that sets a company of this size apart, Richard says Beca offers staff a solid career progression path - way, a key reason why its retention rates are very high. “Close to 40% of our staff are owners of the company in some way, shape or form. Our senior staff sell their shares down over a period of time as they near the end of their working-life.” Locally, the team are designers of the Ham- ilton section of the Waikato Expressway and a significant number of water projects through - out the region. “It’s been great to be involved in other key projects such as The Pa project at the Uni- versity of Waikato, and a range of cycling and walking tracks bringing real benefits to the community.” Following a process of discovering what the company’s ‘Why’ was, Richard says the best way to describe its purpose today is simply to say Beca’s contribution to society is to make ‘everyday better’. “Everything we do is about delivering im- provement in the region and we’re very proud of what we have contributed.” And for recognition that Beca Waikato is achieving that goal, at this year’s Waikato Chamber of Commerce Awards, the company was shortlisted in the innovation award, while at the Hamilton CBD Association Awards, Beca took out line honours in the Professional Ser- vices Category, something Richard says means a great deal. “Putting the applications together for the award judges and the interview process for the Chamber of Commerce Awards were very valuable processes for us. “It’s always good to get an outsiders per- spective and the questions they asked really caused us to think about what we stand for,” says Richard. Looking ahead Richard says the whole team are excited about what 2021 will bring. “This year, we have positioned perhaps better than expected with all the uncertainty “I’ve been with the company 15 years and come from a town-planning background. My main responsibility is to make sure we have a sustainable business in the Waikato through securing work and that our delivery is consistent.” that Covid brought, which in itself has brought opportunity and where we are well positioned is that the Government is pouring money into the areas we are strong at.” It’s the nature of the projects the company takes on that means that, more often than not, it is working in a collaborative space with other companies which are also inputting their expertise. “We enjoy that because we can all put our heads together to problem-solve within a wider team environment.” Richard says a key strategic focus for Beca is not so much about increasing the number of clients but rather the raft of services it can offer them. “That’s what we’re most interested in doing. Adding value to our existing core clients experience by offering them a complete and complementary set of services.” REGIONAL DEVELOPMENT