122 | Dymond McBain Facilities Management PROPERTY Experience the key to success Dymond McBain Facilities Management offer clients a wraparound suite of services, from building maintenance, health and safety compliance management, cleaning, to building warrant of fitness processes. T T Sue Russell “I’m like the cheerleader. I really value my team and that’s always been my most important thing....” It certainly helps having a background in operating hotels, when transitioning into the facilities management sector and this is very much the case with Janet McBain from Auckland-based Dymond McBain Facilities Management (DMFM) company. “I was employed by Mirvac, a listed Australian diversified Property Group who developed and operated some hotels. We ended up with a significant number, including some in New Zealand, many of which were unit title with a mix of hotel and private residences,” Janet explains. Once Janet had made the decision to set up on her own, she came into the sector with a wealth of experience in facilities management and when the opportunity arose to manage a multi building complex in Wynyard Quarter Janet took up the challenge. This subsequently grew to managing other residential buildings and branching into retail and commercial property management. “We manage the Meadowbank Shopping Centre which is also unit title. All the shops are individually owned and we work with the Body Corporate. The unit title environment, Janet says, is one that comes with specific challenges requiring niche capabilities to work in successfully. “Our clients are predominantly Body Corp committees. We have to work really hard to maintain those relationships when membership of those committees changes as often occurs. It is something we really focus on.” Dymond McBain Facilities Management offer clients a wraparound suite of services, from building maintenance, health and safety compliance management, cleaning, to building warrant of fitness processes. “We work on long term maintenance plans for the buildings we look after. Because of my hotel background we tend to gravitate towards being more resident focussed than simply looking after the building, providing concierge services at the higher end.” Janet is the first to acknowledge that the decision to establish and work on her own business rather than for a hotel company was a deep-breath moment, but one she says has been extraordinarily exciting and satisfying. “You have to believe in yourself when you set up on your own but all those many years working in Australian and then NZ really provided me with such valuable learnings and experiences I could carry into my own company.” Her niche, she says, is to work in the topend space of the multi-residential sector. It’s where Janet and the team can add significant value for their clients and for residents alike. Today DMFM is a team of 15, allowing Janet to step back somewhat from the day to day and concentrate on nurturing the strategic pathway ahead. Bringing in a General Manager, a former colleague from her time working with Mirvac, was certainly a milestone Janet says. “It was just the perfect time. I needed to concentrate on growing the company and enabling that to happen and I knew Katie had what it took to manage the day to day operation of the business” Another key to success is, as Janet puts it, being somewhat ‘ahead of the growth curve’ in the sector. Meaning that when opportunities arise, DMFM is already in a position to step in and take them up. The business now has 25 buildings in its portfolio, primarily in Auckland and Janet says she’s very happy with the scale the business has reached. “We’ve never lost a contract. There’s been, over the past few years, a lot of development in Auckland and I can see this potentially slowing down, so to have reached the size we are currently at is a good position to be in.” Janet says in all the years she’s worked in the sector, the value of relationships is critical to the outcome. She works, she says, with an amazing group of people. “I’m like the cheerleader. I really value my team and that’s always been my most important thing; creating an environment for people to succeed in.” Similarly, relationships with key contractors are critically important to nurture and maintain. Janet works hard to build the support network the company needs to operate in well. “You build trust and rapport and its totally relationship based. That’s what I’ve discovered and it absolutely underpins our success today.” Janet McBain Providing Expert Painting Services for all Commercial sectors. At GR Coatings we prioritize health, safety and Environmental responsibility in every project we undertake across the Auckland and Waikato Regions. Whether it’s a fresh coat of Paint Creating Vibrant Learning spaces for Schools, a modern new look for a Body Corporate, Aged Care facility, Retail or Hospitality venue we’ve got you covered. 027 420 6476 glenn@grcoatings.co.nz Proud to be supporting Dymond McBain Facilities Management
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