74 | CONTRACTING Greg Donaldson Contracting T T Kim Newth Servicing region with flair and innovation “A highlight of business for me is seeing young people who started out here 18 or 20 years ago getting properties. Some have businesses, they have families of their own and have worked hard for it all.” T T to page 76 As Ashburton District has grown and developed through the years, so too has demand risen for reliable contracting services to support that growth. At every step, Greg Donaldson Contracting (GDC) Ltd has been there to deliver just what’s required, offering high quality, cost effective solutions to the primary production sector right across Canterbury and surrounding districts. ‘Do it once, do it right’ is the GDC way. Today, GDC offers a vast range of contracting services, including site works (residential, commercial and rural), excavation, demolition, heavy haulage transport, directional drilling and utility detection. A willingness to innovate and achieve the best for clients underpins the company’s leading reputation. Founder Greg Donaldson grew up on a dairy farm but his natural affinity was for all things mechanical. By age 12, his flair for repair was already well-known. If a neighbour’s lawnmower broke down, Greg would fix it. As a young man, he honed his skills further while training as an automotive mechanical apprentice at Gordon Blacklow’s Ashburton workshop. “I remember asking what I should do when I got stuck and he’d tell me to work it out and come back when I had a solution,” Greg recalls. “What he was doing was making me think; he was training me to be a businessman. More than half of the staff who were there at that time went on to have their own businesses.” In 1989, Greg reopened Mt Somers Garage around the time New Zealand was just starting to come out of a major recession. Within two years, he had built new premises out the back. He started doing haulage contracting after buying an old Gluyas Ford truck, providing free machinery pickup and delivery for clients. We’re proud to be involved in our local community at a grass roots level. 0800 303 980 • www.palmerresources.co.nz “Then I expanded into cartage, as people were asking for other things to be transported, like shingle. One thing led to another. From that one transporter and truck, the fleet has since grown to encompass more than 200 items of plant and equipment.” With the launch of GDC in 2001, Greg and his team quickly became established as a versatile and trusted contracting company in Ashburton. Greg is known for going the extra mile, saying ‘yes’ to difficult jobs, putting in the hours and always thinking outside the box. It’s an approach shared by his skilled team of 55 — many have been working at GDC for over a decade. “Without question, my staff are my biggest asset. A highlight of business for me is seeing young people who started out here 18 or 20 years ago getting properties. Some have businesses, they have families of their own and have worked hard for it all.”
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