| 31 South Canterbury: Breen Plumbing Breen Plumbing employs nearly 50 staff and covers a wide range of services, from drainage and plumbing teams tor roofing, gas-fitting and back-flow maintenance teams. REGIONAL DEVELOPMENT Knowing what’s best in the long run Ph: 03 688 7224 www.roo ng.co.nz Freeman Roo ng Timaru combines extensive local expertise and exceptional servicewith a broad and innovative product range, enabling you to enjoy the bene ts of best practical solutions and purchasing power. The team is predominantly a manufacturing supplier for new roofs, reroofs, sheds, factories, fencing etc but also o er free measure/quotes, take o s & professional advice services. Freeman Roo ng has your roo ng/cladding completetly covered - from ‘top to bottom’. It has enjoyed a longstanding alliance with local firm Thompson Construction and Engineering, including the new Kmart building in Ashburton.. Then there’s the big new Bunnings hardware store in Timaru and several major projects up over the border in Mid-Canterbury, including a major upgrade at the Ashburton Hospital, and an 80-room retirement village for Radius Millstream. Breen Plumbing is also currently working on the new Timaru rugby stadium and sports centre, being delivered in conjunction with Thompson Construction. “The advantage of servicing lots of sectors is that the downside of any slow-growth or shrinkage phase is offset by the sectors still growing and thriving,” John says. “We are very proud of our team who strive to keep our customers happy, and we continue to invest in staff training and development. “We are also a keen contributor to the community, sponsoring a number of sports clubs in the area, including rugby, golf, football and the Aoraki Sports Charitable Trust, and also donating to charities that include the Cancer Society, Autism NZ, Caring Families and Heart Kids NZ.” As with most of the trades nationwide, Breen Plumbing faces a constant challenge to keep current staff and attract new ones. “We’ve always struggled to get qualified plumbers so we rely on our apprentices coming through, and staying with us once they’re out of their time,” he says. “We try to attract two plumbing and one roofing apprentices a year, and that policy seems to be working at the moment as we’ve been able to maintain staff numbers even through the labour shortages triggered by Covid. “Covid hasn’t made it easy, but we’re hanging in there, and the way we’ve diversified in both services and clientele should ensure we can look to the future with a fair degree of confidence,” John says.
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