| 85 T T Hugh de Lacy Small team, big service North Canterbury Drainag owner Josh Sutherland says that an advantage of being small is that you can develop relationships not just with suppliers and staff, but with clients as well. North Canterbury Drainage CONTRACTING The advantages of being small, and developing personalised relationships with clients, staff and suppliers, are keeping Josh Sutherland’s North Canterbury Drainage business happily afloat on a turbulent market. Based in Amberley, Josh has been in the drainage business for 20 years. He completed his apprenticeship with former Christchurch company Calcon in 2007, and that’s where he got his taste for civil construction and gained the skills and knowledge he puts into practice now. He spent a couple of years working in construction in Western Australia and Canada, then returned to New Zealand to continue working in the industry for several local companies. That’s when he realised there was an opportunity in the market to set up his own business, which he did in 2018, putting all his experience into creating his small family company, North Canterbury Drainage. He started out hiring machinery from North Canterbury Hire, who have looked after him well over the years, and with a trusty old Mazda Bongo van that he got for a steal in a no-reserve Trade Me auction. Initially Josh contracted himself out to other local companies while building up his own business in the background, and this eventually allowed him to go out completely on his own. He focused mainly on residential drainage, including septic tanks and effluent systems, with Austin Bluewater of Rolleston, for whom he became an approved installer, supplying close to 100% of his installs. After the initial three years working on his own, Josh was able to expand and hire his brother, George Sutherland, as a full-time employee – now his foreman of the last two years – and two casuals, just in time to catch the boom that followed the initial Covid lockdown. “We were so busy it was pretty crazy, but this year the market has slowed a bit and it’s given us a chance to take stock of the situation,” Josh says. “The thing about being small is that you can develop these personal relationships not just with suppliers and your own staff, but with clients as well.” The likes of Amberley’s Murchison Homes became a regular client of his drainage services in both the residential and rural sectors. “There’s no doubt the clients like to see the owner of the company getting his hands dirty on their project, and I spend a lot of my time working on-site,” he says. North Canterbury drainage has recently completed a much-needed refurbishment of their local Hurunui BMX track – both Josh and his eldest son, Luka Sutherland, are members of the club. Through this relationship he struck a deal to be the club’s naming rights sponsor in return for ongoing track maintenance, ensuring the track stays in top condition for the local community. “It’s our way of giving back, something I have the skills to do, and it’s a win-win in having the club’s main signage carrying our company name and logo as advertising.” TO MAKE A BOOKING OR GET MORE INFORMATION, CALL US TODAY! 0800 624 473 www.nchire.co.nz NCH is proud to be a part of the ongoing success of NCD! Thundaflo 200 Series Heavy Duty Channel Drainage Systemwith variable built-in-fall www.thundaflo.com
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