92 | Booming interior fit out business is going great Commercial projects make up around 80 per cent of the company’s, work with the rest in residential. Interior Construction T T Rosa Watson BUILDING Three Dunedin friends have created a booming interior fit out business after returning home from the UK and bringing years of experience with them. Dunedin-based Interior Construction Limited, or ICON, offers complete fit-out services in both the commercial and residential markets. The company covers a large area that takes in Oamaru down to Invercargill, with some work in Central Otago. A satellite office has been set up in Invercargill. The company employees 50 full time staff plus 15 to 20 contractors “that we keep in continuous work”, director and founder Rodney Heller said. Commercial projects make up around 80 per cent of the company’s, work with the rest in residential. Some of the larger projects they are currently undertaking include the new Port Otago head offices at Port Chalmers, the trades training unit at Otago Polytechnic, Aquinas College student accommodation and the Balclutha community hub. They are also fitting out the H W Richardson Group head office in Invercargill. In residential projects, they have been working on town house developments in Dunedin, which are growing in numbers, Rodney said. “We have completed approximately 80 units, and have secured contracts for another 20 to date.” The company was started in 2017 when Rodney and fellow directors Michael Cooper and Arran Walker - who all hail from Gore – returned from long stints in London. Rodney spent 14 years there and started his family. “The three of us worked together in London, where we got into the fit-out game, to make money while doing our OE” he said. They all started off on the tools, and quickly worked their way through to senior management. As they started their families, they were keen to give their kids the Kiwi lifestyle, and Dunedin seemed the like the perfect place to settle. “We decided we should take this (business) model back to Dunedin,” Rodney said. “We knew we could work together really well, and we felt confident we could do better.” “Its one thing we were very conscious of, based on previous experiences, we are committed to delivering on promises to our people.” It started off just the three of them on the tools. But it didn’t take long for business to boom. “As the work came in, and we were proving ourselves, we were being offered more and more work.” Building a reputation had been key to its success, Rodney said. “Maintaining a really good name and good reputation for getting the job across the line is essential.” The company offered “the whole package”, from steel stud walls and partitions, to insulation, plasterboard fixing, stopping, suspended ceiling, aluminum partitions, and seismic bracing, that are common in commercial projects, he said. It was also strong on staff retention, with staff wellbeing a priority. “We’re very strong there. The phone is always on for them, they can always talk to us.” It was something they felt was important following their experience in the UK. “Its one thing we were very conscious of, based on previous work experiences, we are committed to delivering on our promises to our people.” Through the current government’s recently-introduced apprenticeship scheme, ICON had managed to get all their staff fully qualified. With Otago and Southland regions enjoying strong investment, such as the Dunedin Hospital, Kiwirail development, and regional council building upgrade, there were plenty of opportunities for the company going forward, Rodney said. But there was no rush. “We are happy with the way things are going. Although everything has happened very fast to date, we will manage a more gradual growth in the future.” While the industry in the residential sector was facing challenges, commercial growth seemed to be strong, he said. “The commercial space seems really stable in Dunedin.” CONSTRUCTION Interior 022 470 2485 interiorconstruction.co.nz ICON provides all the trades and experience you need to complete your interior fit-out project in a single contractor. One team for all interior construction solutions. PLACEMAKERS DUNEDIN & MOSGIEL PLACEMAKERSDUNEDIN & MOSGIEL 50 BURNS ST & 34 CARNCROSS ST (03) 466 4617 PROUDLY SUPPORTING Proudly supporting ICON Interior Construction Showroom: 76 King Edward St, South Dunedin - 03 456 2674 Cromwell Branch: 11 McNulty Road, Cromwell - 03 428 3021
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