| 105 SJ Mitchell Building BUILDING GIB STOPPING • INTERIOR & EXTERIOR PAINTING • WALLPAPERING T T Kim Bowden Online presence a big plus Adaptability has been a defining feature of SJ Mitchell Building since Scotty launched the business in 2002. Timaru contractor, Scotty Mitchell, is getting used to being recognised by people he doesn’t know. “They go, ‘I feel like I already know you. I follow you online,’” he says. The owner of SJ Mitchell Building has embraced personality-led videos on Facebook and Instagram as a way to market the company, with the informal clips helping attract both clients and prospective employees. Scotty says the videos give potential customers a clear sense of the team behind the business, while showcasing the wide range of work undertaken by his five-person crew. “A lot of builders and carpenters follow us,” he says. That online presence is proving particularly useful as the business looks to recruit another team member with Scotty looking for someone that can turn their hand to whatever job comes through the door. Adaptability has been a defining feature of SJ Mitchell Building since Scotty launched the business in 2002. He had recently returned from Australia when he took on a renovation for a mate. “It just went from there,” he says. The timing worked in his favour, with the early-2000s dairy boom driving residential construction across the region. Scotty noticed larger contractors were often reluctant to take on smaller jobs, or even supply quotes for them. “I thought, we’ll just do all the small jobs because no one else wants to do them,” he says. Today, the business tackles almost everything except new-house builds – from residential repairs and renovations through to driveways, retaining walls and small-scale earthworks. It also undertakes civil work for councils and private clients – with recent projects including fuel sites, airports, and bridges – and manages its own traffic management. Project management and building inspection services round out the mix. Spanning South Canterbury, North Otago, and the Mackenzie Basin, the workload demands staff that can actively problem-solve on-site. “We’ve often got to fix something, dissect it, put it back together,” Scotty says. He grants his employees as much autonomy as they can handle, placing a strong emphasis on workplace culture. “I want people to be happy and love what they’re doing, and turn up every day with a smile,” he says. Quality, safety and communication are the company’s three core values, with Scotty describing the business as highly systems-oriented. It also maintains a strong focus on community involvement, including unpaid work for Women’s Refuge and the YMCA, and traffic management support for cycling events. Family is intertwined with the operation, too. Scotty’s 20-year-old son, Lockie, is an apprentice with the firm, while his 25-yearold son works as a carpet layer and regularly crosses paths with the team on job sites. His youngest son, at 12, leans towards farming, but spends plenty of time around the business. Scotty and partner, Deborah, also run the pre-purchase building inspection side of the business, which carried out close to 180 inspections last year. Away from the contracting work, the couple farm 40 acres, running cattle and finishing lambs for sale. For Scotty, the attraction of contracting comes down to people and the satisfaction of seeing a job through. “I just love talking to people and delivering projects and getting stuff done and doing what we say we’ll do.” Contact Us 027 703 5868 scotty@sjmitchell.co.nz www.sjmitchell.co.nz Built to Last. End of story. • Civil & Specialist Works • Building Repairs & Maintenance • Hard Landscaping and Driveways • New Builds, Renovations & General Building • Building Reports & Project Management
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