86 | Totalspan North Canterbury T T Richard Loader Totalspan – a brand you can trust Based in Woodend, Totalspan North Canterbury looks after clients from north of the Waimakariri River through to the Clarence River in Kaikoura. BUILDING Jamie and Ellen Petersen have been at the helm of multi-award winning Totalspan North Canterbury for almost a decade now, and together with their experienced team have worked hard to raise the profile of the business to be the region’s market leader in steel-framed buildings. Jamie says that is all about being a brand that people can trust. “The Totalspan brand has been around for twenty-five years and we get excellent support and backing from our Head Office. But being a trusted brand also comes down to customer satisfaction with their project. We do a pretty rigorous hand-over once the building is completed to ensure the high quality of the job, and if it’s not we sort it out. We also provide a five-year workmanship warranty. The framing is all made from New Zealand steel. We have our Hornby factory that roll-forms the material and we use New Zealand COLORSTEEL® as the cladding. So the sheds are all New Zealand made.” An experienced and qualified builder by trade, Jamie brings significant building knowledge into the business. That practical experience, is complemented with Ellen’s people relationship skills, and business acumen gained from a Masters in Business Management degree in 2015. Jamie had built for Totalspan for a number of years, both in Australia and New Zealand, when he and Ellen were offered the opportunity to take on the North Canterbury franchise, and the challenge of growing the business. “Ellen and I were in our early thirties, and very enthusiastic to make the franchise work. We really injected that enthusiasm into the business and initially focused on developing a really good team. We collaborated with the staff, had some great discussion to generate great ideas and came up with the best solutions.” Having got the people side right, and established strong relationships with the contractor workforce, the focus pivoted to progressively growing the business. “Ellen’s knowledge of business administration helped us in those early days, and we weren’t afraid to ask for help. We had a number of business mentors who guided us to get all the basics right. Over almost a decade in business now, the franchise has grown quite substantially with the number of steel buildings we’re selling and producing through our factory.” Based in Woodend, Totalspan North Canterbury looks after clients from north of the Waimakariri River through to the Clarence River in Kaikoura. Jamie acknowledges that there has been considerable migratory growth in the North Canterbury region including the number of lifestylers establishing new properties, but says he is also a very strong believer in the power of repeat business and referrals. “If you do a good job, and the customer is satisfied with the end result, you will get repeat customers. At least twenty percent of our annual turnover is from repeat customers, with a similar percentage from referral work. You either maintain or grow your market share by way of word of mouth and repeat customers.” Jamie also makes the point that the team have played a key role in the success of the business, its growth and being seen as a trusted brand. “We have two really good and experienced sales staff. They’re local guys who have an abundance of local knowledge, and that makes a huge difference. We’ve gained a lot of business through them. Stephanie is our helpful office lady, and she’s been with us the whole time. We have a full-time project manager, who looks after the project from building consent to handover. Ellen looks after the marketing side, and I’m the overseeing manager.” Complementing Totalspan’s internal team, are two full time build crews, and the subtrades. “The build crews have been building for us for a very long time and have about twenty years of experience. They’re very particular about what they do, and because they build these steel buildings day in and day out they are very good at it. When the project gets to the construction stage, the build crews are the face of the business. It takes a couple of days to build a shed, so they’re very efficient and tidy.” Totalspan North Canterbury’s first big award was in 2017, collecting Franchise of the Year, followed by major success at the North Canterbury Business Awards in 2018, winning the Trades and Services category award, and Supreme Award. “That was massive for us and our team. In 2021 we won another Franchise of the Year and did it again in 2022. We have a conference coming up and I will be trying for the trifecta.” 2301799 Proud to support Totalspan - North Canterbury General Cartage, Containers & Swinglift, Log Cartage, Hilab Crane, Bulk, Daily Freight P.O Box 171 | 279B Flaxton Road | Rangiora PHONE 03 313 6026 www.transportrangiora.co.nz operations@transportrangiora.co.nz | admin@transportrangiora.co.nz MCG Hire Services are proud to be a key supplier to TotalSpan North Canterbury. We wish them continued success for the future. MCG - Delivering Great Service to every Site, every Time.
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