A special award has been handed to a north-east housebuilder based in Banchory for its exceptional customer service. Bancon Homes has been presented with the Outstanding Customer Service award by In House Research, which carries out customer surveys. “It’s a fantastic achievement to have been awarded the Outstanding Customer Service Award.
David Kenkinson has been appointed by the British housebuilder Persimmon as the company’s new Chief Executive (CEO). He has been serving as the group’s interim CEO since late last year and now he will take over the role with immediate effect. “Persimmon is a great company with a bright future and
Tim Beale has been promoted to the position of Chief Executive Officer by housebuilder Keepmoat Homes, after previously serving as Deputy Chief Executive since February 2018. He joined the firm in 2007 as Chief Operating Officer. He succeeds James Thomson, who stepped down as Chief Executive following seven years in the
A Westcountry homebuilder has welcomed its highest number of apprentices to date as part of the firm’s commitment to nurturing up-and-coming talent in the construction industry. “Apprentices are the future of the industry and we believe we should be doing everything we can to encourage young people to consider job-based
Housebuilder Story Homes has welcomed seven apprentices as part of its ongoing commitment to investing in and developing young talent, with this year’s cohort including the developer’s first female bricklaying apprentice. The new bricklaying, joinery and technical apprentices will work across Story Homes’ key regions of Cumbria and Scotland, the
A leading housebuilder raised money for a much-loved charity at a launch event at its Houghton Conquest development. Kier Living Eastern welcomed guests to Meadow Croft to enjoy cupcakes and other treats in aid of its new charity partner, The British Heart Foundation (BHF). The housebuilder raised more than £700
BDC 319 : Aug 2024
A special award has been handed to a north-east housebuilder based in Banchory for its exceptional customer service. Bancon Homes has been presented with the Outstanding Customer Service award by In House Research, which carries out customer surveys. “It’s a fantastic achievement to have been awarded the Outstanding Customer Service Award. To be one of only five housebuilders in the UK to achieve this level of customer service is testament to the hard work of everyone at Bancon Homes and I would like to thank all our colleagues for their continued efforts in delivering the best possible customer service. We pride ourselves on the level of individual customer care we provide. It really matters to us that each and every customer is happy with their home, we know how important it is,” said Allan Clow, the managing director of Bancon Homes. Tom Weston, the chief operating officer of In House Research, said the award was down to the “exceptional quality, regular communications and personal service” given to customers. In addition to its exceptional customer service, the construction firm has also retained its Gold Award accreditation, which is based on 90% of its customers saying they would recommend the firm to another person.
David Kenkinson has been appointed by the British housebuilder Persimmon as the company’s new Chief Executive (CEO). He has been serving as the group’s interim CEO since late last year and now he will take over the role with immediate effect. “Persimmon is a great company with a bright future and I am honoured to have been asked to lead it. My priorities will be to maintain the strong operational and financial momentum of the business, to develop further our customer care operations and to bring a greater focus to our wider responsibilities as a leading UK house builder. We have a strong and committed team and I look forward to continuing to work with all my colleagues to deliver the high quality, attractively priced homes that the UK needs,” commented David Jenkinson on his appointment. For over 22 years David has been part of the company, assuming roles like Group Managing Director and serving on Persimmon’s board for over five years. Over this time he has held particular responsibility for land purchase. “After a thorough search, both within the housebuilding sector and more widely, it was clear to the Board that Dave was the best candidate for the role. Since his appointment as interim CEO last year Dave has shown both strong leadership in maintaining the Company’s track record of operational excellence but also that he is listening carefully to the views of all our stakeholders. Persimmon remains committed to its goal of being the leading volume builder of good value, traditional family homes throughout the UK,” said Roger Devlin, Persimmon’s Chairman.
Tim Beale has been promoted to the position of Chief Executive Officer by housebuilder Keepmoat Homes, after previously serving as Deputy Chief Executive since February 2018. He joined the firm in 2007 as Chief Operating Officer. He succeeds James Thomson, who stepped down as Chief Executive following seven years in the role but remains on the board as a non-executive director. “After seven years with the Keepmoat Homes I have taken the decision to step down as Chief Executive. I will remain involved with the business on the board as a non-executive director and am delighted that Tim will be stepping up as the Chief Executive Officer. I am fully confident that under Tim’s leadership the business will continue to go from strength to strength,” said Mr Thomson. Speaking of his appointment Mr Beale said: “I’m pleased to be taking over the role of Chief Executive Officer at Keepmoat Homes and thank James and the Board Members for this opportunity. Over the last 12 months I’ve worked closely with James and the wider management team to ensure we are consistently delivering quality new homes in the places where people need them. “Over the next year we are focusing on our operations and plan to deliver over 4,000 new homes utilising both traditional and modular construction to help meet the country’s housing needs. We will also start on site on a number of transformational projects such as Sighthill in Glasgow, Ebbsfleet in Kent and the Waterside in Leicester. These developments are long term commitments to the regeneration of key UK cities and towns which embrace their heritage but build for their future – building communities and transforming lives,” he added.
A Westcountry homebuilder has welcomed its highest number of apprentices to date as part of the firm’s commitment to nurturing up-and-coming talent in the construction industry. “Apprentices are the future of the industry and we believe we should be doing everything we can to encourage young people to consider job-based training as a sound start to their careers,” commented Cavanna Homes’ Managing Director, Keith Miller. “We’re major supporters of apprentices and help subcontractors by funding apprentices so they can pass on their knowledge, which in turn helps us to be confident that the skills we’ll need in the future for housebuilding will be available locally.” Ten apprentices aged between 16 and 23 years of age have joined Cavanna Homes as paid full-time apprentices, the largest intake in the homebuilder’s 95-year history. Aaron Jones, Jesse Acutt, Matt Churchill, Max Dorothy, Jack Walker, Sam Perkins, Joe Darlow, Cameron Quinn, Lewis Duce and Owen Musk are based at Cavanna Homes’ head office in Torquay gaining experience both on-site and in the office. The apprentices will be completing qualifications in a range of specialist sectors including; carpentry, land, technical, commercial, build, electrical, painting and decorating, and plastering. “I am forever grateful to Cavanna Homes for providing me with such an amazing opportunity. They support me day in and day out, which has fuelled my drive even more. I’m surrounded by considerate colleagues who I now call friends and I can honestly say that there is no looking back, only looking forward. My one regret is not signing up to an apprenticeship scheme sooner – it’s the best decision I have ever made and I’m truly lucky,” said Sam Perkins, Land Apprentice at Cavanna Homes. The apprenticeships will be completed over four years which, depending on the scheme, will combine on-site work experience with skilled sub-contractors and attendance at college to gain an NVQ. “We’re increasing the number of apprentices that we support year on year, and we hope to see this number continue to grow in 2019. We strongly believe that providing open career paths within the construction industry will encourage young adults to explore the opportunities available to them,” Keith added. As a regional recruiter, Cavanna Homes takes pride in nurturing and investing in its apprentices to ensure they receive the best skills and experience in their trades to pass onto the next generation, and integral part of Cavanna Homes’ ethos.
Housebuilder Story Homes has welcomed seven apprentices as part of its ongoing commitment to investing in and developing young talent, with this year’s cohort including the developer’s first female bricklaying apprentice. The new bricklaying, joinery and technical apprentices will work across Story Homes’ key regions of Cumbria and Scotland, the North West and the North East. The new recruits were selected at an apprentice assessment centre earlier this year, beating tough competition from a number of high quality applicants. The recruitment of Chloe Bland, 22, is an important step for Story Homes in encouraging more females to apply for roles on its construction sites. Chloe, who has completed her Level 1 qualification in Bricklaying, commented: “Bricklaying runs in my family so I have wanted to follow this career path for as long as I can remember. I studied Health and Social Care at college and I considered professions such as hairdressing, but I just couldn’t imagine working long-term in a role that didn’t involve being hands-on out on site. “I find the concept of a bare plot of land being transformed into a beautiful home absolutely fascinating and I take a real sense of pride in being part of that journey. In future I hope I can progress my career with Story Homes, with the ultimate ambition of becoming a trainee site manager and even a site manager one day.” Story Homes’ apprenticeship scheme forms a key part of its strategy to ensure it can achieve its future plans, as well as making a contribution towards closing the growing skills gap in the housebuilding industry. The developer’s Aspire Apprenticeship Scheme, which launched in 2016, aims to recruit the brightest and most passionate school and college leavers from 16 years and upwards. Apprentices undertake a full development programme which includes working towards an NVQ Level 2 or Level 3, on-the-job training and the potential to move into trainee site management at the end of the programme. Before beginning their roles on-site and in the office, the apprentices completed a five-day residential team building and induction programme, aimed at building their confidence and problem-solving skills from the outset. Fred Story, chairman and CEO of Story Homes, said: “Our apprenticeship scheme has proved successful over the years, with a number of people recruited now in more senior roles. Bringing future talent into the business is very important to us so I am pleased to welcome our seven new apprentices. I look forward to seeing them working with their teams, developing their skills and contributing to our mission to design and build quality homes that people aspire to live in.”
A leading housebuilder raised money for a much-loved charity at a launch event at its Houghton Conquest development. Kier Living Eastern welcomed guests to Meadow Croft to enjoy cupcakes and other treats in aid of its new charity partner, The British Heart Foundation (BHF). The housebuilder raised more than £700 for the charity, with more money pledged from its supply chain. “It was wonderful to welcome everyone to Meadow Croft and raise money for such an amazing charity at the same time. We will be supporting the BHF for the next two years and we have many more fundraising and awareness events planned,” said David Thomas, sales and marketing director at Kier Living Eastern. “We’ve worked extremely hard to create an outstanding new community for Houghton Conquest and visitors were just as enamoured with it as we are,” he continued. Meadow Croft is a collection of two, three, four and five bedroom homes, currently with prices starting at £325,000 for a two-bedroom bungalow, £450,000 for a four-bedroom home and £600,000 for a five-bedroom detached home. Show homes and the sales office are open at Meadow Croft on Chapel End Road, Houghton Conquest, Thursday to Monday between 10am and 5pm. Kier Living Eastern ensures the highest possible standards of quality, value and presentation from design through to construction and after sales care. It offers a wide range of new homes from one-bedroom apartments to luxury five-bedroom homes. Kier Living Eastern is renowned for its quality and attention to detail. Innovative and forward thinking, the company has more than 70 years’ experience in new homes construction.
