Back in 2005, Chris Foote took a leap of faith and left his job as a kitchen worker to join Howard Civil Engineering as a site labourer. Now, Chris is an Estimator and is one of the company’s longest serving employees.
We sat down with Chris to learn more about how he worked his way up from a site labourer to Estimator, and why he’s stayed with the company for 17 years.
Why did you decide to join Howard Civil Engineering?
Before I worked at Howards, I was working in a kitchen in a canteen in a factory. I grew up with Tom, Pete’s [Howard, Pre-Construction Director] brother and I mentioned to him that I wasn’t happy in my current job, but I didn’t know what I wanted to do. Tom offered to get me a job as a labourer at Howard Civil Engineering and I haven’t looked back since.
How did you go from a site labourer to an Estimator?
I learnt a lot from more experienced colleagues during my time as a labourer, and this paired with my own experience meant I was in a good position to develop my role within the business. After about eight years, Mick [Howard, managing director] approached me with the opportunity of going back to college to do a construction management course. I did this for two nights a week over two years alongside Tom Barrett [Project Manager], and I would have been 28 or 29 at the time. After that, I became a site manager.
I learnt a lot about estimating and planning while I did my qualification, and originally my ambition was to become a construction planner but there wasn’t the capacity for one at Howards. They wanted someone with more practical experience, and they were willing to teach the financial side, so Mick invited me to give it a go. Here I am 6, 7 years later and I’ve been estimating ever since.
What is your favourite part about being an Estimator?
I’m quite an inquisitive person, and as an estimator you get to see the ins and outs of every job that’s happening around Yorkshire before it’s started being built. I like to look at the drawings of new jobs I’m interested in, such as bridges and new highways, and there’s always more information to absorb.
Estimating itself is quite repetitive as you do a lot of the same things over and over, but because no job is ever the same it never gets boring – there’s always something new. For example, on our new A183 Coast Road project we’re using dynamic compaction as part of our earthworks package which Howards have never used before. Because construction is always changing and modernising, you’re always learning new things.
I don’t feel like I’ve ever done the same thing twice, and that’s what keeps me engaged.
How has the company grown since you started?
Howards has grown steadily and organically over the past 17 years, and I like that it hasn’t seemed forced. As I developed, the company developed as well and it’s nice that the core team has remained, and the culture is still the same.
It still feels like the same company I joined 17 years ago, but it’s mad to think that some of the people here would have only been a couple of years old when I started working here!
Why have you stayed at Howard Civil Engineering for 17 years?
With my qualifications and the use of LinkedIn, you always get approached by recruiters and other businesses, but it’s never crossed my mind to leave. Howards have an environment where you want to do a good job, I’m comfortable in my environment, and I’m happy with the people I have around me – that’s definitely one of my main drivers and motivations. It’s easy to come to work every day.
