Steve Poulson became a member of the team all the way back in 2005, when the number of projects Howard Civil Engineering had in its portfolio had only just reached double digits.
Now, 18 years later, we sat down with Steve to discuss why he has stayed at Howard Civil Engineering for so long, his favourite part of being a Project Manager, and his advice for people hoping to get ahead in the construction industry.
Why did you decide to join Howard Civil Engineering?
I know Mick (Michael Howard, Founder and Managing Director) from being an engineer on the last firm that me and James (Page, Contracts Manager) worked for. We stayed with that firm, and Mick decided to set up a business on his own. A couple of years down the line, the company that James and myself had stayed working for went bust, so Mick rung us up straight away and asked if I fancied coming with him. There were six of us in total who went to work for Howard Civil Engineering from the firm that we all originally worked for.
What interested you in construction?
I think when I was 17, I started with a local construction firm doing external work – paving, kerbing, buts of drainage and manholes. The first job I was on was for Laing O’Rourke and it was at Sheffield Northern General Hospital. I’ll never forget it. I must have swept that new building from top to bottom.
Because I was working with the local men, who were my friends’ fathers, back in the day they taught you. Everybody had time to show you how to do a trade, so for groundworks, they taught me everything that’s involved with it – paving, kerbing, flagging. I loved it. Loved every bit of it.
How did you progress from foreman to project manager?
I was promoted to Project Manager around three or four years ago. Before I joined Howard Civil Engineering I’d always been a working foreman or site manager, and I continued as a working foreman once Mick took me on. Early on, the Contracts Manager at the time left, and Mick asked me to be a Contracts Manager. I was Contracts Manager for about four years or so until the banks went bust in about 2008, then we ended up scaling down to about three projects so there wasn’t enough work for a contracts manager. I went back on the tools, and I enjoyed it, but when things picked up again Mick asked me if I wanted to start running jobs again.
It was the right thing for me – as you get older you start aching, and even going out and trying to do bits and bats with the lads takes its toll if you don’t keep yourself in shape, which unfortunately I haven’t!
What’s your favourite thing about being a Project Manager at Howard Civil Engineering?
When you get a team of lads and everything clicks and you’re able to have good craic, it becomes enjoyable for everybody. That’s probably the best part about it. It’s more rewarding.
Why have you stayed at Howard Civil Engineering for 18 years?
I’ve always been loyal. I know what I’ve got, and I know it could be different elsewhere. If the firm that I worked at with Mick when he was an engineer hadn’t gone bust, I’d probably still be there now. I’ve known Mick since he was a young engineer and I’ve always got on with him.
What advice would you give to someone entering the construction industry?
Try and surround yourself with good people who are willing to teach you. If you’re working with somebody who’s only in it for the money, not the love of the trade, and who couldn’t care less what they’re doing, move on until you find someone who is willing to teach you and who takes pride in their work. It’ll put you in good stead for the future.
