an eight year journey jupiter construction’s anniversary milestones

An Eight-Year Journey: Jupiter Construction’s Anniversary Milestones!

7th July 2016 Matt Wass breathed life into a new business, Jupiter Construction. On the approach to the 8-year anniversary Will Pearson sat down with Matt Wass , to ask a few questions as the team celebrate the “Octo-versary”

Reflecting on Jupiter Construction's journey over the past eight years, what have been some of the most significant milestones and challenges that have shaped the company's growth and success?

There have been a few and if I had to put them in order of time and thinking back to when we started out, our first project that we delivered was the refurbishment of Colne Valley Leisure Centre, that was a moment for sure. Then I think its fair to say that I realised that my ongoing use of freelancers was ok but to really move forward I would need to bring someone else on and that’s when I recruited Glen Herrington  just before the two year point. Glen and I then worked on lots of education-based projects which were great but very much focused around the obvious challenges in relation to access meaning projects had to be completed during school holidays. Whilst the education work was great, and it’s still a sector we are still involved in today, we realised that all of our eggs were in one basket and so diversified and started to target other sectors including Local Authorities and Councils to try and get onto their Tender lists, then of course Graham Mattison  joined the business as a partner and construction Director in 2020 which was a huge milestone as this released me to focus more on commercial matters whilst Graham looked after the operational side of the business.

How has Jupiter Construction’s approach to sustainability and environmentally friendly practices evolved since its inception, and what future initiatives are you excited about in this area?

8 years ago, whilst on the radar to a point, it was nowhere near as topical or relevant as it is now, looking at the projects we see crossing our desks there are more and more decarbonisation projects, installation of Air and Ground Sourced Heat Pumps and were seeing Passivhaus and other environmental elements of projects standing out. We embrace all of these and are actively training our Construction and Support teams in Awareness and implementation strategies, we robustly manage our supply chain and focus on the Social Value elements around employment of subcontractors and suppliers, we also have new fleet vehicles that are Euro6 and when we come to replace them we will look at what the next best option is for us as a business and the environment.

As a leader, what strategies have you employed to foster a strong company culture at Jupiter Construction, and how do you ensure that your team remains motivated and aligned with the company’s vision?

I think we have a really strong culture here at Jupiter, probably helped by the fact that the team has grown in size and as people we have all evolved with the business, we have an open-door policy and believe in a no blame, supportive approach whilst maintaining accountability at all levels. If one fails, we all fail. Acknowledge the mistake, learn from it and move on, going forward I want to future proof the business and part of leadership means development and cascading learnings and ensuring that despite future growth the ethos and approach will remain the same.

Can you share some insights into the more interesting projects Jupiter Construction has undertaken recently, and how these projects reflect the company’s commitment to quality and excellence?

Its so difficult to answer this one as “Every Project Matters” isn’t just a Jupiter strapline it is the absolute truth, the industry has challenges and to quote Mike Tyson “Everyone has a plan till they get punched in the mouth” by this I mean things happen and programmes change for one reason or another but if I had to list some recent ones, Thimbelby Shooting Lodge was  a wonderful project, it came with access/egress challenges that we worked through, then we have our recently completed Crag House Farm community building, built for the “Caring for Life” charity, it’s a stunning Cedar clad building that incorporates Air Source Heat Pump technology (back to the decarb point) and finally we are currently working on a project to remodel the Grade 2 listed Burton Agnes Hall - Coach House, this will be a stunning building when complete, a true delight to behold. No teasers though!

We have a robust Quality Assurance process, and we are now beginning to capture and respond to client feedback during and post project completion.

Looking ahead, what are your key priorities and goals for Jupiter Construction over the next few years, and how do you plan to navigate the evolving landscape of the construction industry?

We all know that the industry has had its challenges, things like the economic uncertainty, public sector funding, complex approval processes and changes in regulation are all part of the changing landscape, the priority is sustainable growth, ongoing review and assessment of opportunities. Bravery, we must be willing to say no thanks to a client/project if the team genuinely believes it’s not for us or the risks outweigh the potential reward.

Building relationships is key though, Architects, Surveyors and Consultants as well as the end users of course, maintaining a range of projects across all sectors carried out under both Traditional contracts and Design and Build and finally supply chain, as a Principal Contractor we are reliant on the approved supply chain to support us from inception to completion.

Those of us that know the business also recognise the successful Facilities Management department, can you tell me a little about that and what plans do you have for this side of the business?

Absolutely, from the outset Facilities Management wasn’t on the radar, but in 2021 we were approached by a long-standing client (an international retailer) who asked if we would like to consider providing FM services for their Northern estate. Initially starting out maintaining their roofs, we were asked in 2022 if we would like to be considered for the entire Building Fabric Maintenance contract. We carefully mapped out what would be required, and the timescales and resources required to facilitate the contact and following a competitive tender process were awarded the contract to commence in May 2022. We initially agreed with the client that the mobilisation period would be three months, however they asked if we could mobilise in six weeks. Not ones to back down from a challenge, we calculated whether it was doable and then put in place an action plan which we executed. This was a huge achievement and one I’m extremely proud of, it involved purchasing a fleet of new vehicles, recruiting experienced Engineers and a back-office team, as well as introducing new systems and processes to ensure we delivered an exceptional service for our clients. Since then, we have onboarded new clients and the department continues to go from strength to strength. The plan for the future, again, is for sustainable growth. We are currently in negotiation with new clients to extend our offering whilst simultaneously reviewing our systems and processes to ensure that we are operating in line with best practice, and of course we will be supporting the team through these changes.

Finally – What has been your proudest personal achievement in the last 8 years?

Frankly I’m really proud of the growth of the Jupiter Construction business and more importantly the growth of the people around me, being able to create opportunities for others is a hugely motivational thing for me, I’m proud that our people recommend friends that they know to come and work for us, that means a lot. I am proud of the people that are developing and continue to grow into their roles, to summarise I will use another of our taglines, our “One Team Approach” is a genuine strand that runs through all departments and underpins every aspect of our operations, from project planning to completion and aftercare, this philosophy ensures shared goals and a commitment to excellence across the business.

 

 

 

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