A construction boss has told of how some “tough decisions” following the sudden death of his father has led to the family business quadrupling turnover.
Gus Robinson Developments Ltd is on course to hit the £20m turnover mark – just four years after it was left facing an uncertain future.
The Hartlepool construction firm, which employs 100 people, posted a turnover of just £5m in the 2011/12 financial year, after the firm’s figurehead Gus Robinson tragically died suddenly in November 2011.
Gus’s grief-stricken son Dan stepped into the breach, making some “tough” decisions to stop the business from going under - all while dealing with the loss of his father.
Just three years later, latest company figures for 2014 show a far healthier outlook.
Dan, who is based in the US, said: “When Dad died, I remember being on the plane on the way back from America wondering how I was going to lead the team through some very difficult times.
“I arrived back into the UK the following morning and immediately got to work on the transformation that same day.
“It was tough. When I looked at the business, we were poorly positioned to face the global financial crisis and the inevitable impact on the construction industry. When everything collapsed, we suffered badly.
“The whole business needed restructuring and strategically, we needed to reposition the company. I looked very carefully at the various ways in which the government was managing the country’s economic recovery and my judgement was that what they were doing was painful but sensible, that a strong recovery would come, and that house building would lead the way.
“If I’m honest, it was an educated gamble. I got the whole company together, I was very honest with them and I told them that there would be some difficult decisions to make but that I was prepared to make them. In the short term, we had to sacrifice together, collectively as a team.
“In the wake of losing dad and inheriting a business that was in such bad shape, I needed to act with decisive leadership to keep the team together during that period.
“Numerous changes were made to the firm including some very painful decisions but at the same time, we had reposition and win work. Things started to change for the firm thanks to a £1.7m contract which saw a redevelopment at Monmouth Grove in the Throston area of Hartlepool.
“That got £1.7m back into the cash flow, and off the back of that we won the contract for Crown House which was another £2.2m contract and a huge boost for us.
“That was a strategically important project for us but we delivered an exceptionally successful scheme within a very tight timeline. Even though I lost sleep over it – it once again demonstrated our capability as a company.”
The appointment of Steve Bell as Land and Development Director in 2013 has been a ‘key factor’ in the company’s growth, he added.
Now the next goal is to achieve a £40m turnover.
Dan added: “I love coming to work, I love the story behind the transformation of this business, and I love the team we have in place here. It’s a fun place to be.
“I hope Dad would be proud.”
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