The magazine for Aycliffe Business Park | 23
New contracts manager joins from Severfield
Finley Structures has recruited a new contracts manager from a major national firm .
Fred Searle has joined the Finley management team after 29 years with Thirskbased Severfield .
Searle , from Harrogate , says the move was made easy because of his longstanding association with a number of key staff already at Finley Structures .
He knows the firm ’ s managing director and founder , John Finley , from his days as a Severfield director .
He also worked with Finley ’ s current operations manager Jim Graham and commercial director Diane Ruston during their time with the North Yorkshireheadquartered company .
Finley Structures operations manager Jim Graham with the firm ’ s new contracts manager Fred Searle .
Graham joined Finley from Severfield in October 2013 and Ruston followed him North in May 2014 .
“ There ’ s a 25-year history between me and some of the key personnel here at Finley Structures ,” said Searle .
“ What attracted me to join Finley ’ s was the working environment and the family-run ethos it has at the heart of the company .
“ I ’ ve also been impressed by the work ethic of the people here . It ’ s a very forwardthinking business and I ’ m looking forward to the new challenge .”
Graham added : “ Fred and I go way back and we ’ re delighted to have him on board as part of the management team .
“ He ’ ll be an extremely useful addition to the workforce as we continue to grow .”
Finley Structures estimating manager Andrew Workman with Michael Brown , who has swapped his career in painting and decorating for a new trainee estimator role .
Michael swaps paint brush for the calculator in career move
A qualified painter and decorator has swapped his paint brush for an office in a bold career move .
Michael Brown has given up a decorating career he started after leaving school 16 years ago .
Now the 32-year-old , from Ferryhill , has opted for a new line of work as a trainee estimator with Finley Structures .
“ It ’ s definitely a big change but one I ’ m really excited about ,” said Brown , who ’ s learning his new trade with the firm ’ s estimating manager Andrew Workman .
“ As part of my previous job I would price up projects , so although this is on a much , much bigger scale it ’ s using the same principles – working out from drawings the materials required , the fabrication time , steel erection , the man hours , and coming up with an accurate cost for the client .
“ I ’ m very much learning the ropes but I ’ m enjoying the different nature of the industry and getting to understand it .”
The appointment of Brown is another example of Finley Structures ’ commitment to inject more youth into the business .
A year ago , the firm appointed graduates Natalie Chewter as assistant quantity surveyor and Tom Radcliffe as a structural engineer .
Operations manager Jim Graham said : “ The construction industry faces many recruitment and sustainability challenges as we try to plug the skills shortage .
“ For many years the industry generally hasn ’ t been recruiting enough young people , and as a result a generation gap of skills has developed .
“ We recognised this as an issue a couple of years ago , so we ’ ve been actively recruiting young people into the business , and exploring different ways of doing that – and not just with traditional apprenticeships , as that alone won ’ t solve the problem .
“ We ’ re still taking on apprenticeships , but we ’ re also thinking outside the box in terms of bringing other skills and qualities in from other sectors .
“ Michael has already taken to his new job like a duck to water and we ’ re very confident he has a bright future with us in the construction industry .”