[willhollin]

Originally Posted by 335diesel

JJ - I think most B2C stuff if quiet. We are almost exclusivlely B2B and mainly deal with public sector clients (and one private one who is booming thanks to digital switchover!) - they seem nearly oblivious to the recession. In fact I had to stop getting discounts on ads for a client because they HAD to spend their ad budget in three weeks. Slightly galling for most people.

Perhaps JJBirch could be your gardener then?

[Em135eye]

My dad's in contruction too and is quiet.

Our business tends to stay level - but when construction is booming it REALLY booms.

Our driveway is about 100 yards long and around a 30% gradient near the top - not much can be done to it by JJ methinks! Flipping lethal walking down it in the wet.

Oh and the ad budget wasn't going to us - we just charged hours for the "coordination" time. Oh well.

[gerbil_b]

Well as i said offshore trash, translated into......production operator offshore, 2 weeks work followed by 3 weeks leave, 45 min flight from aberdeen, cant beat it really for my age. Considering a lot of people my age are on drugs, in prison or unemployed.

[Dr Dave]

Originally Posted by jjbirch

bloody quite, got worst these few months and people havnt got any money,
got 4 months work to start in oct building a new campsite for lodges,just a field at the moment,
i am a driveway-groundwork contractor,

I'm in a very similar trade to you JJ - the first 4 months of this year were very quiet - we did in 4 months what we would normally do in 4 weeks!

But ever since May it has been very busy, we haven't had time to stop - but we are very careful not to become busy fools and not get paid for the work.

People have money but are keen to hold onto it - payments (from both the private and commercial sectors) are quite slow. If it weren't for the few who pay up in a timely manner, we'd be in trouble.

Rates for our work dropped through the floor the early part of this year - it takes a lot of work to keep tarmac gangs busy - many of the surfacing-only contractors were 'buying work' in order just to keep busy.

But I don't think we've seen the worst of it yet.

We were fortunate enough to have been able to build this outfit just before things went quiet......the one it replaced lasted us 20 years!



And this was the view at a recent very wet job at 3.50am



and dawn............

[jjbirch]

Originally Posted by Dr Dave

I'm in a very similar trade to you JJ - the first 4 months of this year were very quiet - we did in 4 months what we would normally do in 4 weeks!

But ever since May it has been very busy, we haven't had time to stop - but we are very careful not to become busy fools and not get paid for the work.

People have money but are keen to hold onto it - payments (from both the private and commercial sectors) are quite slow. If it weren't for the few who pay up in a timely manner, we'd be in trouble.

Rates for our work dropped through the floor the early part of this year - it takes a lot of work to keep tarmac gangs busy - many of the surfacing-only contractors were 'buying work' in order just to keep busy.

But I don't think we've seen the worst of it yet.

We were fortunate enough to have been able to build this outfit just before things went quiet......the one it replaced lasted us 20 years!



And this was the view at a recent very wet job at 3.50am



and dawn............

i think my uncle has hired your paver a few times, like you say we could of been flat out but i just know i wouldnt get paid end of as i knew a few companys were in the shit,this summer i am just happy to be ticking over,its quite easy to run up 10k in tarmac in a few days, and you have to pay for the tarmac if i have been payed or not, glad your finding it ok

[pjs]

Originally Posted by 335diesel

So how many fellow business owners here? And how is business? We are insanely stacked up with work! Seems odd really.

Recruitment for me chaps, temp or perm, construction biased. first quarter of this year horrible, now stable, things are picking up slowly. Want to hire anyone, let me know!

[Dr Dave]

Originally Posted by jjbirch

i think my uncle has hired your paver a few times

Gis a clue, who is he?

[willhollin]

Originally Posted by Dr Dave

Gis a clue, who is he?

Mr Birch.

[Dr Dave]

Originally Posted by willhollin

Mr Birch.

Possibly but you can never take forum names at face value!!

[willhollin]

Originally Posted by Dr Dave

Possibly but you can never take forum names at face value!!

I remember his name from "Rogue Traders" Dave.

[jjbirch]

Originally Posted by willhollin

I remember his name from "Rogue Traders" Dave.

lol
i allways look around for the cameras in the edges first when i see a job lol,
nah been a family company for 50 years how could i fuck iit up lol

[Em135eye]

Originally Posted by pjs

Recruitment for me chaps, temp or perm, construction biased. first quarter of this year horrible, now stable, things are picking up slowly. Want to hire anyone, let me know!

I did IT recruitment for two years did other stuff then construction recruitment for another year - actually quite enjoyed it and seemed to be able to get a decent number of people on my books.

But I much prefer running a PR firm!

[craig2859]

Warrant Officer in the British Army .... funnily enough our Business is booming at the moment, have spent 19 years with them so far and been away in total on tours etc, for about 6 of those years (6 months at a time). My main job is Recce, and being an FAC (Forward Air Controller), the guys on the ground who spend days watching a target and then direct in the fast air, and AH's to drop munitions on them.


Have got 3 years left until I reach my full 22 year service, so 2 years ago I went into a 50/50 partnership with my old man, and we set up - Europattest, where we employ Electrical engineers to PAT Test, and carry out electrical inspections for companies / Hotels, etc, etc, so far its going really well and we have plenty of contracts to fill each year.


.

[red_eagle]

Full-time strategy consultant at a global consulting & system integration firm and part-time strategy director for a private business.

[Dr Dave]

Originally Posted by jjbirch

lol
i allways look around for the cameras in the edges first when i see a job lol,
nah been a family company for 50 years how could i fuck iit up lol

Is it Birchwood Ltd?

[jjbirch]

Originally Posted by Dr Dave

Is it Birchwood Ltd?

birch Tarmacadam or birch road construction i use both lol

[Walesy]

I'm a BEMS/controls engineer, worked for the same company now for 11 years now. Used to be Siemens but they since sold us off to be a private company.

[Jamese93]

I'm in commercial property - head of acquisitions for a fund management business (not a banker!), chartered surveyor by trade. Buy and sell shopping centres in Europe if anyone wants one?!? :-)

[Dannyrado]

I run a small HVAC controls company. Design, manufacture, install electronic control systems (BMS) in new builds (medium scale, mostly county council.) More and more installations are retrofit to reduce energy conservation.

[Dannyrado]

Originally Posted by Walesy

I'm a BEMS/controls engineer, worked for the same company now for 11 years now. Used to be Siemens but they since sold us off to be a private company.

Are we the only two? Still using siemens, or gone down the "orange box" route?

[Walesy]

Originally Posted by Dannyrado

Are we the only two? Still using siemens, or gone down the "orange box" route?

Yeah, we are Siemens preffered soloutions partners. We support a fair few Trend sites though.
whats your company???

[James_335i]

I am a sales manager for an electrical engineering company based in Surrey. We supply overhead line materials up to 400kv, mainly transformers, switchgear, power cables and I manage the wooden telegraph pole side of the business, there is alot to all those poles you see on the pavements!