Rewarding Great People - Issue 3

5 MINUTES WITH TREVOR COLE AND ROB LYNE

Rob Lyne – Commercial Manager, Civil Engineering Trevor Cole – Contracts Manager, Civil Engineering

Two colleagues have hit long service milestones this year and shared their thoughts on the changes they’ve seen over the decades. When did you join FM Conway? Rob: December 2002. I was TUPE’d over from Carillion (formerly Tarmac) with a number of other people when FM Conway purchased Carillion’s London Paving business. Trevor: I started work with Tarmac Civil Engineering on major construction work, and then moved into the specialist paving part of the business within the M25 called London Paving. This part of Tarmac de-merged to become Carillion and was bought by FM Conway in 2002. What are the biggest changes you’ve seen? Rob: Changes have been gradual with a lot more collaborative working between us and our clients nowadays. In the good old days, it was ‘us’ and ‘them’ lobbing grenades at each other from our respective trenches.

Trevor: I have been fortunate to work on a variety of contracts throughout my career. Some were high profile such as the refurbishment of Trafalgar Square paving and fountains, constructing new pathways on the forecourt of Buckingham Palace, installing retractable bollards around the American embassy (when it was in Grosvenor Square), and installing a decorative sundial outside the Houses of parliament. What does the future hold for you? Rob: I have a few years yet before I hang up my calculator and scale rule (old school) and, until I finally call it a day, I hope to carry on in the Civil Engineering division, contributing to their growth and continued success! Trevor: More work on the preparation of projects within the TfL STIC framework, with other occasional spot tasks.

Trevor: Technology has refined theodolites with upside down images and basic pocket calculators into GPS surveying and tablet computers for site documentation. I worked on one contract where notes of progress meetings with Subcontractors were written by hand, and progress was coloured in on hand drawn programme bars on A1 sized paper! That ensured that we agreed and minimised the wording to get the record “right first time”. What are the highlights of your career? Rob: There are many! I worked on major highways projects – the construction of Junction 16 of the M25 was where I started (a summer job, post university). The Hatfield Tunnel on the A1(M) was next, followed by a section of the Heathrow Express rail link near Uxbridge and a bascule bridge for the Ministry of Defence near Shoeburyness. After that I worked on two sections of the new A14 East/West link. I look back on all the projects I have worked on with pride and continue to bore the family with tales of my heroic exploits.

Do you have any advice for future generations? Rob: I would recommend working in the construction industry to anyone - the hours can be long and the location where you’re working can sometimes be a pain to get to but, overall, you do loads of interesting things and meet a whole bunch of nice people. Trevor: I think that construction as a profession offers many challenges and satisfactions, but you usually have to travel to where the work is. It usually provides a good feeling that everyone wants to get the job done. There has always been the challenge of getting specialist trades organised and onto your contract at the right time. When they come from within a self delivery company however, it feels that the effort and money is always being recycled into moving the group forward. It feels good to work at a family run company where things can be seen to happen very quickly when they need to.

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