People

I joined Kubale Constructions shortly after they landed a large commercial contract over 12 years ago. The company was clearly going to grow very quickly, and I was asked to help make changes to the systems that were required to administer the construction projects. I was not a construction expert, but the directors trusted me and I was given a lot of scope to contribute to big decisions around investment, assets, IT and staffing.

What has stood out to me over those years, is the appetite for change and new ideas. I’ve seen lots of talented people join and contribute their fresh ideas to the business and advance their careers. While our staffing has grown, our project throughput has grown much more, so we’re more efficient with what we have. The opportunities seem to keep getting bigger, and I think if we apply the same balance of risk & caution, and maintain our youthful culture, we’ll do just fine.

The construction industry offers people incredible career opportunities, so I highly recommend it.

I left school after Year 11 and began volunteering at a joinery to see what it was like. After a few months of that, I applied to become a Cabinet Maker at Kubale Constructions. Normally the Cert 4 in Cabinet Making takes 3 years, but I wanted it done quickly so completed my coursework 12 months early. After another 6 months, Kubale management assessed me, and I received my qualification. It was during this time that we introduced CNC routing, automatic edge-banding, sheet feeding and Cabinet Vision.

The learning was intense, but we’re much more efficient now … and our quality has remained excellent. Once our team began to grow with new contracts, I was promoted to Leading Hand and now have several apprentices to look after. I prefer to be onsite doing installation, that’s my favourite. Next, I want to do more study here and learn design, drafting and CAD.

I’ve made a few good mates through work that I catch up with socially, so I’m happy coming to work every day. It feels like you get treated equally here, by everyone, so it’s an awesome place to be.

I interviewed at Kubale Constructions after returning from 4 years in the mining companies of WA. They were looking for someone to build their admin team and I wanted a better work/life balance. Arguably the role was big and too soon for me, but they trusted me, and I could see the potential for my career. I began as an Admin Officer, and began to digitise our processes and document our procedures. I'm very detail oriented, and I was given the scope to make change and decisions. My experience in the mines was invaluable, but I needed to learn a lot from my manager about commercial construction too.

Now I'm very proud that I'm Admin Manager and have helped build the team over time. We now administer 300% of the volume of business compared to when I arrived. The admin team is now very sharp and efficient, but there's lots more to do. I think the best part of my role is helping my younger staff grow themselves.

I've recently completed my 10 years with Kubale Constructions. I got an awesome award, hand-made gift and I'm now eligible for profit share! It's such a team and family culture here … not only have I developed my skills and career, I've married and had two children along the way which happened through job sharing, working from home, and short periods of leave. Kubale staff even came to my wedding, Kubale staff celebrated the arrival of my beautiful kids, and I look forward to all the dinners and celebrations to come.