Southern values recognised at Hardware Awards 

PlaceMakers Riccarton received its sixth Trade Store of the Year gong at 2017 Hardware Awards

This year’s Hardware Awards at Auckland’s Shed 10 saw the team at PlaceMakers Riccarton crowned with two prestigious awards – Trade Store of the Year and, through Alan Howe, Trade Account Manager of the Year.

PlaceMakers Riccarton Operations Manager Katherine Freeman-Greene accepted the Trade Store of the Year award on behalf of the branch

Branch Operator Grant Close says it’s the second consecutive time and sixth in total that PlaceMakers Riccarton has received the Trade Store of the Year award.

“I think there is one key thing that sets us apart, and that is our people,” says Grant. “We believe that the number one factor in increasing the level of satisfied and engaged customers is increasing the number of satisfied and engaged employees.

“The key theme I’ve worked on with the team is to illustrate to them how we link into the whole construction community. At the end of the day, builders take the products we supply and turn them into dwellings – it helps to give the job more meaning and leads to an increased focus on customer service. I see these awards as a wonderful acknowledgement of the team and their energy.”

As well as providing great materials and supplies, Grant has worked hard over time to find additional ways that he and his team can add value to their customer’s businesses.

“We offer a range of subcontracting services, such as roofing, joinery, foundations, gas and windows. We’re handing over multiple completed jobs a day,” he says. “We don’t employ the contractors directly; it’s more of a collaboration between industry experts with us as the overarching administrators. We’ve completed jobs ranging from 30 man hours up to 40,000; it’s a service that our customers really appreciate.”

Customer focus comes first

Having spent 25 years working as a builder and project supervisor, Trade Account Manager of the Year and PlaceMakers National Account Manager of the Year Alan Howe enjoys that he is able to offer a full service to his customers.

“I was lucky enough during my career to work on both residential builds and full-scale tower developments, so I have a lot of experience and working in a role where I can still be a project manager in some manner is great,” says Alan.

Trade Account Manager of the Year, Alan Howe from PlaceMakers Riccarton

“The kick I get out of seeing a project completed with supplies that have come mainly from us is as good as the kick I used to get by completing projects with my own hands as a builder.”

Alan said that having spent seven years in his role as an account manager with PlaceMakers, he’s happy to have won the award and thinks his attitude towards customer relations is what sets him apart.

“This is the first year I’ve decided to enter something like this and I’m proud to have won it, because I feel like the last two or three years of my career have been building up to it.

“Relationships are a big focus for me and I work hard to maintain them. I try to get out and visit my customers on site at least once a week.

“It allows me to understand what they need and, with my industry experience, anticipate what they’ll need next. I also think it’s really important that you deliver what you say you’ll deliver and, where I can’t meet a customer’s expectations, I’ll work with them to find an alternative solution.”

PlaceMakers also had three finalists, two for Retailer of the Year – Mark Buckenham from PlaceMakers Hornby and Joe Reece from PlaceMakers Whitianga – and one for Young Retailer of the Year – Reagan Smith from PlaceMakers Evans Bay.