Some of you may know Jack Wilkinson as the newest member of the business development team, but we are pleased to say Jack has accepted the role of Graduate Quantity Surveyor – making him the newest member of the commercial department instead!
After graduating from Leeds Beckett University with a degree in Building Surveying in September 2020, Jack joined the business development team as a keen and eager Pre-Construction Graduate in September 2021.
Since immersing himself in all aspects of pre-construction at Howard Civil Engineering, Jack came to the realisation that he instead was interested in quantity surveying.
“I started regularly visiting sites alongside quantity surveyors as part of my role as Pre-Construction Graduate, and I quickly realisedthat I much preferred getting out of the office and taking a hands-on approach, “ he said. “It’s great to see first-hand what’s happening on various sites and be more directly involved in all stages of construction.”
When Jack expressed his desire to move departments, he says he received nothing but support from his managers.
“I didn’t want to leave Howard Civil Engineering as I enjoyed my time in business development and the company values align with my personal values,” he said. “So instead of looking into new companies I approached my manager to discuss the possibility of moving departments. My managers were supportive the entire way and the turnaround was quite fast.”
In his new role, Jack is currently working on several groundworks projects across Yorkshire, including Gateway 36 in Barnsley and the Leeds General Needs housing scheme. He has been taken under the wing of Quantity Surveyor Ben Pritchard, who joined Howard Civil Engineering as a graduate in summer 2020 and has progressed quickly over the last two years.
“I’ve been working alongside Ben on various projects, and he’s been going at a steady pace, teaching me as and when opportunities arise,” Jack explained. “It’s been good!”
Sounds like a promising new start – good luck, Jack!
This year, our colleagues chose Cancer Research UK as our event charity for 2022, and we are thrilled to say that our team raised a jaw-dropping £5,760 for the charity last month after completing the Yorkshire Three Peaks!
Joined by friends and family, Brian Barton, Cieran Collier, James Derry, Alex Fowler, Niall Gaughan, Clara Greensmith, Dan Heffernan, Peter Howard, Scott Leather, Ryan McCarthy, and Tom Mitchell braved the peaks of Pen-y-ghent, Whernside and Ingleborough to raise life-saving money for cancer research. The 24-mile route included 1585m of ascent, and we completed it in 11 hours and 20 minutes despite the pouring rain!
Managing director Michael Howard also put his best foot forward alongside the rest of the team.
“I have been blown away by the support received from friends, colleagues, subcontractors, suppliers and clients as we fundraised in the run up to the big day,” he said. “To have raised almost £6,000 for Cancer Research UK when a member of our own team is battling the disease means the world to us all.”
“I’m very proud of everyone who took part – well done, everyone!”
Say hello to our brand-new Stage V-compliant excavators!
Following a string of new contract awards, Howard Civil Engineering has invested millions of pounds in upgrading and enhancing our fleet at Howard Plant Hire. Our latest purchases include six new Kobelco 13-tonne excavators, and 11 new Doosan excavators ranging from five to 14 tonnes in size.
These excavators are the latest generation of diesel engines, using selective catalytic reduction (diesel exhaust fluid) and diesel particulate filter, and are non-road mobile machinery (NRMM) Stage V-compliant! This technology means that these excavators release significantly fewer carbon emissions than older models without compromising on performance.
These machines will be making their debuts on our Olive Lane, Skipton Road, One City Park and Scarborough Hospital sites.
We are looking forward to welcoming more Stage V excavators to our fleet in the coming months, including excavators up to 36 tonnes in size.
Last month, Howard Civil Engineering successfully handed over a £1m highways project in Bradford to our client, Balfour Beatty.
We were awarded the contract to remodel a section of existing road on Parry Lane, Sticker Lane, and Broad Lane, and create a new access road into what will become Parry Lane Enterprise Zone.
Sprawled over 25,000 sq metres and set to bring 500 jobs to the area, the Parry Lane Enterprise Zone is one of the largest employment schemes Bradford has ever seen.
To accommodate the anticipated congestion around the area, Howard Civil Engineering was awarded a contract to form new junctions, traffic islands and a new central verge in nearby streets, and install large diameter drainage for increased storage capacity.
It was essential that access be maintained for local businesses throughout the duration of the works and Howard Civil Engineering successfully navigated the challenges posed by operating on a busy highway.
We are pleased to say that we have now completed improvement works to Greengates junction, a busy thoroughfare leading from Leeds to Bradford!
Howard Civil Engineering was awarded a contract by City of Bradford Metropolitan District Council to upgrade Greengates junction following the success of our S278 widening works on Hard Ings Road, Keighley, and work commenced in August 2020.
Works have included widening the existing highway on all four arms of the junction, signal and service upgrades, and the construction of a P-loop to redirect motorists. Cyclists and pedestrians also benefit from the scheme with the addition of new cycle lanes, pedestrian islands, and more controlled crossings.
Tony Kilbane, contracts manager for the scheme, said: “Greengates junction was a very high-profile scheme with a lot of stakeholders who had to be managed sympathetically. In addition to local residents, there were also commuters travelling daily through the junction and numerous businesses for which it was essential that they remain operational throughout the duration of the works.”
“I would like to congratulate our hardworking team who have worked around these challenges, navigated a series of unforeseen obstacles as this scheme has progressed, and produced a final product that the whole company can be proud of,” he said. “I would also like to thank members of the local community who have been very patient and understanding as we have undertaken the works and adhered to the traffic management measures in place.”
Local residents, business owners and commuters have welcomed the upgrades, commenting that the works had been “long overdue” and “the layout looks fantastic now it’s open to traffic.”
Our team has also received numerous compliments from members of the local public for our contributions to the local community through volunteering efforts such as revamping Greengates Primary Academy’s playground and joining the Friends of Greengates community group on their weekly litter picks.
“Your works have been pleasant whilst on site and have worked well in the community too when time permitted,” said one resident, while another praised Howard Civil Engineering’s management of stakeholder liaison.
Throughout the duration of the works, Howard Civil Engineering issued fortnightly and monthly email newsletters informing subscribers of progress to date and what to expect in the weeks to come, including any traffic management changes.
“I think the workers getting involved in community projects is brilliant,” one resident said. “The newsletter is brilliant at keeping us informed on what’s happened and what is going to happen every couple of weeks, so thank you for making this process as painless as we could have hoped.”
In total, Howard Civil Engineering has contributed over £9,500 in fundraising and donations, and over 280 volunteer hours to the Greengates community since work commenced on the scheme!
The scheme for Greengates junction was developed by the City of Bradford Metropolitan District Council. The scheme received investment through the West Yorkshire Plus Transport Fund as part of the Leeds City Region Enterprise Partnership (LEP) Growth Deal – a £1 billion package of government investment to accelerate growth and create jobs across Leeds City Region.
Whilst undertaking excavation works on our Greengates Junction site in late 2020, our site team happened upon something a little more exciting than rock and debris!
On the site of the former Roebuck pub, a 19th century coaching inn and toll bar that was torn down in 2013, we unearthed a large cast iron crown that had been buried beneath the land surrounding what is now Farmfoods.
Local experts estimate the artefact could date as far back as the 1830s, when the Roebuck Inn was a coach house and the site of a toll bar where taxes were levied for the Crown on goods travelling through the area. Others have suggested that the crown could have been used for decoration during either Queen Victoria’s Jubilee or Queen Elizabeth II’s coronation.
Site engineer Fahd Mahmood (left) and Friends of Greengates member Michael Frazer (right) with the artefact
Howard Civil Engineering has since given this historical find a good clean and a lick of gold paint, as requested by the Friends of Greengates community group ahead of their Platinum Jubilee celebrations this weekend.
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