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ALAN BROWN, chief executive of What House? Awards Housebuilder of the Year CALA, reflects on his
company’s triumph last year and looks forward to the 2013 Awards.
eing named What House? Awards Housebuilder of the Year in 2012 was, for CALA, the culmination of more than five years hard work for our team. During this period, we set out to refresh and renew our focus on the key fundamentals of our business: ensuring exceptional customer service, industry- leading health and safety, as well as excellence in product design and quality, in order to ultimately deliver a strong financial performance.
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I’m delighted to say that we have excelled in all these operational areas and, in terms of financial delivery, have exceeded our targets every year since 2010.
In March we announced the acquisition of
CALA by Legal & General and Patron Capital Partners and have ambitious plans to grow our business further with the full support of these two influential investment partners. With our Housebuilder of the Year Award safely tucked under our belt, 2013 is proving another excellent year for our business. For me, winning this prestigious prize was a clear sign that the industry recognised all our work and it remains a great source of personal and professional pride for everyone within the business. I would like to thank all of my friends and peers from within the industry for their kind words of congratulations on the day of the Awards and thereafter – it really does mean a great deal to know that our achievements have been recognised by those we respect most. But the win also brought with it a raft of other positive outcomes, which the Group continues to benefit from today. As the biggest event in the housebuilding calendar, the What House? Awards are recognised by competitors, suppliers, sub-contractors, funders, employees and future employees alike, who see it as a sign of our strength and innovation as a business. As such, the award has helped us further strengthen our relationships with each of these groups, while opening new doors of opportunity as a result. It has also given us a great platform from which to demonstrate to our potential customers that everything we do is delivered to an
exceptional standard; that when you buy from CALA you buy with complete confidence. This award has also been a great tool in support of our PR and marketing efforts. It’s about maximising the opportunity as much as you can, which is why we turned to Twitter and Facebook immediately after the event to spread the news. And even six months on, the win is still featured on all our communications and marketing materials, including everything from land bids and recruitment adverts to press releases, sales brochures and signage. But most of all, the Award has had the greatest benefit on our team. I believe that the success of CALA is entirely down to the fantastic staff we employ in every function across the company. They work exceptionally hard and are as passionate as I am about the quality of product and service we provide to our customers. So to be able to go back after the What House?
Awards and tell them we had been named as the best housebuilder in the UK was, and still is, simply fantastic and a great boost to team morale. I believe that the What House? Awards are as
I believe that the What
House? Awards are as much a part of the housebuilding industry as bricks and mortar
showhouseMay 2013 | 23
much a part of the housebuilding industry as bricks and mortar. At a time when things are looking positive for the future of the sector – investment in housebuilders is proving attractive, government initiatives are providing an impetus for lending and housebuilders are announcing ever-growing financial results – there are still challenges on the horizon. But supporters of our industry like the What House? Awards and Show House magazine provide an important voice for the industry and continue to champion the economic benefits of development, which should be applauded. Meanwhile the awards themselves are a great opportunity for housebuilders to get together and celebrate the best in the industry and I for one look forward to seeing all our friends and colleagues again at the next Awards ceremony in November.
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Entries are open for the 2013 What House? Awards. Entry forms can be downloaded from
www.whathouse.co.uk/what-house-awards – Or contact Derek Smith email:
ds@globespanmedia.com Tel: 020 7324 2800
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