MERCHANT FOCUS: RISING STARS KEYLINE CIVILS SPECIALIST
In a return to last year’s Rising Stars series, BMJ talks to two up-and-coming employees at Keyline Civils Specialist
GEORGIE JOHNSON
Job title: Management trainee, Keyline Civils Specialist What’s your role?
MANAGER’S VIEW
Richard Tinson, Leeds branch manager
Georgie has been an excellent member of the Leeds team - from the moment she walked in the door everyone has taken to her. She isn’t shy about rolling her sleeves up and getting stuck in. She has been heavily involved in all aspects of our health & safety and the Leeds team have demonstrated improved reporting thanks to Georgie’s work. All our driver scores have improved dramatically since Georgie spent time with them and explained what they needed to do to score higher and the benefits of doing so. She will be missed by everyone in the Leeds depot when she moves on to become the assistant branch manager at our Newcastle branch. Our loss is definitely Newcastle’s gain
I spent the first year with the Travis Perkins Group on short placements as a management trainee at three of the merchant businesses, after that I worked in the Keyline Leeds branch where I took a position in the sales team. While at the branch, I have also been the health and safety representative on the regional forums we have. I have just been promoted to assistant branch manager at Keyline in Newcastle, starting in January.
How did you get into this industry? Construction was never something I had considered as a career. I was in retail prior to this role so it was completely new for me. I studied sports events management at university but had an open mind about which direction I went in my career. I originally applied for a project coordinator role for one of the TP companies, where I was then put forward for the fast track management programme.
What might a typical day for you at work be? Every day is varied. My main focus is managing my ledger and other customers in the Leeds area, giving them the best service possible. This involves sourcing stock and prices locally and nationally for customers, chasing invoice queries, producing tenders for future projects, stock counts, joining conference calls for any current projects and various other admin and operational jobs that need completing in the branch. With my focus on health and safety, I also look at how we can continuously improve from this perspective.
What were you doing at work last week? As well as my usual day-to-day tasks, last week I was helping one of my larger accounts liaise with one of our suppliers on technical site drawings, so that I could complete the pricing and processing of the order to customers’ requirements.
What are your big challenges in this role? There are hundreds of products, so trying to learn as much as possible whilst understanding the language and terminology used in this industry is probably the main challenge. However, there is excellent access to product training and when you are immersed in it, you pick things up quickly.
What do you love about your role? The variety of the job. It’s a constantly changing environment. The people I work with have made this last year so enjoyable, they have helped me learn so much and I’ve been really lucky to work with a great team. I have become really close with everyone I work with in the
18 branch, as well as building relationships with customers.
What do you think has been your biggest achievement so far in your role?
I achieved a Distinction this year for my LEAP (Learn and Earn Apprenticeship Programme) Managing a team apprenticeship course run by Travis Perkins plc. Also, as a branch team we worked together to achieve really strong sales results in a challenging 2020, whilst operating with high standards of safety. I have helped push health and safety topics in the branch and feel all the team now work with an even stronger safety culture. I have also formed really close trusting relationships with people I work with.
What would you like to achieve next? I still have a lot to learn in every aspect of branch and account management. My main focus for the year is to build my knowledge and experience within the civils industry and continue to build relationships wherever possible. There is the next level LEAP apprenticeship, so I will definitely look to do that in the future to help me progress.
What advice would you give someone new to this industry?
Go into it with an open mind - there are so many avenues you can take, and each branch varies from one to the next. Try not to be overwhelmed by the vast number of products and industry terms. There are many people who have been in the industry for a long time so use them for advice. Don’t think you have to know all the technical information - there is so much support available to help you.
What would you say to someone who might be thinking about a career/getting a job in the merchant industry?
This industry has some of the most down-to-earth, friendly people and you will quickly build strong relationships with people across the sector. It is a fast paced environment, and you’ll pick up so many new skills as time goes along. It is a job that has such varied weeks, so you are constantly learning something new, so be prepared to be constantly developing.
What are the changes you foresee the industry making in order to survive the future? A push on new technology and integrating that into day- to-day operations, to benefit both the company and the customer will be important. Bringing in new apprentices with fresh ideas will be a vital part of moving forward. I’m looking forward to what the future holds as the industry emerges from a challenging 2020. BMJ
www.buildersmerchantsjournal.net March 2021
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