Business Gordon will continue to invest in his staff
The managing director of a Paisley construction firm is celebrating two decades with the business.
Gordon Cunningham is managing director of Clark Contracts after joining the firm in 1999.
He began his career in 1988 at Doig and Smith where he trained for seven years before graduating in 1995 then moving on to work for a Scottish construction and fit out company where he qualified as a chartered quantity surveyor in 1997.
Gordon joined the Paisley firm in 1999 as general manager of the small works division and was promoted to managing director in 2003.
Clark Contracts was founded in 1978 and is now a main contractor with six operating divisions: construction, fit out, small works, retail, maintenance and manufactured joinery.
It is headquartered in McFarlane Street, in Paisley, and employs over 250 people with offices in the east and west of Scotland.
Today, Clark Contracts’ turnover is approaching £100million with the company delivering projects across all sectors throughout the UK.
Gordon said: “Despite the growth in turnover in recent years, we have achieved continuity in the number of projects delivered.
“Our focus is on margins and cash and not on turnover, ensuring financial stability.
“We are not driven by the short-term shareholders seeking dividends which allows us to continue to make long-term investments in the business and provides greater financial stability.
“It is fantastic to still be delivering projects for some of the customers that we were working with when I joined back in 1999 such as the University of Glasgow, University of Strathclyde and Renfrewshire Council, which
RENFREWSHIRE GOES TO WORK demonstrates the ethos of approachability, accountability and consistency over the long term.”
Gordon said one of the things he’s most proud of is the development of the company’s people strategy, specifically its award-winning academy.
The company holds regular careers evenings, offering apprenticeships and traineeships in various trades including quantity surveying, finance, administration, marketing, recruitment, contracts/site management and human resources.
He said: “What I enjoy even more than seeing the business itself grow, is seeing the people within it develop and progress further.
“We have so many great examples across the business of people who have joined our academy as trainees or apprentices and have worked hard to complete their qualifications at college and university and then be promoted to senior roles within the company.
“We now have over 250 employees and continue to invest in our people with over £500,000 being spent on training alone in the last 12 months.”