Gemco - The Profit

GemcoDamon Harvey

A steady pair of hands on Municipal Rebuild

After over five years of working in the dust, dirt and dark to rebuild Hawke’s Bay’s most recognisable building, Eddie Holmes was afforded the highest civic honour by the mayor of Hastings District Council Sandra Hazlehurst. It was something unexpected when Gemco, Hawke’s Bay’s leading construction firm, was awarded the contract to strengthen, rebuild and refurbish the Hawke’s Bay Opera...

New build sets standard in health care

Gemco Construction project manager Graeme Johnson takes huge satisfaction in the completion of Stage 1 of Kaweka Hospital, knowing that it’s a vision of an idea by Hawke’s Bay people, built by Hawke’s Bay people and ultimately improves the health of Hawke’s Bay people. “It’s going to change people’s lives and when we first heard that vision from Colin Hutchison,...

Blockbuster project delivered on time and budget

Herman Wismeyer of Focus Project Management has the huge task of ensuring the biggest and most complex project ever carried out in the Hastings CBD is delivered on time and to budget. To complicate the challenge, two of the three buildings are classed Heritage Place Category 1, having been built during World War One. “You’re dealing with heritage buildings that...

Community support drives investment into doors reopening

The redevelopment of the Opera House precinct, now called Toitoi – Hawke’s Bay Arts & Events Centre, is one of the largest construction projects council has been involved in for many years. The Opera House has played an important role in the community since 1915. It brings our people together to celebrate, to be entertained and to enjoy each other’s...

Encore for build team

Gemco Construction manager Eddie Holmes will know how good a job the team of over 100 tradespeople has done when he sits down to enjoy one of the 30-plus shows scheduled for the Hawke’s Bay Opera House stage in 2020. Eddie has been on-site in a porta-office since 2017 and when the project is fully completed with the handover of...

Strong foundations – The efficient and eco-friendly building solution

A construction boom has been sweeping across Hawke’s Bay over the last few years and it’s not predicted to decline any time soon. As hundreds of new houses are needed due to population growth, there’s greater pressure on builders to complete projects more efficiently as well as adopting greater sustainable building products and practices. This all starts with the foundations,...

Earning and learning helps build career

Apprentices Jade De Har and Harry Algie both agree that learning a trade has been a great decision that will set up their careers in the construction sector. Jade is one of three female apprentices at Gemco, and the only one training to be a carpenter. A go-getter, Jade left school at 16 years of age and managed a restaurant...

Leading construction firm builds future workforce

The construction industry is booming in Hawke’s Bay. It’s at unprecedented levels both in large-scale commercial projects as well as in the residential housing sector. In the November 2018 issue of The Profit we estimated there is about $600 million worth of commercial construction projects either currently underway or set to commence. Over and above this is the housing boom,...

Business Profile – Simply Architecture

Many business professionals start giving back to their chosen career later in life, but that’s not the case for architectural designer Andrew Flack, who runs his own fledgling business but doubles as a tutor at EIT. Andrew completed the two-year architectural design course at EIT in 2010 and within just seven short years he returned as a tutor, a role...

Opera Precinct humming along

In August 2019 the first of three stages of the Hawke’s Bay Opera House Complex will reopen to the public, after it was closed in 2014 due to earthquake risk. The estimated $30m Hastings District Council Project is part of a major overhaul of the Hastings CBD and could well be the catalyst for additional developments including a hotel. Hastings...