A mark of excellence

Mon, Oct 16th 2006, 11:00

Award winning site manager Mark Horne has ‘sealed the deal’ by gaining the National House-Building Council’s (NHBC) acclaimed Seal of Excellence.

 Mark, from Broughton Astley, Leicester, has been named one of the UK’s top 100 site managers in the ‘Oscars’ of the house building industry-NHBC’s Pride in the Job competition.

Mark was presented with the Seal of Excellence at a ceremony held at the Heritage Motor Museum in Gaydon.

The site manager, based at Redrow’s Poppy Meadow development in Long Itchington, near Leamington Spa, attended the event to be presented with his NHBC Pride in the Job award which he won in July this year and put him in the top 400 site managers in the country. However, Mark was delighted to learn that he had been selected for a further ‘Seal of Excellence’ award.

The Seal of Excellence is the next stage of the Pride in the Job awards and one of the highest accolades a site manager can achieve.

Mark, 38, explains: "I went to the ceremony to collect my Quality award and I really wasn’t expecting to go on to be given a Seal of Excellence. To be named one of the top 100 out of all of the site managers in the country is just brilliant, especially when the quality of house building in this country is so strong. Everyone at Redrow was impressed and I am over the moon. It was a bit of a shock - but a nice one!"

 Billed as the construction industry’s ‘Oscars’, the Pride in the Job awards is an annual competition and judging is carried out all year round. Judging is scrupulous and a number of factors are taken into account, from the site manager’s leadership skills, to the quality of standards on the site.

Mark has been rewarded for his hard work at Redrow’s Long Itchington development. He has overseen the 37-home venture at Poppy Meadow on the outskirts of the idyllic village, and has a ‘hands-on’ approach to his role, proving he more than deserves the recognition he has received.

Mark continues: "As site manager, it is my responsibility to make sure that the high standards set by Redrow are met. I ensure that we build each property as if we are building our own home. I’ve been told I’m fussy, but I will only hand the property over to the customer if I am satisfied that the home feels right. They want the best and they deserve the best - and if they get the best, they will rarely find a problem.

"My job doesn’t end at handover. I always visit new customers a few days after they have moved in to see how they are getting on."

Richard Hartshorn, NHBC regional director and chairman of the Pride in the Job national judging panel, says: "At a time when the Government has challenged the house-building ndustry to increase housing supply and deliver higher levels of customer satisfaction, no other award is more indicative of a house builder’s attitude to quality and high standards. The commitment and attention to details it takes to win a PIJ award at this level is immense. Mark is to be applauded for his achievement."

For information about homes at Poppy Meadow, visit the development to view the show home, on Leamington Road, or call the Redrow sales consultant on 0845 676 0512.