Hi, I am John Hopkins, Commercial Manager at Complete Utilities - which means I am responsible for the commercial functions of the business, ensuring we are contractually compliant and understand our costs and sales. I also work to mitigate risks and maximise our revenue.

I strive to ensure, as a Commercial Team, we have good working relationships both internally with all stakeholders and externally with our clients. It is really important to me, and my team, that we are working closely with our Project Managers to make sure we meet our obligations under the contract and to have a positive working environment that will benefit our project delivery.

The search for unnecessary cost

My previous manager handed me a saying which is ‘The Search for Unnecessary Cost ’and I have carried it with me to this day. It is a term I have passed onto my team and it ensures there is a constant focus on seeking out costs that are, ultimately, unnecessary. It’s a simple saying, but one that has a significant positive impact.

I said these very words to Cathal O’Grady and Steve Chaplin when I joined the business, and I believe that is where our focus needs to be.

A lot of our revenue is predetermined with an agreed rate card, so we know what our revenue will be if we put a meter of duct or pipe in the ground. But are we spending too much money out there? The answer is yes, it will always be a yes - as the search will never end.

This is for all costs, be it the purchasing of PPE or procuring large items at a significant cost.

We have a ‘Right First Time’ approach - this is what our clients expect from us and this is what we, as a business, expect.

Rather than spending without thinking of the consequences, it is within our gift to reduce costs, this is not just a commercial responsibility but company-wide. If everyone who works for Complete Utilities took on that responsibility, we could really make a difference. We must task the Operations and Commercial teams to review failure costs, to learn from those reviews and change in a positive way in the future. This change is one of my biggest drivers to ensure my team, and the wider business, has that same thought process - because we should always be looking to maximise revenue - cost control is crucial.

Furthermore, I am responsible for reviewing opportunities to grow our business, which if it is the right fit for our model and can offer sustainable growth, we will look to realise these opportunities. We then collaborate internally across all departments to review and decide if this is an opportunity the company should pursue.

The one thing we do not do at Complete Utilities is just take on work without undertaking the right level of due diligence, it has to be the right fit for us both operationally and commercially. As Cathal would say “Turnover is vanity, margin is sanity” and this is absolutely right. If it is not right for us, it could be £20-30 million of turnover, but at the back end, if we are not going to see a return in the margin, we just won't do it - because in our 22 years that has never been our approach and it is not something we will start to do now.

How long have you been with Complete Utilities?

I started on 1st October 2020. I remember coming into the office on 29th September to pick up my car and the first people I met were John Dowds and Derek Miles, I was immediately welcomed by both in a really encouraging way, so a great start to joining the company. It’s been over 7 months now and that time has just flown, but I have settled into the business, and the local area, and things are going great - I am confident I made the right decision.

What attracted you to the role?

I have worked with Cathal in a previous life at Balfour Beatty, where I was the Quantity Surveyor looking after the Complete Utilities account on a Western Power Distribution contract some 10 years ago. If you speak to Jock Soutar, we used to have some very meaty, but healthy, conversations back then. So much so, Steve Chaplin came out to site one day to watch us do a joint measure, just to see if I was really being as tough as they thought I was being - I don’t think I was, but Jock may disagree! It was at that point the ethos of the business became clear and it continues to exist and is stronger than ever. I look back at my time working alongside the business with fond memories.

I have always got on well with Complete Utilities, and as I said, I have known Cathal and Steve for many years and with the growth and the vision of the business, I felt it to be the right fit for me. It was a really tough decision to leave Severn Trent, they are a great company and I had a great time working with them, but the opportunity was just one I felt I couldn’t turn down.

What is great about this business?

It’s not me just saying it for the sake of it, but the family ethos that is instilled in the business along with the vision we have means it is a really exciting time, and I am pleased to be a part of the journey.

When it comes to how Complete Utilities look after their staff, I have nothing but good things to say. For example, whilst I was relocating to the local area, I ended up staying in a hotel for a while, and then due to the pandemic, suddenly I had to go into isolation… During that time the company provided me with fresh food and even clean clothes. Cathal and Steve were sending me text messages to see if I needed anything and John Dowds was running all over the country to get me things that I needed. I don’t believe many companies would do that and I really appreciated it.

Tier 1 mentality

I know Steve & Cathal and I trust them - and the vision they have is already taking shape. We are not going to change our values. I mentioned one of our values to the Project Managers in a meeting, ‘Pride’, taking pride in what we do because if we all take pride the better we perform and the better we deliver for our clients. I believe if you cannot take pride in your work you won’t enjoy it and deliver what we are committed to delivering.

What might be the challenges for Complete Utilities going forward?

Fortunately enough, the utility sector is in a strong position as reliable infrastructure is key to everyday life - and we provide that infrastructure.

One challenge we have got is perhaps competition: There are a lot of companies of a similar size out there looking to attract the attention of all the big clients - we have our vision and our way of working but with our track record we are confident of securing long term contracts and strong client relationships in a Tier 1 position.

Also, we have not seen the full impact of Brexit. Given a lot of our suppliers are based in the UK we are in a good place to ensure continued supply of materials, however, we are aware of suppliers we use in the EU and we have plans in place to ensure we can deliver what our clients expect without delay.

We are also looking at secondary suppliers that we can rely on should we encounter any supply issues. We cannot have projects coming to a standstill and so we, as a business, have mitigation plans in place to deal with issues.

Looking to the future, what are the changes you imagine happening in the industry?

I always think legislation is something to watch out for, health and safety for instance is something we monitor for any changes. I think the skilled labour shortage is something to consider as this is visible. We are committed to training new people but there is a shortage that we are mindful of.

Working from home is perhaps becoming more of a norm given the pandemic. I think companies will possibly look at people working from home if it can work, the challenge with that is ensuring that peoples’ mental health is not impacted.

I think the continuing rise in the cost of materials is a challenge due to imposed tariffs, it is something we consider when reviewing opportunities.

What would you say to somebody who was possibly thinking of joining the business?

I would simply say, “Do it!”

I think we are already somewhat famous in the local area because you cannot go down any road without seeing a Complete Utilities vehicle, a bit like Eddie Stobart. I must pass 20 to 30 Complete Utilities vehicles on my 5-to-6-minute drive to the office in the morning, I often get a wave from some of the teams which I think reflects a happy workforce.

People often ask me; ‘Is that story about starting out with a mini digger and nothing else really true and it just grew from there?’ My answer is simple, my answer is Yes!

Personally, I am very proud to work here and I am excited to be part of our continued growth. To think of where we started from to where we are today, is quite something and the journey continues - it is great to be onboard.