G.J. Gardner Homes Shoalhaven, sponsor of our Excellence in Professional & Commercial Award, is a continued supporter and success story of the Business Awards. Over the last few years, we’ve seen G.J. show their support year after year, by either entering or sponsoring.
G.J. Shoalhaven is business that is highly committed to giving back to our community, so it’s no surprise to learn that Meischa Napthali, Senior New Home Consultant, feels as strongly about our community as the franchisees, Nathan Fay and Sean Vickery do.
We chat with Meischa to find out more about what it’s like to work for this community minded business.
What do you love about working for G.J. Gardner Homes Shoalhaven?
I have the privilege of working with local families and helping them build their dream home.
Describe G.J. Gardner Homes Shoalhaven in three words?
Vibrant, committed and professional
What is life like at G.J. Gardner Homes Shoalhaven?
Each day consists of juggling existing clients to get their new home ready for building, meeting, greeting and chatting to new client enquiries, and working with our network of trades and suppliers – the day is full. The day and week is constantly changing, from being in the office, to pulling on the boots and having a site inspection (tracing through mud in heels is not that great!), to be at the display home meeting and greeting; life is full of meeting new and interesting people. At the end of the day, clients trust me to assist them with the most important purchase journey they are ever going to make.
How do you think G.J. Gardner Homes Shoalhaven differs from other home builders?
I live locally and build many homes around where I live, I therefore walk past my clients or future clients at the beach, in gym class, at the supermarket, and on the school run. Therefore I am known in the community and proud to wear the GJ hat. You can’t say this about many other home builders who have large company structures and their trades travel from out of town.
Our Awards theme this year is cultivate, which is all about fostering growth. How does G.J. Shoalhaven foster the growth of its employees?
We are constantly being challenged and encouraged in our workplace. I think being challenged is never dull and helps to motivate you to do your best for your clients and strive to move forward in the company. We also have a fun team environment so coming to work every day is never dull.
What do you love about attending the Business Awards?
I love catching up with other local business who you see around town. You might wave to them as you’re driving by, but the Awards is a great avenue to catch up and actually say ‘hi’. I personally like to see the breadth of talent that we have here in the Shoalhaven from many different businesses that I never really knew what they did, or even that they existed. This is great platform to showcase the local business community.
G.J. Gardner Homes Shoalhaven has also won Awards, what does it feel like to work for an Award-winning business?
It is great to be recognised within the business community, as a local company that cares for the Shoalhaven and investing in the Shoalhaven. When I first started working for GJ their were only 7 of us, now we have a team of more than 18 and to be a part of the growth and watch the team build is a privilege.
At G.J. Gardner Homes Shoalhaven, you have a saying “We sleep well at night because of the decisions we make”, which demonstrates your commitment to operating ethically and with integrity. How does this important philosophy translate into the work you do?
It is so important; people trust me to give them the right advice. I don’t mind telling them the reality, as this reality means there are no surprises during our journey. Some people are not advised of the ‘reality’ of costs and timing to build their home. We provide facts up front, encourage honest and open relationships with our clients so we, and they, can sleep well at night!
Tell us, what are Nathan and Sean like as a boss??
They are both hands on in the business. They complement each other with the skills they bring to the business, Nathan as our leader in sales and operations and Sean our leader in construction. As bosses, they are inspiring, they are true professionals with ethics that every business owner and boss should hold. They treat their staff as family and we are honestly one big family. It works because we have respect for them and they have respect for their staff. There is never a dull moment as they are always fun, inspiring us to pursue our goals and ambitions through their business.
Thanks Meischa, we love seeing that life inside G.J. Shoalhaven is exactly how we imagine it would be – inspiring, enjoyable and with a caring, family-like culture.
And thank you to G.J. Gardner Homes Shoalhaven for sponsoring the Awards.
