Ollie Smart has been awarded a prestigious NHBC (National House Building Council) Pride in Job Quality Award 2023, for building homes of exceptional quality at Bay View in Northam.
Ollie, 34, works for Vistry South West, which builds Linden properties. He oversees the dual-branded North Devon site and manages 60 to 80 people each day.
Pride in the Job recognises the top site managers in the country. Running for 43 years, the accolade – awarded by the UK’s leading new homes warranty and insurance provider – is the most highly regarded in the house-building industry and a benchmark for outstanding site managers.
Judging for the awards is rigorous and began last summer. Each site manager is assessed across six key areas of site management: consistency, attention to detail, leadership, interpretation of drawings and specifications, technical expertise and health and safety.
Ollie lives just outside Barnstaple with his wife. He previously worked in the Netherlands for nine years: as a surfing instructor and lifeguard; transporting fine art; and in project management.
He moved back to the UK to be with his wife and to build a career with the RNLI, before changing his focus to housebuilding. Ollie has eight years’ experience in the industry and an NVQ level six in site management.
Speaking about his award win, he said: “I’m very proud of the whole team, as we couldn’t have won without everyone’s hard work and dedication. Communication has been key, but my counterparts have been amazing too, as we’re always talking and sharing best practise.
“I really love my role, it’s demanding but so much fun and you meet people from all walks of life. We’re also only 800m from the sea, so while you are more exposed to the elements when you’re working outside on those windy and rainy days, the view from site is beautiful!”
He added: “It’s a wonderful feeling to catch up with our customers and know you’ve built them their family home – I’ll feel very proud to tell them about the award.”
Managing director, Paul Moran, commented: “We’re delighted for Ollie and his team. He has done a fantastic job and you can tell when walking the site that it’s being built with so much care and attention.
“Bay View is a dual branded development, so Ollie has an added challenge as there are many different housetypes to build. However, he’s well-organised and manages to deliver quality home after quality home. We’re pleased he’s been recognised and wish him all the best in the next round of the competition.”
Commenting on the awards, Steve Wood, CEO at NHBC said: “Congratulations to all the winners who should feel proud to have received a Pride in the Job Award. Pride in the Job is firmly at the heart of NHBC’s mission to raise standards in the housing industry. It is important we recognise the vital role site managers play in ensuring new homes are delivered on time, on safe sites and to exacting construction quality standards. This accolade recognises the best site managers across the UK and celebrates how much Ollie has inspired his team by going the extra mile to deliver homes of the highest quality.”
The Quality Award winners will now go on to compete for Seal of Excellence and Regional Awards in the autumn, with the national Supreme Award winners unveiled in January 2024.
Three of Ollie’s colleagues also won a coveted award: Tom Jupp at Monument View in Wellington, Gary French at Blackmore Meadows in Stalbridge and Marcus Ford at Tithe Barn in Exeter.
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