Glasgow, Gladiators and Highlanders

Earlier in November, I caught up in person with 6 members. In principle it is much better to meet face-to-face and all FMB staff gain a lot more when they visit building projects our members are working on, doing so yields a better appreciation and understanding of the problem-solving skills on display, amongst other things. With the pre-Christmas completion rush building up to full swing, a few members in Glasgow and in the Highlands had to call off my planned visit - but this goes with the territory and the time of year.

A slam-dunk for Caledonia

Prior to the Accelerate to Zero Awards at BaaD in Glasgow, Bryan Mallon of Eco-Construction Scotland showed me the large fit-out project they had just completed for Scotland’s professional basketball team: The Caledonia Gladiators. This top-of-the-range 1,600-seater arena, based at PlaySport Scotland in East Kilbride, was an eye-opener for me. Further evidence of the wide range and the scale of projects our members across Scotland are involved in.

Meeting with Scottish Master Builders

Amongst the guests at the awards in Glasgow’s east end were Jennifer Phin of AC Whyte & Co Ltd and some of the team from Fleming Buildings Ltd. I hadn’t met Euan McDermott from Fleming’s since before COVID, so we caught up on all things from materials, workloads and grappling with net-zero. I had a similar conversation with Jennifer with skills and the CITB also coming into our conversation.

Building in remote rural Scotland

Prior to the Construction Safety and Health Awareness Day in Inverness which members attended, I caught up briefly with Robert Murney from Firmus Group Building Services Ltd. Johnny Walsh from SJ Highland Construction Ltd showed me in and around a 19th century church they are converting into 9 apartments. Needless to say, there are unique challenges when working on and with a heritage building.

One of your Scotland Board members is Angus Reid-Evans from Spey Building and Joinery Ltd. Based in Kingussie, his offices are just off the A9, although Angus has building projects as far away as the Isle of Canna and Scourie in Sutherland. If any member wants to learn more about the opportunities and challenges of building in remote rural locations, then Angus is the Master Builder to talk too!

Authors

Gordon Nelson

FMB Scotland Hub Director, Federation of Master Builders

Director, Federation of Master Builders Scotland

Gordon has nearly twenty years’ experience of working in membership organisations in Scotland and joined the Federation of Master Builders (FMB) in 2014. Prior to this, he worked at the Scottish Council for Voluntary Organisations (SCVO) and for Unilever in business development, membership management and business-to-business marketing roles. Amongst his responsibilities in his role as the Director for FMB Scotland are public affairs, media relations, governance and representing member’s interests to Scottish policy makers and stakeholders within the Scottish construction industry. Gordon is the Secretary of the Cross-Party Group on Construction in the Scottish Parliament, and he is a member of the Scottish Building Standards Futures Board. Gordon represents the FMB on Scotland’s Construction Industry Collective Voice: which is comprised of the leading construction trade and professional bodies. In spring 2023 Gordon was appointed as an industry co-chair of the Construction Leaderships Forum’s (CLF) Transformation Board.

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