Expo Construction
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A family affair
Located in Windhoek, Namibia, Expo Construction was established in 1969 by co-owner Russell Paschke’s father. After the original partner decided to go out on his own, the business remained in the Paschke family. It was about 12 years ago when Russell and his brother Stephen came on board Expo Construction to help guide the business into the future. Together with their father, the brothers continue to run the business today.
Over the years, the company has made a name for itself, completing high-performance construction projects exclusively in the private sector. “I like to believe we have built a fairly good reputation in Namibia,” affirms Russell. “I would say 80 to 90 per cent of our work is from people who approach us and ask if we would like to tend on a job. It’s all referred work.”
The Expo Construction team prides itself on its management style—one that gets involved at all levels of the process. “We are a very hands-on management team,” says Russell. “When [my brother and I] started at the company after university, it had 500 employees. We were doing quite a few big projects at the time, and one of the first things we saw was that there was little active control from the management. Too much was left to third parties to sort out. We changed that right away. The three of us are onsite every day, which allows us to have more control over what’s going on.”
As the industry has evolved, Expo has had to adapt with the changes. “The market has become a lot more competitive and there are more players in the field,” explains Russell, adding that the company has had to find a competitive edge. “The industry has also changed in the way that people are subcontracting more, so they’re not seeking to staff fulltime employees. In the last few years, we have had to scale down to around 18 fulltime staff. We subcontract most of the trades, and our experienced staff—a few that have been working with Expo for 25 years—finish the difficult work.”
Key projects
When asked about some of the significant projects that Expo Construction has undertaken, Russell listed the following.
Ondondu Sectional Title Development: This was one of Expo’s own developments in which it was both the developer and contractor. The project was the development of five luxury townhouses on two erven that the company bought and consolidated into one erf. The existing house on the erf was totally renovated to incorporate the new style for the development and the four additional units were built. The idea of the development was to create a small luxury townhouse complex that provided the security of living in such a complex, but at the same time provided each unit with sufficient space and privacy.
The team, therefore, made the decision early on to only develop five units on the property and not to attempt to fit in as many units as possible. They also made the decision that, although they wanted a uniform design style throughout, each unit had to be different and unique. The site also had a beautiful rocky outcrop on it, which were maintained as much of this as possible, and therefore took a lot of time designing the units around this outcrop.
The result has been a stunning complex which has the feeling of a little village with a heart. There is a feeling of openness and space within the complex, while at the same time privacy within each unit. The project duration was around eight months; the total value was N$12.5 million and was completed in August 2008.
Heritage Square: This was a project which involved the extensive renovation of an existing building and the addition of two new blocks to create three blocks of three storeys each. This was a multifunctional development that incorporated parking, offices and luxury flats on the top floor. This entire development was of an extremely high specification level and as such the quality demanded was very high. The final product has turned out to be a really high-class development extremely close to the city center. The project duration was 11 months; the total value of the contract was around N$18 million and was completed in October 2008.
Eros Manor Retirement Village: This project was the development of a retirement village (the first of its type in Namibia) together with a pharmacy, frail care, sub acute, chronic ailment and doctors facilities. As the developers as well as the contractors on this project, Expo Construction has also taken up business interests in the retirement village, pharmacy and medical entities. In essence, the team did not merely develop and build, get paid and then leave the development in the hands of a third party. The entire development was a 16-month project with a total value of around N$55 million, and was completed in August 2006.
Down the road
These days, Expo Construction is currently busy with new offices at UNAM (University of Namibia), as well as an additional ablution block. This project is worth around N$8 million and it is the third project in a row that the company has done at the university. Initially, the team added a third floor to an existing block to provide additional classrooms. Then they were successful in doing the exact same on the building next door, to provide additional classrooms and a computer room. Each of these two projects was worth around N$9 million, and the construction period was around 6 months each.
Moving forward, the Paschke family wants to remain as such for as long as possible. “We’re not looking at selling the business anytime soon,” says Russell. “My dad is getting to the age where he’s looking to semi-retire. But my brother and I are looking at another 10 years in the business before we re-evaluate our position. We would like to keep the company going as long as possible.”
“Over the next decade, we would like to look for smart partnerships,” he continues. “Perhaps we will look at the potential of getting Black Economic Empowerment people in here, but not for window dressing, as a lot of companies have done. If we do it, we’d like to bring in people who would thrive on a day-to-day basis. We would want to get to the point where they could buy us out or at least take over the daily operations of the company. That’s our goal, to get into the position where we can leave the industry and afford someone who hasn’t had the opportunity (due to the past) to get their foot in the door.”
Ten years is still a long time and, in the interim, the Paschke family has a lot of construction projects to carry on with. Well positioned for achieving its goals, Expo Construction will undoubtedly follow in same the path of success that preceded the company.
Located in Windhoek, Namibia, Expo Construction was established in 1969 by co-owner Russell Paschke’s father. After the original partner decided to go out on his own, the business remained in the Paschke family. It was about 12 years ago when Russell and his brother Stephen came on board Expo Construction to help guide the business into the future. Together with their father, the brothers continue to run the business today.
Over the years, the company has made a name for itself, completing high-performance construction projects exclusively in the private sector. “I like to believe we have built a fairly good reputation in Namibia,” affirms Russell. “I would say 80 to 90 per cent of our work is from people who approach us and ask if we would like to tend on a job. It’s all referred work.”
The Expo Construction team prides itself on its management style—one that gets involved at all levels of the process. “We are a very hands-on management team,” says Russell. “When [my brother and I] started at the company after university, it had 500 employees. We were doing quite a few big projects at the time, and one of the first things we saw was that there was little active control from the management. Too much was left to third parties to sort out. We changed that right away. The three of us are onsite every day, which allows us to have more control over what’s going on.”
As the industry has evolved, Expo has had to adapt with the changes. “The market has become a lot more competitive and there are more players in the field,” explains Russell, adding that the company has had to find a competitive edge. “The industry has also changed in the way that people are subcontracting more, so they’re not seeking to staff fulltime employees. In the last few years, we have had to scale down to around 18 fulltime staff. We subcontract most of the trades, and our experienced staff—a few that have been working with Expo for 25 years—finish the difficult work.”
Key projects
When asked about some of the significant projects that Expo Construction has undertaken, Russell listed the following.
Ondondu Sectional Title Development: This was one of Expo’s own developments in which it was both the developer and contractor. The project was the development of five luxury townhouses on two erven that the company bought and consolidated into one erf. The existing house on the erf was totally renovated to incorporate the new style for the development and the four additional units were built. The idea of the development was to create a small luxury townhouse complex that provided the security of living in such a complex, but at the same time provided each unit with sufficient space and privacy.
The team, therefore, made the decision early on to only develop five units on the property and not to attempt to fit in as many units as possible. They also made the decision that, although they wanted a uniform design style throughout, each unit had to be different and unique. The site also had a beautiful rocky outcrop on it, which were maintained as much of this as possible, and therefore took a lot of time designing the units around this outcrop.
The result has been a stunning complex which has the feeling of a little village with a heart. There is a feeling of openness and space within the complex, while at the same time privacy within each unit. The project duration was around eight months; the total value was N$12.5 million and was completed in August 2008.
Heritage Square: This was a project which involved the extensive renovation of an existing building and the addition of two new blocks to create three blocks of three storeys each. This was a multifunctional development that incorporated parking, offices and luxury flats on the top floor. This entire development was of an extremely high specification level and as such the quality demanded was very high. The final product has turned out to be a really high-class development extremely close to the city center. The project duration was 11 months; the total value of the contract was around N$18 million and was completed in October 2008.
Eros Manor Retirement Village: This project was the development of a retirement village (the first of its type in Namibia) together with a pharmacy, frail care, sub acute, chronic ailment and doctors facilities. As the developers as well as the contractors on this project, Expo Construction has also taken up business interests in the retirement village, pharmacy and medical entities. In essence, the team did not merely develop and build, get paid and then leave the development in the hands of a third party. The entire development was a 16-month project with a total value of around N$55 million, and was completed in August 2006.
Down the road
These days, Expo Construction is currently busy with new offices at UNAM (University of Namibia), as well as an additional ablution block. This project is worth around N$8 million and it is the third project in a row that the company has done at the university. Initially, the team added a third floor to an existing block to provide additional classrooms. Then they were successful in doing the exact same on the building next door, to provide additional classrooms and a computer room. Each of these two projects was worth around N$9 million, and the construction period was around 6 months each.
Moving forward, the Paschke family wants to remain as such for as long as possible. “We’re not looking at selling the business anytime soon,” says Russell. “My dad is getting to the age where he’s looking to semi-retire. But my brother and I are looking at another 10 years in the business before we re-evaluate our position. We would like to keep the company going as long as possible.”
“Over the next decade, we would like to look for smart partnerships,” he continues. “Perhaps we will look at the potential of getting Black Economic Empowerment people in here, but not for window dressing, as a lot of companies have done. If we do it, we’d like to bring in people who would thrive on a day-to-day basis. We would want to get to the point where they could buy us out or at least take over the daily operations of the company. That’s our goal, to get into the position where we can leave the industry and afford someone who hasn’t had the opportunity (due to the past) to get their foot in the door.”
Ten years is still a long time and, in the interim, the Paschke family has a lot of construction projects to carry on with. Well positioned for achieving its goals, Expo Construction will undoubtedly follow in same the path of success that preceded the company.
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