A story for our times

Harrogate Projects decided to scale down its geographical output to concentrate on a single area—business has been booming ever since

Is it possible to grow a business too much? There surely comes a point when a company needs to return to the reasons they started trading in the first place….

For Harrogate projects, going back, quite literally, to its roots in South Africa became part of a plan to dominate a certain geographical area, rather than scattering its operations all over the world. Above all, the company has rediscovered the intimacy of a medium-sized business and enjoyed the rewards that come with having a visible presence, rather than the often faceless sterility of a multinational. When you also consider the breeding of trust, a family-orientated structure of staffing and the ability to change the landscape of a given area every day, it is easy to see why Harrogate has enjoyed a journey back to the future.

In 2003, disillusioned by the treadmill of global constructions and having decided to end his business interests in Mauritius, Keiran Rabitte decided to return to his native South Africa, in order to establish his new company, Harrogate Projects. With a quarter of a century of experience behind him and a vast portfolio of completed ventures, the enterprise has foundations as strong one of Keiran’s constructions.  His tremendous knowledge of local expertise and has also enabled him to assemble an enviable workforce of highly skilled professionals.

The area he decided to focus on was Gauteng Province. Situated in the heart of the Highveld, Gauteng is the smallest province in South Africa, but is highly urbanized, making it a prime settlement for Harrogate Projects’ business aspirations. Furthermore, the region contains the cities of Johannesburg and Pretoria and, as of 2007, it became South Africa’s most populated province with over 10.5 million citizens.

Ever since the pilgrimage back to South Africa Keiran and a talented, 100-strong staff, has been taking on contracts and enhancing the appearance, functionality and development of Gauteng.

“After arriving back it has been a wonderful challenge to reestablish ourselves locally, encourage customer loyalty and adapt to a smaller environment.”
After working overseas for so long Keiran has also had to adjust to the unique economic fluidity of South Africa, which has been compared to a roller coaster in the way it soars and dips at a frightening pace. This is in contrast to, for instance, the U.K. economy which is more likely to have sustained periods of behaviour.

“Due to the wildly fluctuating economic conditions here, you can be on the crest of a wave for six months and then suddenly you’ll get thrown out to sea! People get positive, then negative very quickly here—it’s just something you have to get used to,” said Keiran.

The company has so far compiled a varied portfolio, specializing in heavy civil works, multi-million pound housing developments, warehouses and substations (buildings that distribute electricity). It has also been involved in extensive roadworks, mainly in Johannesburg.

The overall modernization of this booming province is something Keiran and his team, most of whom live locally, can appreciate on a daily basis as they drive through the town, passing constructions that they are proud to call their own. What a refreshing chance from toiling on a project, moving on to the next and never seeing the fruit of your labour.

With the company’s name frequently cropping up in connection with successfully completed assignments their reputation for excellent workmanship has blossomed and, consequently, Harrogate continue to get recruited for further projects.

“People are really happy with our finished products and we have a great working relationship with our clients, so they are always keen to work with us time and time again, and often with much bigger contracts,” reflected Kieran.

“It is a curiosity that our business, while reducing its geographical area, has actually increased its customer base. Other businesses should certainly consider following this model,” he added.

Additionally, Harrogate has been securing mining contracts – ventures which are often at the mercy of the daily changing platinum prices. Contracters will often agree a deal and then six months pass before Harrogate are instructed to commence the project, often with only a few hours’ warning (a clear case of ‘mine games’ – ed). The benefits of a locally organized structure really comes to the party on occasions like these.

Even though the idea is to concentrate on a specific zone Keiran concedes that sometimes you have to be flexible, especially in the current economic climate.

“For clients who come back to us with a project a couple of hundred kilometres away, we will happily travel and get the job done. Sometimes it can be a case of travelling over night at very short notice but having a local workforce means it is relatively straight forward to round up the guys!”

With a veritable stream of new clients and an ascending market share, for Harrogate Projects, ‘building for the future’, has never been more apt.

www.harrogateprojects.co.za

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