In March this year, Graeme Page Consulting Engineers (GPCE) officially turned five years old and to celebrate, they hosted an event at the Fairway Hotel in Johannesburg to thank everyone for their support over the years.

The story so far

After finishing an 11-year tenure at WSP, Graeme Page decided to go on his own and so, GPCE officially started operating on 1 March 2013.

As Page still had to work a three-month notice period at WSP in his role as chief operating officer (COO) of WSP’s consulting division, it meant that Jan Nieuwenhuizen, now an associate partner, was officially the first employee of GPCE.

Over the years, the business has grown exponentially, gaining momentum quickly. In the five years since opening its doors, GPCE has had nearly 500 project enquiries, ensuring that the work keeps rolling in.

GPCE values their clients and go to great lengths to look after them. Page believes in the personal touch and going the extra mile. “The way you handle the project will speak for itself, but the personal involvement in your work and how you promote your business have been vital to our success,” he explains.

Celebrating five years

The official celebration took place on 7 March at the Fairway Hotel at the Randpark Golf Course in Johannesburg. It was a well-attended event that saw clients, consulting colleagues, friends, family, and a select number of contractors and suppliers get together to join in the festivities.

Formalities were kept to a minimum. Barrett said a few words on the growth of the company and thanked Page for his guidance over the years. He also thanked everyone in attendance. “Your efforts have been a major contributing factor to our success,” he said before handing over the floor to Page.

Page personally thanked everyone for their support as well as for being there on the evening to celebrate with the team. He also thanked his team and proudly boasted that they have not lost a single permanent staff member in the five years since opening its doors.

“We see tough and challenging times ahead of us, working harder for less,” said Page after thanking the staff’s families for their support as well. “However, we see ourselves as best equipped to handle the short- and medium-term future. We intended for the business to grow into a medium-sized, tight-knit, organised team and we will continue on the philosophy of building specialised service delivery of air conditioning as well as ventilation design and management.”

According to Page, there are four ‘senses’ to the success of the company:

1. Common sense;
2. Sense of humour;
3. Sense of balance; and
4. Sense of values.

“All put together, this means we do the ‘ordinary’ things better,” he said.

Here’s to the next five years and beyond!

---