Congratulations to Jamie Van Aalst, a Senior Contract Administrator, who recently celebrated 20 years working with CPB Contractors and its specialist building company Broad Construction.
In the last 20 years, Jamie has worked on 24 projects, including civil, mining, rail, retail, residential building, recreation, education, offices and airports.
Jamie is currently working on the Perth Metronet and took some time out to look back on his career with CPB Contractors and Broad.
“The first job I worked on for Broad was an Aged Care development at Madeley and even now, all these years later, it is still special for me. When I’m in the vicinity I’ll take a quick detour to get another look at it.”
“It is one of the positives of working in construction that in delivering for our clients we build tangible legacies that we can be proud to point to and say, ‘I worked on that’ - even many years after having completed the project.”
“After 20 years I can say that it is the people in the business that make it easy to turn up every day. The teams I’ve worked with have been consistently staffed by absolute professionals who care about the process, the end goal and about each other.”
“I graduated from Curtin University with a degree in Construction Management and Economics and started with CPB Contractors (then known as Leighton Contractors) in November 2000 and transferred to Broad Construction in February 2003.”
“Since then I have had the opportunity to work on projects right across WA – including some pretty remote places. Perth is my home and it is satisfying to work on major projects that I can see are benefitting the city’s growth and development.”
“I’ve switched between Broad and CPB several times and having the ability to transfer between companies, but stay with the CIMIC Group, is a positive. It means that I have got to experience lots of different things. There are opportunities across the CIMIC Group and they all help to build your career.”
“As a Contract Administrator, I’m responsible for the overall financial management of a project. I look at procurement, the management of trade suppliers / contractors, head contract management and provide internal controls and reporting.”
“Wherever possible, my preference is to be located with the project team on-site. This is a plus as being part of an integrated team means you can understand all the circumstances of what is going on. It builds the sense of everyone working to achieve a common goal.”
“A highlight of my 20 years is seeing the professional growth in the people I work with. Many of them are also long-term employees and it is great to see their careers progress. I also like mentoring those who are new to the business, including some Curtin graduates who did the same course I did all those years ago, and helping them to achieve their potential.”
