This month we swapped site boots for padel rackets at Optimum Padel in Leeds to celebrate a milestone that means a great deal to all of us at TECL: ten years’ service for Adam Duffield, Liam Creek and Davey Broadbent, and more than ten years for Tom Hare at Absolute Commercial Interiors.
At TECL we only employ direct labour, so the people who quote, plan and install our work are our own team. When three of those people reach ten years with us, it’s worth stopping to say thank you properly.
From the tools to leading the way
All three started out on the tools. All three have grown with the business. Between them they’ve shaped how we work on site and the standards our clients have come to expect.
Adam Duffield: Head of the Fire Stopping Division
Adam joined us on the tools, learning fire stopping the hard way, one penetration at a time. He moved on to become a Contracts Manager, taking on our clients’ projects from start to finish and earning their trust along the way. Today he leads our fire stopping division. He brings ten years of site knowledge to every decision, and he’s never forgotten what the job looks like from the ladder.
Liam Creek: Senior Site Supervisor
Liam’s path shows what TECL values. He worked his way up from the tools to Senior Site Supervisor and then spent time as a Contracts Manager. Liam realised he just loves working on site and leading his teams from the front, so he chose to go back to a hands-on role as Senior Site Supervisor. That takes self-awareness and real commitment to the craft, and our sites are better for it. The teams he leads get the benefit of someone who understands both the programme and the detail.
Davey Broadbent: Senior Site Supervisor
Davey has always been at his best on the tools, and over ten years he has progressed to Senior Site Supervisor. He sets the standard on site through how he works. That means getting it right first time, looking after the team around him and taking pride in work that most people will never see once the ceiling goes up. For a fire stopping contractor, that pride is everything.
Davey is much loved by his teammates and clients alike. What a character! Site is never dull when Davey’s on it.
Tom Hare: Director of Fit Out, Absolute Commercial Interiors
We also celebrated Tom, who has represented the Absolute Commercial Interiors brand for more than ten years. Tom leads the delivery of Absolute’s fit-out projects, and he was presented with his own engraved Christopher Ward watch to mark the milestone.
On the court
The team at Optimum Padel looked after us brilliantly. The day started with a padel tournament, and the competitive streak that serves us so well on site came out the moment the rackets did. It was a great chance for colleagues and clients to get together away from the day job and enjoy a great afternoon.
Once the last point was played, we gathered for the presentations to celebrate three people who have helped make TECL what it is today.
A watch to mark the time
To mark the occasion, Adam, Liam, Davey and Tom were each presented with an engraved Christopher Ward watch. It felt like the right gift for a decade of service: something well made and built to last, a keepsake of the years they’ve given to TECL and of many more to come.
“Adam, Liam, Davey and Tom are a big part of why our clients trust us. Adam, Liam and Davey all started on the tools and have raised the standard for everyone around them, and Tom has done the same for Absolute. Ten years is a long time in this industry, and we couldn’t be prouder of them. Thank you, lads.”
Damien McKenna and Mark Humphrey, Directors and Co-Founders, TECL
Grow your career with TECL
Every one of our directly employed operatives is fully trained, and the routes from the tools to supervisor, contracts manager and beyond are real, as Adam, Liam and Davey show. If you’d like to build your career in fire stopping, get in touch with our team or call 0113 243 0254.