Operated by friends Tom Connor and Chris Jones — both often repeatedly called Connor — the business was named fastest-growing construction business in the South in the Deloitte Fast 50 Index.
Since its establishment in Dunedin in June 2018, Connor Jones has grown from the two founders to have 26 staff, including three builders based in Invercargill, with further expansion possible.
While the pair often heard comments when they were starting out that engineering and building was an odd mix, they saw the two as being complementary and their success in the Deloitte Fast 50 was testimony to that.
Both southern lads — Mr Jones grew up in Invercargill and Mr Connor in Dunedin — Mr Jones did his sheet metal training after leaving school and later moved to Balclutha where he did a building apprenticeship.
After returning to Dunedin, he ended up going back to sheet metal as, then with a young family, the pay was better. It was while working at Farra Engineering about 13 years ago that he met Mr Connor, who also had a sheet metal background.
The two often worked together and they got on well.
"Ever since we met, we’ve had a really good working relationship and off the pitch as well," Mr Jones said.
Mr Connor later worked for project management consultancy Octa Associates and, with his engineering skills, was also seconded into Scott Technology. It got to the realisation he was working hard for someone else, so he started "chipping away in Chris’ ear". Mr Jones had just got a new job with a vehicle provided, but he laughingly recalled Mr Connor would not leave him alone.
While launching a business was a big move, particularly for Mr Jones who, with his second wife, has five children between them, both realised they could always return to their trades.
There had been "so many stumbling blocks" along the way, including the arrival of Covid-19 but, fortunately for them, they did not have a huge amount of debt. They also topped up their staff’s wages, saying a business was "nothing without your staff".
Asked what made Connor Jones a good business and a good employer, Mr Connor said in general, they were "good people".
"We’re not too corporate, we’re good to have conversations with."
They also did not micro-manage and employed within the company. An example was Ben Taylor, who started as a builder, then became a foreman and then moved up to project managing and running the building team, Mr Connor said.
They wanted the "buy-in" of their staff and the only way to do that was to "work with them and grow with them", he said.
"If you have a good team, they do the recruiting for you."
Connor Jones also tended to attract the "trickier end" of jobs, often ones which other builders would not touch. They believed their mix of the two trades meant they looked at things differently.
"We don’t see it as that hard. It’s just a problem you’ve got to solve and we seem to be able to come up with really good solutions for people," Mr Connor said.
That included work on a Stuart St house which featured in the Otago Daily Times in November 2021 — the restoration of the downstairs of a 100-year-old villa which was held up by metal poles while the foundation was laid.
One of their biggest challenges had been managing the firm’s growth, which required astute cashflow management.
Southland-based business coach Andrew Johnston had been a good sounding board, while they were also grateful for the ongoing support of the BNZ.
The Deloitte regional winner announcement was the first step in the Fast 50 awards process, culminating in the national celebrations in Auckland on November 23, which the pair would attend.
The awards were based on revenue — "that is growth in its raw form" — but there was a lot more than revenue when it came to business, Mr Connor said.
Dunedin had been great to the two men and for a lot of other startups. They also saw potential growth for the business in the likes of Central Otago and Christchurch.
"We’re just two fellas working hard. At the end of the day . . . we’re still decent dudes," Mr Connor said.
