As a Facilities Manager at Brindleyplace, James is a key part of the management team that ensures occupiers are looked after and their needs met, no matter what time of year it is or what is happening.
As well as ensuring the estate’s public spaces and buildings are well maintained, clean and safe, James, originally from Bournemouth but now very much an ‘honorary Brummie’, looks after what is described as the ‘fabric’ of the buildings. This includes work on both the inside as well as the outside to make sure the buildings of the estate are always ready.
Variety
James says: ‘There is always tremendous variety in this job and there’s no such thing as a typical day. It can be very reactive and you are constantly problem solving as you go along which can make for a busy day, but it’s all hugely rewarding.’
‘Some of our office buildings have thousands of people working in them and it’s a big responsibility – it’s a lot of people to look after.’
Recognition
‘Our commitment to those people is to provide a safe working environment for them at all times that they don’t need to think or worry about because we’ve got everything covered. That’s what the work of myself and my team here is all about.’
‘I want Brindleyplace to be known as the safest and cleanest place in Birmingham to visit, work and spend time in. The personal pride of the team in what they do really comes through and helps make a difference every day. I think occupiers recognise this and really value it.’
Happy
‘Most of all, we want our tenants and occupiers to be happy. They choose to be here in the first place and we want to reward that choice and confidence in us by always going the extra mile to meet their needs.’
‘Lockdown saw numbers of workers and visitors fall on the estate, as they did everywhere, but what was perhaps more interesting was that we immediately bounced back during the summer which shows the path ahead once we can get over the challenges of this year. There is a lot of resilience out there, more than some people think, and I am sure that like other business environments, Brindleyplace will be back better than ever once Covid is all over.’
