Vistry site teams across Kent help six site managers win coveted housebuilding awards

Vistry Kent is celebrating the fact that six of its site managers have been recognised for the high standard of their work.

Lewis Jenner, Nick Murphy, Valentyn Samchuk, Kakha Buchukuri, Ryan Keys and Jay Geer have each won National House Building Council (NHBC) Pride in the Job Quality Awards.

Between them, they are building hundreds of new homes at developments across Kent under Vistry’s Bovis Homes, Linden Homes and Countryside Homes brands: at Ashmere in Ebbsfleet Garden City, Beuley View and Bridgeside Walk, both in Peters Village near Wouldham, Pippins Place in West Malling, and Westwood Point and Artemis View in Thanet.

Brendan Evans, Managing Director for Vistry Kent said: “Congratulations to our six site managers who have won these coveted awards this year for their dedication to exceptional standards in construction. They thoroughly deserve this honour, which is testament to the positive working ethos they have created within their site teams and reflects our commitment to deliver homes of the highest quality for our customers.”

Pride in the Job was launched over 40 years ago and is widely regarded as one of the most prestigious competitions in the housebuilding industry.

This is the third Quality Award for both Vistry’s site managers at Peters Village – Valentyn Samchuk, who oversees construction at Bridgeside Walk, and Nick Murphy, who is in charge at nearby Beuley View.

Valentyn, 45, said: “I am very proud to have achieved this award for the second time at the same development. It is rewarding to see the hard work of me and my team being appreciated. Getting recognised in this way is an amazing feeling and even after 25 years working in the industry, still gives me a boost of confidence in what I do.”

Nick, 55, said: “The whole team has worked harder than ever and that is what pushed us to win the award this year. I wouldn’t have been able to do it without the site team, we have strong communication and a good team spirit which motivates us to deliver the high-quality houses we do. Vistry is a great environment to work in.”

The site managers at Vistry’s two developments in Thanet – who both joined the construction industry after careers in the Army – were also successful in the Pride in the Job competition this year.

Ryan Keys, 32, from Westwood Point, has won the award for the first time in what is only his fourth year working in housebuilding. He said: “To have won this award is quite an honour. It makes me feel very proud of my progress in this role and the brilliant team I have around me at Westwood Point.”

This is the second Quality Award for Jay Geer, 35, who works at Artemis View. He said:  “I decided once I left the Army to go into the construction industry, as it seemed there was a range of transferable skills between the two. I’ve now been at Vistry for just under two years and this is now my second award in this time. It shows that there is consistency and quality not only in my work but also in the work that the whole team does.”

The support of site teams is a common thread for all the award-winning site managers.

Lewis Jenner, 30, who is senior site manager at Ashmere in Ebbsfleet Garden City, called the whole site team into the office to share the news when he heard. He said: “This is the first time I have won this award and it feels great. It is very much a collective achievement and it was fitting to share the excitement and sense of accomplishment with everyone who has contributed to the quality of work at the development.”

Kakha Buchukuri, project manager at Pippins Place in West Malling, which is a joint venture between Vistry Kent and Wates Developments, said: “This is now my second Pride in the Job Award in a row and as difficult as it was to get the first award, we ensured as a team that we put even more time and effort into our work to push for even stronger quality. It is therefore not just an award for myself, but also for the site and trades team which work at Pippins Place. It shows that hard work does pay off.”

The six winners, who are among 449 site managers from across the UK chosen from more than 8,000 developments inspected, will be entered into the next stage of the competition – the NHBC’s Seal of Excellence and Regional Awards, which will be announced later this year.

For more information about the new homes Vistry is building across Kent, visit lindenhomes.co.uk, bovishomes.co.uk or countrysidehomes.com.