Taylor

TAYLOR CONSTRUCTION

GOING FOR G R OW T H W I T H TAY LO R

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Pursuing organic expansion and strategic ambition in New South Wales, we speak with George Bardas, CEO of Taylor – the leading construction and property delivery partner Writer: Phoebe Harper | Project Manager: Ryan Gray

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TAYLOR CONSTRUCTION

Part of our strategy is to become one of the biggest players in New South Wales (NSW), but more importantly the safest and most trusted delivery partner for our clients.”

The opening gambit of George Bardas, CEO of construction and property delivery partner, Taylor, underscores the ambition that runs at the core of the company.

This is an enterprise defined by its proudly Australian heritage and one that pursues sustainable growth whilst remaining true to its concrete values as a people-centric business.

These principles are the foundation of Taylor’s leading industry reputation.

“A Tier 2 contractor such as Taylor may not have the same balance sheet as some of Australia’s major Tier 1 companies, but we are a company that has the right calibre of people

and the right leadership, that delivers work safely and professionally,” he outlines.

“If we can continue to achieve this throughout NSW, that will help to progress our expansion plans.”

GROWTH IS THE GOAL

For Bardas, this notion of expansion and growth follows a model based on playing to the geographies the company knows best, whilst developing its portfolio and service offerings with complementary strengths.

Indeed, by concentrating its efforts in NSW, Taylor deliberately chooses to play in Australia’s largest construction market.

“Before starting to potentially expand in other states, my strategy has been to provide diversity for every type of project within NSW,” he elaborates.

By so doing, the reputation that Taylor has established on local soil naturally paves the way into new markets across Australia, nurturing a relationship with NSW partners who are likely to look to the company for future solutions.

“Growing the business here to such a level allows us to use this as a platform to expand organically in other states,” Bardas affirms. “If you satisfy all your local partners, they will give you more work in Australia.

“We want to have plenty of exposure to our clients in NSW, so that when they need a job done in Brisbane or Melbourne, it will allow us to naturally go and deliver for our clients.

“Although our expansion plans have been delayed by a year or two due to COVID-19, this is still something that we’re looking for in the future,” he continues.

“ P A R T O F O U R S T R AT E G Y I S T O B E C O M E O N E O F T H E B I G G E S T P L AY E R S I N N E W S O U T H WA L E S , I F N O T T H E M O S T I M P O R TA N T ” – G E O R G E B A R D A S , C E O , TAY L O R

George Bardas, CEO, and Mark Taylor, Managing Director and Chairman

Night time shot, Gordon Quarter, Anglicare, Independent Living Village

Ergo Group are highly experienced electrical and communications contractors operating across all sectors of the construction industry in NSW. We have built a reputation as a trusted partner renowned for a tenacious “can do” work ethic that applies professional service, practical and cost-effective solutions to all of our projects. We pride ourselves on our ability to assess risks and meet challenges

decisively to ensure that all aspects of our projects are successful.

We have a long-established relationship with Taylor, partnering on many successful projects, the latest being the Powerhouse Museum’s Discovery centre at Castle Hill.

Since 2011, we have consistently delivered practical, reliable, competitive, and innovative solutions, and always seek to provide the best outcomes for our clients and the end user.

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TAYLOR CONSTRUCTION

WEATHERING THE STORM

Continuing on the topic of COVID-19, Bardas highlights how this period proved to be one of the greatest challenges faced by the global construction sector in recent history, resulting in resource scarcity, cost escalation and significant supply chain disruption. Regardless, Taylor continues to pursue its strategic goals whilst weathering the storm.

This applies in the most literal sense, since the NSW construction industry must confront the location-specific challenge of unprecedented levels of rainfall in the face of climate change.

“We have been experiencing an excessive amount of inclement

weather. We’ve had three times the amount of rain in the year that we would normally have, which means that every project has been delayed.

This entails significant extra costs and time pressures, but despite all that, we are still taking on work,” says Bardas.

A significant contributor to the volume of work that Taylor is currently preoccupied with, is the development and addition of its most recent business line during a year heavily impacted by COVID-19.

Since we last spoke with Bardas in 2021, Taylor comprised four separate business units, but strategic diversification has since ensued,

culminating in the launch of Taylor’s ‘Major Projects’ division. This new unit is quickly coming to represent the jewel in Taylor’s crown.

“This division has been introduced for a number of reasons; firstly, because we aim to be taking on larger work.”

PROJECT PROFILE: ADVANCED MANUFACTURING RESEARCH FACILITY DIVISION - General Build CLIENT - Western Parkland City Authority LOCATION - Bringelly, NSW STATUS - To be completed in February 2024 Western Parkland City Authority’s first building is a visionary precinct that marks the start of construction for Australia’s newest city, Bradfield City. The building includes a pilot of the new Advanced Manufacturing Research Facility.

Located within the Western Sydney Aerotropolis, the diverse, dynamic and sustainable global city precinct will unlock AUD$10 billion in private investment.

Connecting with the country is at the heart of the design, taking cues from the surrounding natural waterway and Cumberland Plans.

The building will be open and welcoming, surrounded by green and open spaces where residents, workers and visitors can gather. This development is set to achieve a 6 Star Green Star rating, full Living Building Challenge certification, and a 5.5 Star NABERS Energy and Water rating. It will be energy positive, carbon neutral, water

Advanced Manufacturing Research Facility

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balanced, nature positive, healthy and inspiring.

Gordon Quarter, Anglicare, Independent Living Village

“ T H E I N D U ST RY H E R E I N AU ST R A L I A L AC KS A L E V E L O F C O M P E T E N C Y AT T H E L A R G E R PROJECT LEVEL, SO IT NEEDS MORE P L AY E R S I N T H E R E ” – G E O R G E B A R D A S , C E O , TAY L O R

Not only this, but through Major Projects, Taylor fulfils a gap in the market with an offering that is receptive both to Australia’s construction needs and the expertise of its staff. With the new business unit, Taylor retains staff that might want to pursue larger, more challenging projects, meaning they can transfer from one unit to the other and accept the challenge of embarking on an AUD$200 million job through the group that they’ve grown with professionally.

“We have recently attracted a number of senior executives and delivery staff within the market to join Taylor, which means that they need to be working on the larger projects. This is also my personal career background, working with Tier 1 organisations in senior leadership roles with access to clients in that space.

“In addition, the industry here in Australia lacks choice with the level of competency at the larger project level, so it needs more players in there,” Bardas continues.

MULTI-MILLION DOLLAR DELIVERY

One such recent undertaking successfully completed during the COVID-19 period is Taylor’s work on the Western Renewal Project of the iconic Sydney Opera House – a major feat comprising three separate projects falling under the Opera House’s AUD$275 million Renewal programme.

“The highlight of this project was how for the first six to eight months, the team really worked on the details of how to actually do this type of APAC Outlook Issue 59 | 7

PROJECT PROFILE: SYDNEY OPERA HOUSE WESTERN RENEWAL PROJECT LOCATION: Sydney, NSW CLIENT: Sydney Opera House Trust CONTRACT TYPE: Design and Construct START DATE: July 2019 COMPLETION DATE: August 2022 DURATION: 35 months AWARDS: Merit Award for Site Safety, Master Builders Association, 2020 The Western Renewal Project comprised three projects: the Creative Learning Centre, Entry Foyer and Concert Hall.

The project was delivered within an operational precinct under the intense scrutiny of the media, the general public and local residents.

The Taylor project team worked closely with the client to manage communications surrounding the project and maintain a positive image for the site.

Taylor was appointed as a managing contractor to manage the installation of the new stage works within the Opera House and further works including refurbishment, all of which had to be done without negatively impacting on the world heritage listing of the building.

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In other recent developments, Taylor has completed the Gordon Quarter development for Anglicare, a significant undertaking involving the design and construction of a new three-storey, 107-bed residential aged care facility and 40 independent living units at Gordon.

“Both clients at Anglicare and the Sydney Opera House Trust are very happy, and we consider them absolutely excellent projects. We ticked every box on those jobs and that’s what we want to do with our Major Projects business.”

This is just a sample of the myriad projects that Taylor has to its name, spanning a full and varied spectrum of contract types and sectors. The company continues to assist in the delivery of vast data centres across NSW and has recently successfully been awarded a contract on the new AMRF (Advanced Manufacturing Research Facility) - its first project in the newly constructed Bradfield City located on the doorstep of the new Western Sydney International (NancyBird Walton) Airport.

As Australia’s newest city centre, Bradfield City is poised for major development in what is set to become a cyber-secure, green and connected hub for advanced industries.

Pictured here and below: Sydney Opera House Concert Hall Renewal, Sydney Opera House Trust

PHOTOGRAPHY © A NNA KUCERA

work, and it certainly wasn’t normal, business-as-usual conditions,” he shares.

“The planning was so good that the execution became a lot easier, despite the COVID-19 related challenges in terms of getting the stage and various other particulars from Austria. Overall, it was a fantastic job.”

PHOTOGRAPHY © D ANIEL BOUD

TAYLOR CONSTRUCTION

“That’s a beautiful project for us, since we are the first ones there with a lot of opportunities to follow. It was very much a strategic move for Taylor,” says Bardas.

SECURING A PROSPEROUS FUTURE

In terms of strategic moves for the years ahead, Bardas hints at the addition of a sixth business line, purely intended as a fit-out business, further bolstering the company’s sustainability and security in the face of volatile conditions.

“We intend to introduce a pure

fit-out business, so that we can provide a fully integrated solution for new commercial buildings including fit-outs, or deliver fit-out projects which are traditionally done in the commercial space.

“This has the potential to provide us with access to major real estate investment trusts (REITs), which in turn creates opportunities for us to expand into other parts of their businesses,” he explains. “This will be an extremely good touchpoint for our clients.”

In addition, a major priority for the company concerns continually

building on its reputation and recognition as a worthy alternative to Australia’s major Tier 1 contractors, one that celebrates the connection between people and the beautiful spaces across NSW that stand as testament to the Taylor name.

TAYLOR Tel: 02 8736 9000 www.taylorau.com.au

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TAYLOR Lvl 16, 100 Pacific Highway, North Sydney 2060 Tel: 02 8736 9000 www.taylorau.com.au

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