Jason Hanns first joined Higgins in a business development capacity in 2021. His exceptional leadership abilities promptly earned him a promotion to Branch Manager.
During his time the Newcastle team has seen noteworthy expansion in terms of size and the capacity to tackle intricate projects.
We had the opportunity to converse with Jason recently to gain insight into the challenges he and the team have encountered since his arrival, as well as his aspirations for the future of the branch.
Newcastle Branch Manager Jason Hanns and Project Manager Brock Lucas assessing an operational site
What has your experience been like since joining Higgins?
When I first joined the team, it was far smaller than it is now, and we were facing a few challenges. We’d underdelivered on a couple of projects which can happen in this industry.
Fortunately, with the support of the national team we have and the addition of our experienced Project Manager, Brock, we were able to navigate these challenges and get back on track.
Have you had any standout projects that you were really proud of?
There’s a few that spring to mind. I think ibis Styles The Entrance was a great project for our team. The building had water ingress issues, and we had to deliver the external repainting schedule through inclement weather.
The hotel remained open with our operations team working around the holidaying patrons, so that was definitely one I think we knocked out of the park.
ibis Styles The Entrance video case study
How have you found growing your team?
It’s been a really great experience and one I’ve felt supported with along the way. The people are what has made Newcastle and Tamworth successful.
Our success is owed to them – it’s been the biggest change since I have been here. We’re all on the same page, wanting to grow as a team, and we celebrate each other’s successes.
What have you done to change the culture?
We’ve introduced a monthly BBQ with all employees, where we dissect the results from the previous month and look forward to the month ahead. The team loves the transparency, and I’ve loved being able to share our great results.
On top of that, we’ve installed the Higgins values in our warehouse for everyone to see – they’ve really helped set the expectation for our team’s behaviours.
How has Higgins Tamworth performed since opening?
Tamworth has been a massive success since its inception and that’s all because of Aaron Cini our Branch Manager.
I knew Aaron from before my time at Higgins and had seen
first-hand how Aaron lived and breathed painting.
So, when we were looking to formalise our service delivery in Tamworth, I knew he’d be the perfect person for the job, and he has repaid the faith in spades.
Jason's team-first attitude has enabled the Newcastle branch to deliver some fantastic outcomes for our customers.
Is painting on your agenda? Reach out to Jason and his team of local painting experts to see how they can assist.
