As this region copped the wrath of two cyclones earlier this year, many businesses closed their doors and sent their staff home to hunker down and ride it out.
Not the team at Higgins Concrete Richmond. Instead, with the immediate threat of rising flood waters, they put a shout out on Facebook offering sand bags for those who needed them.
“We understood the need to protect our own homes and could see that helping others to do the same was a way we could help,” says Bevan Muollo, plant manager.
With their own operations halted by the severe flooding and power outage, they could have remained with their families in their own homes, but the Higgins team revealed their organisation’s ethos to their community.
Now, their selfless actions during what was a trying time for the region with the devastating impact on infrastructure and private residences, have been recognised at the Concrete NZ national awards in Hamilton this month.
Scooping the Extra Distance Award, an award only given out every two years, was a “massive achievement”.
“We are a family business and pride ourselves in being there for our local community. While the effects of mother nature cannot be stopped, Higgins Concrete stepped in to protect the heart of our community – our people,” says Bevan.
The company’s loyal employees put the community before their own homes, embraced the disaster as an opportunity to not promote their product, but to promote their company and support the community they love.
“People were blown away when we would turn up with sand at their homes and businesses and help stack them.”
Despite the award’s recognition for ‘an initiative which calls for uncompromising commitment to customer satisfaction’ Bevan says nothing will measure up to their own satisfaction in what they were able to do for their community in a time of need.
“I’m so bloody proud of our company and team for their unreserved commitment and dedication to our wider family here in Nelson.”