Big Interview with Tim Webber: Values built in childhood

Tim Webber has spent more than 50 years at the heart of Barnfield Construction, helping to shape Lancashire’s landscape by spearheading significant regeneration and development projects.

However, long before boardrooms and multi-million-pound construction schemes, building was a passion in his childhood.

That passion has helped shape his career. He says: “Kids were out every night and we went out, and made dens, and carts out of trollies, and you did all sorts of things. There was no social media and no iPhones.

“Building and constructing things using Lego and Meccano was always part of you. It was something I enjoyed growing up.”

Nelson-born Tim has certainly built on those early days. In May Barnfield marked a major milestone in its history with a 50th anniversary celebration.

The evening marked Barnfield’s journey from a small three-person operation founded during the recession of the mid-1970s into one of the UK’s leading development and construction businesses.

Tim, Barnfield’s chairman and managing director, said there was ‘no grand plan to build a company that would last 50 years.’

He told the gathering: “There certainly wasn’t a strategy to build millions of square feet of space or thousands of homes across the country.

“There was simply a young civil engineer who’d lost his job in a recession, a new wife to support, a mortgage to pay, and a determination not to sit still and feel sorry for himself.”

Now 72, Tim continues to lead the Nelson headquartered firm and looking back again, he says: “When I first started, it was more a case of survival. It was the 1970s and we were coming out of a three-day week and there wasn't much work around.

“It coincided with having just got married, and we had got our first mortgage and it was a case of trying to get out there and do something.

“I was an engineer and I hadn't got the skills to lay bricks or plaster but I learned how to do it very quickly. We built kitchen extensions and dug out foundations.”

Tim recalls waking up on cold wet days and re-roofing buildings. He says: “It was a case of ‘if I don’t do them how am I going to pay the checkout girl at Asda for food’. There were some really hard times.”

Barnfield’s growth has been steady rather than spectacular as Tim says he always “tried to keep the company growing prudently.”

That growth is highlighted in the schemes it has been involved in, from an 80-home development in Colne in the early years to working on Lancashire’s Enterprise Zones, Northlight in Brierfield and the Weavers Triangle in Burnley.

Tim says: “You drive around and get a real sense of satisfaction of things being done and being part of the infrastructure that makes Lancashire what it is today.”

For Tim, the business has always been about more than bricks and mortar.

It is about continuity, people and legacy, and today Barnfield combines its family roots with a strong team culture, reinforced by its development into a 60 per cent Employee Ownership Trust (EOT).

He says: “We’ve got a very good atmosphere in the building and we all work together – we’re all one team.

“Since becoming an EOT employees are coming up with innovative ideas on how to change things and we take them on board.”

Family ties remain important. He adds: “My wife still Sheila works in accounts here, my son James heads up construction, and my other son Jonathan heads up civil engineering. My grandson Oliver is now coming to the property side. It’s just great to see that continuity of the company going forward.”

Tim believes his leadership style has evolved in his 50 years in business. He says: “I think I’ve grown organically as a leader. I sometimes took ideas from other people and used them, and expanded on them.

“I've still got the same energy and the same appetite as when I first started.

“Whether I've got the same risk profile, I would say, no. Now, I'm a lot more cautious and more protective of what we've created.”

Barnfield continues to get recognition for its work including, winning the Built Environment category at this year’s Red Rose Awards.

Tim’s influence extends beyond Barnfield as he sits on Lancashire Business Board, a role he was ‘honoured’ to take.

He says: “Some of the people on the board are senior people in their businesses and there are also some big businesses represented.

“There are some entrepreneurs, like me, who have built up a business, for example Zuber Issa from EG on the Move and Jeremy Hartley from Eric Wright. There are some big leaders in there.”

Tim says the role of the board’s mandate is clear – to work towards moving forward and delivering for the county.

One pressing issue Tim has discussed with his fellow board members is the lack of available development land in east Lancashire.

He says: “We don’t have enough strategic sites in east Lancashire. Where are all the employers who want to grow in the area expected to go?

“If there are not those sites here to accommodate them then they will migrate to Warrington, Manchester or Preston and we will lose a hub of business in east Lancashire.”

And even when sites are identified, Tim warns that progress takes years.  He says: “If a site is identified now, it could be five years until a spade is put in the ground. We need to be coming forward with those sites now.”

After half a century in his industry, Tim says challenges in construction continue to mount, with rising costs from the Iran conflict and increased prices for steel and aggregates.

And he adds: “There’s always this push to cut through the red tape. All I see is that they're adding more and more red tape and it's just a torturous route.”

Despite that, Tim’s motivation remains. He says: “I just want to work hard and to get up every morning with that motivation to get things done.

“I have often said if I retire and was looking for a hobby it would be buying or investing in buildings, but that is what I do already.

“I was listening to the Vernon Kay podcast with Mick Jagger and Ronnie Wood from the Rolling Stones and they said it did not feel like they were working in their career and they just enjoyed doing it every day.

“It is the same for me. Everything I have done, I have enjoyed. It is not like coming into work, as you are doing things with friends and involved in exciting projects.”

He adds: “In construction, and in business generally, people soon work out whether you're prepared to roll your sleeves up and face the same challenges they're facing.

“I've always believed that if you work hard, do what you say you're going to do, and treat people properly, you'll earn trust.

“Buildings, projects and businesses are only ever as good as the people behind them.”

“In 50 years in business we've seen recessions, financial crises, changing regulations and plenty of challenges along the way.

“You don't survive that long without learning to stay calm, adapt and keep moving forward. You should never think you're bigger than the team around you. Some of the best ideas come from the people closest to the job.”