Member Article

North East festive focus: Kevin Bryne, Seymour Civil Engineering

Kevin Bryne, MD at Hartlepool-based Seymour Civil Engineering, is the latest North East business leader to join our quickfire December interview series.

Your business

If you had to choose one thing - what are you most proud of your company achieving this year, why?

We were delighted to win two awards at the annual CECA event in Newcastle in November. We won an award for being the best training company, and also the safety trophy.

It is always nice to win any award, but to win ones that are competed for by some of the biggest names in the same sector it is especially satisfying.

What was the single biggest challenge faced by your firm in 2016?

We had to replace a large amount of turnover as a result of not securing a key contract with Northumbrian Water which we had done for many years.

Can you tell us one thing your business is doing in 2017 that really excites you?

This stems from the previous answer, but after the loss of the work with Northumbrian Water we had to actively go and find new work to replace that turnover. Having been successful in doing that and securing new clients, we are really looking forward to developing our relationship by working on a variety of different projects moving into the new year.

Work with the new clients will see us delivering some much-needed infrastructure, and there are lots of positive things to look forward to in 2017.

Your Region

Which North East firm has impressed you the most this year, why?

Banner Contracts, which is based in Darlington. Like many businesses in this region and beyond, they were badly hit by the collapse of the steelworks in Redcar. That closure had a massive impact on the supply chain, and Banner Contracts was one of them.

But the management at the business really took the bull by the horns quickly, and set about turning their attentions to tapping into new markets. They have done that very well, and are in a great position now thanks to some real forward thinking.

Are there any emerging businesses in the region that’ve caught your eye this year that you’ve been previously unaware of?

Publicity Seekers. They’re a public relations agency based in Hartlepool, and we got them on board at the start of the year to help us with that side of the business. We’ve always performed well and been proud of what we do here at Seymour Civil Engineering, but we’ve never really shouted about it. We’ve often joked that all of our best work is buried underground when it’s finished!

But Publicity Seekers have made us look at things differently, and our profile has risen dramatically in the time we’ve been working them.

Is there an industry or sector of the North East business community which you expect to really take off next year?

I think the railway rolling stock market will really flourish in 2017. We’ve seen Hitachi come to Newton Aycliffe, and we have the Crossrail and HS2 projects which are ongoing. They’re much-needed because the whole railway infrastructure has needed to be updated for many a year, but after a lot of talking it’s great to see some action.

The knock-on effects from those improvements can only be a benefit for all of the businesses in the supply chain.

Yourself

What was your first job?

I had a job as a petrol pump attendant. Let’s just say the money wasn’t great, but it was a nice feeling to earn a bit of a living and put the little money I did earn into my pocket!

If you weren’t doing what you do, is there a job you’d love to have?

I’ve always quite fancied being a barrister. I think the legal profession is intriguing, and people say I’ve got the gift of the gab so I think I’d be quite suited to saying my piece in a courtroom!

What do you do on Christmas day?

It’s the traditional Christmas family get-together for me this year. See what Santa brings, followed by a lovely dinner and a few drinks in the afternoon watching Zulu and whatever repeats are on this year. Perfect!

Thanks Kevin.