A Day in the Life of Richard Everett, Project Engineer

As part of National Customer Service Week, we spoke with Richard Everett to find out his role in the business and the cross section of multi-utility projects delivered by Fulcrum.

A bit about Richard…

I’ve been in the utility industry for 25 years, starting as a trainee before securing my accreditation to be a gas service and main layer. I then become a multi skilled Multi Utility (MU) team leader by gaining my service and mains accreditation for water.

I worked as a team leader for 10 years,  working on many gas, electricity and water schemes, as well as large diameter works and complex Industrial & Commercial (I&C) projects.

I’ve also specialised in risers to flats and multi storey properties throughout the UK.

Over the last 15 years I’ve progressed into management in MU operations.  This included gaining my accreditation for Competent Person (CE) and Authorised Engineer (AE) status for both Low Pressure (LP) and Medium Pressure (MP) gas connections, on multiple networks. I also mentor others through their qualifications, which is really rewarding as I enjoy being able to support others to further their careers.

What’s a typical day like for a Fulcrum Project Engineer?

The thing I love about my role is that, every day is different and presents new challenges, which makes the role I do so enjoyable and rewarding.

A key element to my role is engaging with our customers. This is pivotal to the success of a project and communication is something I take very seriously. Whether its positive or challenging news, our customer always appreciates that we provide clear lines of communication.

Part of my day to day consists of carrying out site meetings with our customers to understand their build plan, any expected critical project dates and give them the confidence in the product we will be delivering.

We work across a range of projects, from small-scale housing schemes of a handful of houses, to largescale developments. We also provide multi-utility infrastructure to I&C developments, ranging from office parks and warehouses to agricultural and factory sites.

Coming from the ‘tools’, I know how important manager-to-team engagement is. At Fulcrum we are blessed to have some of the best MU teams I have worked with, and they all use their own knowledge and initiative, but I do believe face to face support is key and I believe this is something we all do collectively very well.

Planning projects is part of my day-to-day activities too. I always try to think of how I would feel delivering a project while also having my Project Engineer hat on.

Part of my role is to manage risk out of projects for our teams, customers and public as safety is our number one priority at Fulcrum and runs through everything we do. As a result, when I plan, I look at all aspects of the project to ensure that everyone involved, or may come into contact with our works, will remain safe at all times.

Efficiency is also a daily task, but not mainly a challenge as we are highly experienced when it comes to successful project delivery. Every aspect of a project needs to be considered and how we deliver our end product in the best  way for all, which provides the ultimate satisfaction, for me, our teams and, of course, our customers.

Can you expand on the satisfaction your job brings?

Seeing a project from its inception to completion is so rewarding. When you work closely with a customer you can see how important it is to them and how much each department at Fulcrum make it possible from quoting to delivery.

I also like to manage my projects closely from a financial perspective, productivity and efficiency are elements key to my role. I always look at a project as a possible repeat business opportunity, building long-term relationships with our customers.

Seeing our teams develop is also really rewarding.  You can see growth in the engineers, and it’s something that really resonates with me having started out as a trainee myself. The development of our engineers is to me, a key indication that Fulcrum as a business is a good place to be, with a positive future

Why do you, and your customers, choose Fulcrum?

This is my second time with Fulcrum, and the chance to return to the business as a Project Engineer was too good to refuse. This is a role I have a real passion for. I love the challenge of a project, working on potential problems and finding the solution is something I relish.

I believe one of the main assets Fulcrum has is the people. Of course, every business has people, but I feel we have a really rounded team, who pull for each other and do their absolute best for their colleagues and customers.  I know I can pick up the phone and will always have somebody on the other end of the line who cares.

I can see a real positive future with Fulcrum.