Get to know – Steve Lucking (Operations Director)
Tell us about your experience, have you always been in Building Control, if not how did you get into it?
“From my teen years, I used to help out a local builder during school holidays. I was intrigued by construction but soon realised I wasn’t cut out for manual labour. At 16, I approached Tewkesbury Borough Council to become a surveyor. They offered me a Trainee Architect position, so, I decided to go on to study A levels instead. A month later, the Building Control manager got in contact and offered me the opportunity to join his team. I jumped at the chance and as they say… I’ve never looked back.”
What is your main area of strength?
“Conscientiousness and respectfulness. Conscientiously doing the job to the best of my ability and, respectfulness, treating all as you’d expect to be treated yourself.”
What is your favourite project that you’ve worked on?
“Having worked on thousands of builds over the years it’s difficult to say, but the best outcome is when a project has gone well and the client is over the moon with the work and the small part I played.”
What’s your view on the future of Building Control?
“The million-dollar question. In all honesty, none of us are 100% sure. We enter a new era with the HSE at the helm, consolidating the work of CICAIR and HSE’s experience in other fields in regulating the industry. Whilst challenging, CBBC are in a good position to build upon its reputation as a leading Registered Building Control Approver.”
You’ve been at Cook Brown for a little over 8 years now, what has kept you here?
“Quite simply, the job. I still get a buzz out of building control, no day is the same. Personally, it’s been rewarding to grow with the company and have a say in how we operate. We have a great bunch of surveyors and admin support who all strive to adapt and deliver in an ever-changing and challenging environment.”
Since you joined the company in 2015 you have consistently grown the Tewkesbury office into a very successful team, what are your future plans for this region?
“Retain, recruit, support and reward. It’s important that we retain existing staff members and look to build through selective recruitment, targeting those surveyors that will adopt the same work ethos and mindset. We need to recognise and reward staff members for personal achievements and support their growth within the company and profession.
I’ve not grown the region alone, the hard work, dedication and determination of the team cannot be underestimated or overlooked when considering its success.”
What do you do to relax outside of work?
“One thing I learnt in building control is you never entirely switch off. Having said that, if I’m at a gig, drawing, walking the dogs, playing the guitar badly or just simply listening to old blokes regaling down my local, I do manage to relax. I’m a pretty simple soul, so it doesn’t take much to entertain or distract me.”
