NRG Roof Plumbing & Drainage

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NRG Roof Plumbing & Drainage – Client Insider l Canny Group

Ashley-James (Ajay) Graham has one goal for his business and that is to make a difference in the industry, not only for his clients but for his employees as well.  So many times in the construction industry, you hear of horror stories of the way that apprentices have been treated, they get thrown all of the crappy jobs and it’s no secret that if a scapegoat is needed for something that went wrong (more likely than not because they haven’t been taught how to do something) that it is put on the apprentice.  Ajay takes the time to work with his team, regardless of if it’s their first day on the job or they are fully qualified and could do the job with their eyes closed.  The time, dedication and passion that NRG Roof Plumbing and Drainage put into each and every job shines through in the work that is delivered for high-end builders across the whole of Victoria and Ajay won’t be slowing down anytime soon!

In your own words Ajay, what is NRG Roof Plumbing & Drainage?

NRG Roof Plumbing and Drainage is a company I started to make a difference within the construction industry because we had noticed that there were not enough specialist roof plumbers who have a keen eye for detail and care about the end project results.

NRG is the initials of our son, Noah Ryan Graham and that is a big deal for our family, and for us to make sure we make a difference in this industry, not only for our clients but also for our employees.  We plan to be around for a very long time and we are always willing to provide support to everyone. Our slogan is “fair dinkum quality” because we are an Australian company that produces – fair dinkum quality!

Tell us the story, your story of how NRG Roof Plumbing & Drainage came about/to life?

I have always pushed the boundaries when it comes to my work ethic and skills with leadership, my hand skills and have also been fortunate enough to be given the opportunities to grow within the companies I have previously worked for ranging from volume homes, custom and high end homes around Torquay.

I was offered a partnership at another company but subsequently it never ended up eventuating as I was needed on the tools.  I have always been one to be loyal and stayed around for longer than I (sometimes) should have.  One day it clicked and I realised my time was now and I have the ability as well as the skill set to start a professional company due to the experience gained from running jobs start to finish, learning with builders as well as measuring and ordering materials for jobs.

So we created NRG Roof Plumbing and Drainage and haven’t stopped since!

How long has NRG Roof Plumbing & Drainage been up + running for?

NRG Roof Plumbing and Drainage has been up and running for two years in September 2021.

Everybody has something, what do you love about your job?

I love working in the outdoors, in various locations as you get to see places that you would never see before.  The people you meet along the way from different employees, builders, accountants and just everyday people who enjoy having a chat.

There’s a lot of competition out there for the industry that you’re working in – what sets you apart from the next business providing fair dinkum quality?

There is a lot of competition that’s for sure!  BUT the key difference is when we get to provide our work for our clients, we have the opportunity to prove that we produce fair dinkum quality and we also have the no-how when it comes to Australian standards and correct installation.  As they say, there’s more than one way to skin a cat, but we do it the right way and the proof is in the pudding when you see the finished product of our hard work.

I find that our clients and builders like the fast service, communication and skills in producing fair dinkum quality.

Would you say your job is exciting?  Or do you literally just hang out on roofs all day?

I would say that we work in all weather conditions and our job is more so than not, one of the most dangerous jobs due to this factor alone.  In saying that, there definitely isn’t a day that goes by that I don’t get a thrill out of what I do, regardless if it’s a cold and miserable day in the middle of winter or the most beautiful warm summers day – day in and day out, we are on a lot of roofs, but it all comes down to loving what you do and finding the boundaries that you can safely push when it comes to getting the job done.

What does a day in your shoes at NRG Roof Plumbing & Drainage look like?

Work is usually from around 5.30am through til 8.00pm at night – we’re lucky that we get to see the sunrise and the sunset most days.

Most days start by going for a drive to the site that we are working on, setting it up, installing metal battens, insulation under the roof or sisalation paper to then installing roof sheets and flashings or we could be installing wall callings from all types of cladding. While a lot of people say that no one day is the same, we actually mean it!  I take the time at the end of each day to thank all of the employees for their hard work on-site and direct everyone to head on back to the office to quote, set up for the next day, attend to emails, send out invoices or pay our workers.

Every business needs an adviser – who do you turn to for trusted help?  And with so many accountants Geelong has on offer, why Canny Group?
I have been with Canny Group since I first started working.  I have always received the best advice and as a bonus, tax returns as an employee when I was just doing basic individual tax returns with them.

When I started my business, I spoke with Amanda Wilkens and got the gist of how to set up the business right from the start.  We started as a sole trader to get a real understanding of how things work and fast forward to now, we are trading as a company that understands the systems in place.  In saying that, I am always eager to learn the next step to challenge my brain and my abilities but I always leave the accounting to the experts at Canny Group.

We heard on the grapevine that you’ve just put on another team to be able to have two crews running!  What have been some of the key factors in making this happen, especially when we’re living in such an unknown time due to Covid-19?

Yes, that is so true!

The most challenging thing I think is staying one step ahead of what’s happening out in the community and the world as well.  We noticed when we started our company that Covid-19 was just found, from this, we knew that we needed to push hard to find high-end custom home builders who make a difference to follow our core values here at NRG Roof Plumbing and Drainage.

This has worked very well as most of the jobs we have been able to secure have been starting this year and it enables us to continue building our relationships with our builders.  We also realised that being stagnant in our local area was not the right decision as much as I would love to work in my own backyard each and every day, the right move was to spread our company and our skills all over Victoria and this subsequently gave us a greater opportunity to succeed as we are more of an asset.

We are now in the position to be able to run two crews, split into groups of four so that we stay below the five on-site rules at all times.  This was due to being able to bring on a newly qualified roof plumber that has worked with us from the start of his apprenticeship right through until he finished that I was able to train the entire time, as well as a couple of other apprentices which means we have been able to expand and keep the work quality at an all-time high.

What’s planned for the future of NRG Roof Plumbing & Drainage?

The plan for NRG Roof Plumbing and Drainage is to build our company into a class of its own, producing fair dinkum quality all while giving new apprentices a fighting chance without having those old school bosses who scream at them for making a mistake that we all have made before.  We want to be able to show our clients and our builders that we can produce this work at a competitive price, whilst some may see our prices as not being “the cheapest” but there is a good reason why we don’t undercut ourselves just to be able to secure jobs.  We only use the high-quality Australian made building material and suppliers from Buildex Roof Screws, Eathwool Blanket and Lysaght as our number one supplier and this is just one of the reasons that you would be paying more for our services because to be able to produce fair dinkum quality, it starts with the products!

How do I get in contact + find out more about NRG Roof Plumbing & Drainage?

We have an Instagram page @nrgroofplumbinganddrainage in which we use to post regular updates on the work that we are producing and to keep growing our following.

You can also shoot us an email at nrgroofplumbing@gmail.com or reach me on 0497 870 874 for any upcoming projects you’d like us to be involved in.

We are in the stages of setting up our website, we have some really exciting projects that we are working on as we speak so we’re excited to be able to share our website with you once it’s finished and looking polished.

Don’t waste any more time, get in contact today and get the right guys on your next project!

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