Mitchell Griffin says he had heard good things about Ryman before joining the team on the Hobsonville site and was thrilled to see it was more than just a rumour.
“Everything is doublechecked and it’s got good quality behind it, and the guys that work here are very good,” he says.
And his experience to date meant he had a good idea of what to look for.
Mitchell has followed in his father’s footsteps – his dad is a project manager for a residential building company – and the 24-year-old completed a Bachelor degree in construction management at Massey while at the same time working on site for a mid-tier construction company.
“They build mostly warehouses but I was lucky enough to work on another retirement village so it was great having that insight before I joined Ryman.”
He loves the sense of team spirit on site and says it makes coming to work – even with the recent harbour bridge delays – a real pleasure!
“The enthusiasm and energy between the Ryman team and the subcontractors is like one big team working together.
“Everyone gets along and I really enjoy coming to work and the people I work with. I’ve never experienced a working environment quite like it,” he says.
After joining the team as services coordinator, ie organising plumbing and electrical works, he has since become a foreman, and is using the learnings from his studies more often.
He appreciates getting the opportunity to progress so soon.
“A lot of things about Ryman appealed to me but one particularly is the opportunities provided no matter what your age.
“My end goal is to one day be a project manager like my dad but first I want to do this job to the best of my abilities so I can understand the building process from start to finish.”
While Mitchell loves being part of the Ryman family, he actually has a member of his own family to thank for giving him the idea.
His mum Steph is a sales advisor at Ryman’s Orewa village, Evelyn Page!
“She told me how the construction guys were all helping out at the village during the first lockdown doing deliveries for all the residents and I was so impressed by that I decided to try my luck.”
And the rest, as they say, is history!
