Company wins new building contracts

BUSINESS

By ALPHONSE BARIASI
AS a builder and businessman, Wilson Wamingi loves nothing better than to see the happy smile of an owner taking the keys to his new home.
That for him reflects the sense of accomplishment at the end of ‘another day’s work’.
It is the motivation driving his small building company which is steadily gaining confidence and winning contracts from a few clients in Lae and Morobe, notably the provincial government.
Wilson is the owner and director of 18-Built Limited construction company which has this year won two contracts for the construction of buildings in the education and law and justice sectors in the province.
The proud and confident businesman says the “magic” in his work is that where others might see building or owning a building company as merely a means to an end, “I see my work as something that is close to life itself, a jobe well done to the satisfaction of the client gives me a sense of accomplishing something. Money and all the attendant benefits of his labour are merely the results of giving something first to receive something in return, he says.
Wilson has originis in Miamboru village in East Sepik’s Yangoru-Saussia district but was born and raised in Madang.
The 47-year-old entrepreneur attended school in Madang town’s “education neihbourhood” – Kusbau Primary School, Tusbab Secondary School and Madang Technical College. (Also within the same vicinity are the PNG Maritime College and Divine Word University – DWU.)
A committed member of the Assemblies of God Church, Wilson and wife Carol have three children, aged 14, 12 and seven years old.
His company, was formed and registered after he had just completed and delivered a quality project close to heart – the Wingei Assemblies of God church building for his own people in Yangoru-Sausia.
“The church leaders, seeing the quality of work I did for them urged me to start a company so others might see and benefit from what I’m capable of doing,” Wamingi recalls. Upon his return to Lae, where he had previously worked with Steamships Properties (later Pacific Palms Property) he registered his own building firm and named it 18-Built, simply to remember that it was in 2018 that he had the inspiration to set up the company.
He graduated from Madang Technical College with a diploma in carpentry construction and did an apprenticeship with Pacific Palms Property in Lae from 1996 to 2000. He also did a business management degree at DWU and obtained a further diploma in building from the National Polytech Institute in Lae.
With his work experience and added qualifications, Wamingi quickly climbed up the corporate ladder and eventually became the regional property manager overseeing Steamships properties in the Momase and New Guinea Islands regions. He was among the team that pegged out the foundation for the Grand Papua Hotel in down town Port Moresby, which for him was one of the last major projects he was engaged in while at Pacific Palms beforce he resigned to do purue his own dreams of running a building firm.
Wilson’s company currently employs 25 staff, four of whom are certified tradesmen. The company is now preparing to undertake two major building projects for the Morobe government – 10 buildings at Watut Technical High School in Bulolo district and two buildings at the Watut Primary School.
Next in line are some project work at Aseki Technical High School in Menyamya district.
The above are education sector projects. In the law and justice sector 18-Built will be engaged in erecting a police station at Watut.
Management, OHS certification
Things are indeed looking up for the company as it also received ISO certification in quality management systems (ISO 1900) and occupational health and safety management (ISO 45001).
The certifications were granted by Indian-based SIS Certifications through their local agent Benal Safety Services Limited.
Ian Magiten, director of Benal Safety Services commended 18-Built for the two ISO certificates saying, “these are important certificates for the company. It now joins a few big name building firms which have such certification and the National Procurement Commission and donor agencies do recognise and recommend such certification for awarding contracts.
“ISO 45001 is a global standard for occupational health and safety management systems that provides practical solutions to improve the safety and health of both employees and other persons. This standard has been designed to apply to any company regardless of its size, type and nature,” he said.
Also recently, the new Lae-based building company, has taken delivery of a container-load of scaffolding components which is a vital compoent of safety and occupational health.
“This is an important addition to the company’s occupational health and safety concerns.
“You want every worker to return home at the end of every day just like they have reported to work in the morning. Safety is therefore of paramount importance,” said Magiten.
Wilson’s dream is to grow his company to an institution large enough to employ and train more new graduates.
“Coming from an apprenticeship programme, I want to provide hands-on training for technical vocational graduates,” the builder says.