Just like that we have reached the end of another year! It feels like it was only yesterday when I was sitting at my desk writing the last issue for 2015. As we delve into the festive season where the ideals of family and friendship are most apparent, I wanted to touch on something more heart rather than brick for our concluding issue of 2016.

The inception of Nic & Wes began in 2002, but for many of the individuals that work at our design and build company, the working relationship started before that. Working previously in other companies before I joined the business full time, it was quite natural to compare my past working environments with my current. At Nic & Wes the epitome of the essence of associating the home with family stands true even within the office dynamic. I’ve indeed been most honoured to work alongside and learn from my fellow colleagues at Nic & Wes.

Although still a humble SME, the company is naturally structured with different departments such as administration, design, project management, marketing and labourers each set up to handle the respective purposes. While each department works independently in taking the lead at one stage or another, the men and women behind those positions each play a pivotal role in watching out for each other. What has awed my experience thus far is the successful merging of diverse characteristics and work ethic within the different departments to keep the unit as a whole moving towards the same goal.

Like with any family, we have Eileen (Admin Manager) as the big sister/mother hen who is the glue of the office. Then we have the older and wiser brothers a.k.a. the project managers Somu, Muthu and Rajan who take charge of all things on site as well as Roy (Creative Living director). Then the young and creative brothers, Laisee and Bob from the design side whom create the design concepts and our latest addition Henry (solar specialist).

While it may sound like a biased view of office perfection, like all families nothing is ever perfect. As the imperfect beings we truly are, we are constantly exposed to making mistakes but like a family, it is the assurance that the strong ones will pick the weak when they are down is what the Nic & Wes family is all about. The last couple of years of adversity has indeed played witness to the strength of the family as a whole.

Not just those in management but trickling all the way to the workforce of labourers that work tirelessly throughout the day piecing together raw materials which in turn produce the Nic & Wes homes. Walking into any of our work sites, the warm friendly demeanour partnered with broad smiles and nods is just one such common yet meaningful gesture to see. Within themselves, I have witnessed brotherly comradery and bonds to Nic & Wes, not seen in many other companies. Some of the men in our workforce have been there since day one. It is truly loyalty at its best.

None of this however would be possible without the parents of the family, that being Brian and Jude, whose ideals of comradery and mutual respect overriding hierarchy have naturally influenced the team to follow suit.

As the year is drawing to a close, on behalf of the Nic & Wes family, I would like to thank you for your support. We would also like to wish one and all Season’s Greetings!