Name: Harry Dainton MCIOB
Employer: Miller Homes North West
Project: Millers Green, Heysham, Lancs
In his 44 years in the construction industry, Harry Dainton has ridden the wheel of fortune round from bricklayer to company director and back to senior site manager. Whatever fate throws his way, his passion and enthusiasm remain undimmed, which allied to his huge range of experience, makes him a ‘big personality’ construction manager.
Here he rescued a project, part of a much larger greenfield scheme to build 230 dwellings, that was floundering. With the many consultants and the construction team working as separate units, build standards were mediocre and low morale was evident in the labour force.
Knowledgable, proactive and every inch the leader, Harry re-energised the project. He welded constructors and consultants together, and remotivated the site team to aspire to higher standards.
More than just a fine man manager, Harry showed that old dogs can still learn new tricks with an exemplary approach to sustainable construction. His initiatives included timber crib retaining walls to allow spoil to remain on the steeply sloping site, and large soakaways under car parks and public areas to channel away great volumes of surface water.
Value: £4.3m