KEVIN SMITH – 34 YEARS SERVICE

KEVIN SMITH – 34 YEARS SERVICE

Congratulations to Kev Smith on 34 years service at Power Testing!

It’s an amazing achievement, making Kev our longest serving member of staff, and still going strong!

A fountain of knowledge & support (and our resident LinkedIn Guru) – having recently moved over to Team 2, Kev continues to assist with training the next generation of technicians.

Well done Kev & keep getting those ‘likes’ on LinkedIn!

Brad Tomlin – Promoted to Team 4 Contracts Engineer

 

Brad switched to Team 4 last year and has proved great support to both Nick and Lynn, both with onsite operations and assisting with creating and signing off Quotes & RAMS.  Additionally, Brad continues to prove his skills managing people and teams onsite.

After successfully passing his SAP course, Brad is ready to be signed off as an SAP 2.

Brad recently acquired his first sole client in Conrad Energy Services and is doing a great job all around.

So please joining us in congratulating Brad in his promotion to Contract Engineer , where we know he will smash it as he continues to develop and progress his Engineering skills with Nick.

Our New Authorising Engineer & Assessing Officer

 

We are delighted to announce that Nick Pennock & Kevin Stevens will be our new Authorising Engineer & Assessing Officer respectively.

Following putting their names forward for these roles, they have successfully passed their AE course and are in the process of a handover with Gareth Davies to take on these roles.

Their experience & knowledge will ensure that all our site people are fully aware of our safe systems of work and will assist in developing their competency and undertaking training for clients. They are both eager to get started and we could not think of a better pair to act as our new AE & AO.

World Cup on Sea 2022 – POWER RANGERS!

World Cup on Sea 2022 

Saturday 21st May 2022 saw The Power Rangers return to the World Cup-on-Sea charity football tournament at Southend United’s home ground, Roots Hall, to raise money for HARP, helping local people overcome homelessness.

After a few weeks of intense training, the mighty Power Rangers Manager, Chris Park, was confident, as was captain Johnny Bailey. There was a real mixture of youth and experience with Brad Manning, Adam Mullinger, Harry Longman, Flynn Burke and Gareth Davies joining Johnny from Power Testing. To bolster our team and make up a well needed 11 players, we enlisted the help of Rob Knight, our team captain from 2019, along with support from a few ‘ringers’:
Reese: Ellie’s Brother and absolutely mustard
Levi & Jamie: Johnny’s mates who row on the pitch more than most couples do when driving
Alex in goal: A diamond find from spaghetti legs Harry

The team arrived at 8am full of optimism and enthusiasm for what the day may bring and hoping to beat our 3rd place finish in 2019. After team inductions and a team talk from Chris, came the long wait until the Power Rangers first match at 10.40am. This gave our vocal supporters in the shape of Tiff, Lynn, Ellie, Dylan, Jay, Zoe and some family members the chance to take their seats.

The first group stage match was a great start with a 3-1 win and goals from Johnny, Levi & Brad, with most players getting time on the pitch to warm up.

The second group stage at 11.20am saw a massive 5-0 win with amazing goals scored by Harry x 2, Adam, Jamie & Levi. Gareth also made a brief guest appearance on pitch, marshalling the back line.

Our final group stage match at 12.40pm and saw us go up against some tough competition in Central FX, knowing a draw would guarantee top spot and progress to the last 16 due to our superior goal difference. This was the most challenging game so far with some outstanding saves from both sides & tackles flying in. After going 1-0 down early on, the Power Rangers showed their resilience, battling back to earn a 1-1 draw, with Harry finishing off a lovely team move.

The games were coming thick and fast now with our last 16 game kicking off 10 minutes after the completion of our group stage. We were up against the tournament’s organisers and chosen charity, HARP, knowing that only a win would guarantee Power Testing’s path to the quarter finals.

We cruised into a 2-goal lead and then missed a hatful of chances to extend the lead, which gave HARP and their boisterous support hope. The match soon turned into a classic, with HARP clawing their way back into the match. It was a real seesaw of a game, which saw us continue to score but also concede at an alarming rate. We were never behind in the game but every time we thought we had put them to bed, they kept coming back. Eventually, we built a 6-4 lead and although we conceded again in the final few seconds, we did enough to progress to the Quarter Finals, with Harry showing silky skills and prowess finishing again and Johnny being his combative self in the middle of the park.

There was just enough time between matches to recover and regain focus, with Chris providing fluids, gels, and protein to aid recovery and a couple of players sneaking off for a hog roast roll!

The Quarter Final commenced at 13.50pm and from the outset our opponents were in it for the win, with hard tackles and some verbal altercations with the ref. We courageously stood up to the challenge but a knee to the leg put Johnny out of the competition, which was a massive loss following his great leadership role throughout the tournament. The game ended 0-0 and it was time for the penalty shootout. After 7 successive spot kicks for both teams, with the opposition doing everything they could to put our kickers off, Alex saved one from their star man. This left Reece the opportunity to score the winning penalty. He smashed it in – and lucky we didn’t celebrate as the opposition complained to the ref that he had taken a 2-step run up instead of one step. Reece held his nerve to finish off his retaken penalty and send us through to the Semi-Finals – much to the annoyance of the opposing team.

After a short break it was time for the semi-final against strong looking challengers – and the same team that knocked us out at the same stage 3 years ago. Still reeling from the previous match, The Power Rangers used every ounce of energy they had remaining but were finally undone by 3 goals scored in quick succession halfway through the game. We managed to snatch a last-minute penalty but conceded again shortly after, with the game ending in a 4-1 loss.

Overall, the day was a remarkable success, with over £24,000 raised online between the 32 teams, in addition to any funds raised on the day, with over £700 being raised by Power Testing. Again, we reached the semi-finals out of 32 teams, with a rag tag team with limited training – so will be looking to go even further next year with hopefully some old faces back in the team.

We would like to say a massive thank you to the event organisers, the charities, the Power Rangers Team, those that came to support on the day & of course thank you to everyone who donated.
And here’s to next year – where the Power Rangers aim to improve on 3rd place and ‘Bring it Home’!

Sean Sheehan – Our New Trainee Project Engineer

 

Sean has been promoted to a Trainee Project Engineer, as we build for the future.

Sean has a wealth of experience on projects and is also a great people person.

He recently passed his SAP course and, alongside Stuart, will be mentored by Dave to develop their technical skills and build further resilience in the projects department.

Sean will continue with his H&S Rep role, with admin assistance from Tiff, as well as continue with his Head of Jointing role to develop the Jointers.

Exciting times.

 
 

Ellie Graves – Our New Project Estimator

We cannot wait to welcome back Ellie from her maternity leave on Monday 11th October, we have certainly missed her.

She will be returning to work part time and will also be heading into the Projects division. Her skills, experience and great work ethic will bring some added organisation and structure to the division. She will be assisting with Tendering, PQQ’s and generating works.

 
 

John Marshall – Future Project Manager

From Office Supervisor, acting CEO, to Projects. John is stretching his duties even further and starting a development plan to become a future PM.

John’s detail orientation, strong communication & organisation skills and passion for the company will certainly drive the Projects division forward and assist the team with the current and upcoming manic workload.

 
 

Charlie Brown – Promoted to Team 3 Contracts Engineer

It is with great pleasure that we can announce that Charlie will become the Contract Engineer for Team 3, as of Monday 2nd August 2021.

With Alan moving over to Projects to assist in their ever increasing workload and demand, Charlie put his name forward to take the step up & lead Team 3.

He has been working on becoming an Engineer with superb support from Nick & Pat and we have complete faith in him that he will be a great Contract Engineer for Team 3 – providing technical assistance and support to Lauren and clients and leading the team onsite.

Charlie will be fully supported in his new role as he gets to grip with his promotion, with Gareth and Pat on hand for technical queries, ongoing training & development and client support.

We are delighted another one of our own, who joined as an Apprentice, is progressing up the ladder and taking on more responsibility – which he has duly earned through his positive work attitude and development, listening to feedback, learning and always willing to go the extra mile.

Exciting times – and I am sure you will all join me in wishing Charlie all the best in his new role.

 
 

Catrin Jenkins – Promoted to Client Relationship Supervisor

Catrin joined us in 2014, helping out with administration in the office. Her attention for detail and diligence set her apart – and she has been on an upward trajectory ever since. From heading up our fleet to overseeing training to ensuring all Health and Safety documentation is up to date, she has proven time and time again that she is up to any task.

So when we set the new teams based structure in 2020, Catrin was an obvious choice to take the next step and head up her own Client Team, looking after a portfolio of some of our most cherished clients, including Thames Water and Smart. Her planning, organisation and communication skills makes her invaluable to her team and sets the right impression for her clients.

 
 

Lynn Bowring – Promoted to Client Relationship Supervisor

Lynn’s inside knowledge of the industry, clients and services made her excel in her Estimator role and she forged strong relationships with both clients and staff due to her accommodating and helpful nature.
In 2020, Lynn stepped into the Client Relationship Supervisor role, heading up her own team alongside two of our longest serving Contract Engineers, ensuring all avenues are covered for her clients.