JUNE CELEBRATIONS

Posted on July 3, 2018 by James Kingston

June Celebrations – The Kingston Barnes team have finished June 2018 on a high!

Congratulations to the whole team; with a special shout out to our stand out members who are celebrating various personal goals.

From left to right:

Frank Parker and Becca Elliott celebrate their 1^st placements! Both Frank and Becca joined the Engineering team in April and two months in have successfully placed new candidates into exciting positions. They have both made a very promising start and we are looking forward to seeing big things to come from both of them!

Justin Reynolds, who heads up our Engineering Team is celebrating his 2-year anniversary with us! Within two years at Kingston Barnes, he has not only started a new division from scratch but he has grown it to be the successful team of 6 that it is today! Amazing work Justin, we are proud to have you onboard!

Sam Hewitt is our latest junior member of staff to be promoted from Resourcer to Senior Resourcer – congratulations!! We believe that it is important to promote from within; what better way to be at the top of your game than by working your way up through each level to get there. Sam has shown fantastic initiative and has proven himself as a vital member of the Construction team.

Sam Coggins, one of our Senior Consultants within freelance construction is celebrating his 1^st year anniversary with us! Sam joined us last year to work in our white collar freelance team, helping find long term contract positions for Site Manager’s, Engineers and QS’s. Sam has really enjoyed the new area and is looking forward to the busy holiday period ahead.

It is so important to celebrate milestones and successes so well done to all – enjoy your champers!!

KINGSTON BARNES & CONSTRUCTING EXCELLENCE

Posted on June 27, 2018June 27, 2018 by James Kingston

KINGSTON BARNES & CONSTRUCTING EXCELLENCE – We had a fantastic day at the South West Construction Summit, followed by a fabulous evening at the South West Built Environment Awards which was celebrating its 11th year of excellence within the industry.

The South West Construction Summit was a combined Conference and Exhibition and bought together the regional construction industry and its supply chain to explore opportunities, major projects, client commitments and procurement best practice.

The event strives to guide and help the South West built environment sector to define their route map for grasping the strategic opportunities in a lively and structured way, allowing for plenty of input from industry leaders and their suppliers coalescing around a range of key themes.

The evening event was hosted by Suzi Perry, broadcast journalist. The regional awards are well recognised as being in a class of their own; they bring together the industry and celebrate the best of the South West region. It is a high point in the regional construction calendar and each year it commands the attention of industry professionals from across the South West.

A great number of leaders and innovators from across the construction sector gathered at Ashton Gate Stadium – Bristol to celebrate the very best industry projects.

We are again a proud sponsor of the Future Leader Award, and Kingston Barnes would like to say huge congratulations to Sophie Smith from Atkins for winning the award!

We would also like to extend our congratulations to the runners up and the rest of the evening’s winners. Andrew Carpenter, Chief Executive of Constructing Excellence South West said: “I would like to congratulate everybody who took part in the South West Built Environment Awards from the finalists through to the winners of this prestigious awards ceremony, that honours the best names in the industry. The awards are a fantastic celebration of everyone’s achievements.”

Kingston Barnes is passionate in understanding and having strong knowledge of the industry which is why we choose to sponsor these awards. It keeps us ‘in the know’ and ensures our roots are deeply ingrained in the construction world.

It was a great evening and we look forward to sponsoring and attending again next year!!

BRISTOL CHILDREN’S HOSPITAL SENSORY PLAY AREAS TRANSFORMED

Posted on June 25, 2018 by James Kingston

BRISTOL CHILDREN’S HOSPITAL SENSORY PLAY AREAS TRANSFORMED… Kingston Barnes are thrilled to have helped fund the sensory play area at the children’s hospital.

The play areas have undergone an extensive renovation to meet the growing demand for specialist sensory facilities, thanks to funding from Bristol Children’s Hospital charity The Grand Appeal and Kingston Barnes.

We managed to raise the money through a variety of charity days that we arranged. These include golf days, football tournaments, a family fun fair and our very own James Kingston who completed a half Ironman.

The renovation includes the installation of a range of interactive sensory play equipment such as colour washing light projections and a new control panel to enable the Grand Appeal Sensory Play Practitioner to easily adapt sessions to each child’s specialist needs. A new outdoor space has been created which features a range of sensory activities including a full body support swing, a water feature and interactive light and sound panels.

Sensory play is an essential part of child’s development and is particularly effective for children with disabilities and special needs, helping them develop important life skills including colour recognition, vocalisation and motor skills. Sensory play can also act as an essential outlet for children who are in pain, distressed or anxious about their stay in hospital. As a major trauma centre for the entire South West region, and a leading paediatric neurosurgery centre, the hospital cares for many patients with a range of complex additional needs which require specialist sensory support.

Thank you to all of our clients and suppliers that have been involved with our fund raising; we are delighted to show how your kind donations have helped changed the lives of children with disabilities and special needs.

Our current fundraising project is to raise £15,000 so we can purchase a state of the art incubator for premature babies on behalf of Above and Beyond. The Incubator for babies in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit at St Michael’s Hospital, provides much more visibility for parents to see their very small and sick baby than a normal incubator does. It also means parents can cuddle their baby without taking them off the ventilator. This contact and visibility is vital for both a baby and its parents during these early days and weeks of life and is a fantastic cause to be raising money for.

We have a football tournament coming up over the summer and 10 KB employees are taking part in Tough Mudder in August in order for us to achieve our fundraising goal!

We look forward to your continued support and generosity.

ARCHITECTURE AND DESIGN DIVISION – RELAUNCHED!

Posted on June 20, 2018June 20, 2018 by James Kingston

ARCHITECTURE AND DESIGN DIVISION – RELAUNCHED! Kingston Barnes are delighted to be relaunching our Architecture and Design division and would like to welcome Dave Harries to the Kingston Barnes team.

Dave has joined us with extensive experience within the architectural and design sectors and will be heading up the division as part of the permanent construction team, when asked how Dave felt about joining KB he said “having worked with James previously, I have seen the exciting journey of how Kingston Barnes have grown to be a market leader and I have been impressed by their presence, reputation and growth plans for the future.

I am really looking forward to working with James, Kate and the team to build the Architecture and Design division. It’s an area I’m really passionate about and feel there is a big gap in the market where clients can find a better bespoke service identifying talent not on the market.

Our goal is to become the leading Architecture recruiter in the South West so it’s great being a part of a business keen to expand and invest. I haven’t worked for a company with so much energy and drive before, its infectious!”

James Kingston, Dave Harries and Kate Hallett

James Kingston said “We are thrilled to have Dave join us to expand our construction team even further with Architecture & Design. Having worked with Dave previously we know he mirrors Kingston Barnes’s high standards of recruitment and will be a great addition to the team to help us achieve our 2020 vision.

Having spent nearly 20 years recruiting key people in Architecture and Design, Dave has come in to build our team and enable Kingston Barnes to be the No1 recruiter in the South West. Our goal is to offer every business within the built environment great recruitment and Dave is the final piece of the puzzle now enabling us to have the infrastructure to do so.”

Testimonials

Jamie Harwood – Operations Director | Beard Construction

I have known James for nearly 10 years during which time he has supplied me with various temporary staff on site from a setting out engineer to a site manager. James’s understanding of the construction industry combined his vast market knowledge makes him an excellent recruiter. I can trust James when given a position to provide someone that will always stand up and more often exceed expectations. James is a pleasure to work with and will always be upfront, honest and reliable. If he cannot find the right person he will tell me rather than just trying to place a bum on a seat.
Duncan Hutchinson, Director | G Works Ltd

I have known James for over 5 years during which time I have used his services for supplying temporary and permanent personnel for engineering, management and quantity surveyors.

James spent the time understanding our business needs and personnel, hence when called upon always delvers candidates who meet our needs and fit perfectly into our company. James will always go that extra mile and put 110% effort into filling even sometimes the most difficult position with little or no time available.

James’s communication skills throughout the whole recruitment process are second to none and we trust him and Kingston Barnes to deliver our needs when called upon. Their knowledge of the market and candidates is excellent and he can always find the right match of candidate for us.

I would not hesitate to recommend James and Kingston Barnes to anyone within the construction industry, we trust what they deliver for us.
Laurence Howlin, Senior Engineer

I have known James for over 10 years during which time James has placed me on several long term contracts, on prominent / high profile projects in the Bristol and the surrounding areas.

James is professional and efficient, yet takes the time to give you a personal and friendly service. He is highly regarded in the recruitment industry both by the people he has placed and the clients he has provided for.

James is always my first choice when venturing out for a new position in the Construction Industry, and I never hesitate to recommend him
Andy Corp, Managing Director | Halsall Construction

James is able to understand effectively what our business needs are and can match high calibre candidates to the skills sets, experience, and qualifications required. James has responded very quickly to our ever changing business needs for both permanent and contract staff and has always delivered on tight timescales.

James is professional, knowledgeable and helpful. We are very impressed with the results and the candidates have made successful additions to our team.
Lee Mahoney, Senior Quantity Surveyor

James has an outstanding knowledge of his market sectors and is my only point of contact when seeking an employment opportunity. I have known James in excess of 6 years and find his attitude towards candidates is very personable and as a candidate you feel as though you aren’t just a number and a means to a commission. James is very thorough in sourcing the right position and meticulous in ensuring all parties are kept well informed. I would recommend James to anyone seeking career opportunities in construction and shall continue to use his expertise in my own career development.
David Wright, Site Manager

I was contacted by James as he had come across my CV that I uploaded to the internet literally days before, he was very friendly and genuinely interested in not just my qualifications but my work history and me as a person. From this initial conversation I was amazed how many people we both new and had worked with in the industry. James already had a position in mind and set about getting me interviewed. This happened so quickly two weeks later I was interviewed at Kingston Barnes offices in Bristol, one week later I was back for the second interview and offered the position of a Site Manager.

Unlike many recruitment services out there, Kingston Barnes knows what its clients needs are; of both those recruiting and those looking for a new career. They are both efficient and genuinely interested in getting the right people in the right position. James is a great guy who would put any one at ease before an interview. I will definitely recommend Kingston Barnes to anyone who is serious about finding a new career.
Rachel Lintell, Former HR Manager – Resolution Interiors

I have worked with James in various guises, be it permanent recruitment or for contract roles and have always found him to be the complete professional. For example, in order to streamline the process of recruiting contract site managers I needed to set in place a new system to be able to cope with the demand and with James’ support and advice, this made the whole process much easier and less stressful and meant we were able to make cost savings along the way too!

James supplied a number of permanent candidates into a fast paced business and literally dozens of contractors over the three years that we worked closely. The candidates were all high quality and reliable and James took the time to listen to and understand our needs as a business. I find him extremely easy to get along with, you can rely on James to be honest and up front I have great trust and confidence in James’ abilities as a recruiter and would not hesitate to recommend his services.
David Dawson, Commercial Manager

I have worked with James Kingston over a number of years and he has provided a consistently high standard of service in securing suitable temporary and permanent candidates for various vacancies for me in the South West. I look forward to continuing to work with James in the future.
Richard Zaki | Construction Manager

I have only worked with James for 1-2 years and came across him by reputation, I was told he was an excellent recruiter with a good grasp of local candidates and that he provided a good quality service. I am pleased that James actually exceeded expectations! I approached James to assist me in finding a Project Manager for our Devon region. James only sent me two CV’s of candidates both of whom were exactly matched to the specification he took from me when he came down to see me to discuss the vacancy in more detail. Both candidates were worth interviewing and we employed one of the candidates introduced via James.

James has a very good understanding of the construction market and all the people within it. I have since used James on several occasions and look forward to continuing to do so in the future.
Andy Harris, Senior Site Manager

I have worked for James Kingston on and off for the past 4 years for various companies James has introduced me to on a temporary basis. James has a very good knowledge of the building and construction industry and very good working relationships with the people he employs and also his clients, I have found James to be very honest and professional at all times, and is my preferred recruitment specialist providing me with long runs of work with excellent rates of pay I would have no hesitation in recommending James Kingston to fellow colleagues and clients.
Kevin Cornish – Project Manager | Bouygues UK

I have worked with James for 10 years as a client and more recently as a candidate looking for a new opportunity.

James upholds the professional approach at Kingston Barnes that in my view gives this company one of the best reputations within the region for construction recruitment.

James has the necessary contacts and understanding of the type of personnel I required in my previous role of head of construction at Cowlin, Operations Manager at ISG and also as Project Director for Balfour Beatty’s £70m Temple Quay development. James is a pleasure to work with, regularly and reliably finding me first rate employees and managers and will I’m sure remain for some years one of my preferred partners within construction recruitment.
Phil Tucker – Preconstruction Director | Galliford Try Building South West

I have known James for over 5 years and have used his recruitment services on many occasions, one of the biggest difficulties I have found is finding the right candidates for a vacancy, even more difficult is finding the right recruitment consultancy to act on your behalf and introduce the right people to us.

I found James very honest about his candidates, he knew their strengths and weaknesses and his knowledge about the regional contracting market is fantastic. James understands our requirements so when presented with a vacancy can identify and accurately match the individual I am looking for and find the right candidate.

James is professional, understanding and an excellent recruiter. He will take the time to understand our business and will always deliver on assignments providing in my opinion perfectly matched candidates. I look forward to continue using James and Kingston Barnes services.
Paul Brierley, Managing QS – Harvey Shopfitters

Our company has used Kingston Barnes on numerous occasions to fulfill our resource requirements. Not only have we built up an understanding of mutual trust but also one of professional integrity. As our company continues to expand, it is vital that discussions between recruitment consultants remain confidential. We expect possible candidates to have been thoroughly vetted to suit our needs . I am confident in stating that Kingston Barnes provide a service which we can rely upon.
Theo Hartry, Assistant Site Manager

I just wanted to thank you again for my new placement. Its been a pleasure dealing with Kingston Barnes from the beginning. My previous experience of recruitment agencies has always seemed time consuming and I’ve been left feeling unsure whether my best interests are being considered, however when dealing with Kingston Barnes there was no wasted time. The very next day after sending them my CV I was in dialog about various job prospects and this continued until the correct offer was found. As I was currently working I was glad that I wasn’t pestered everyday with pointless job offers, they only seem to talk to me when a suitable position was available. The successful position that was offered to me had been carefully and incredibly rigorously found. I was given lots of support before the interview with a great amount of detail about the company’s background and current position within the industry. The position was perfectly suited to my current ambitions and has offered me a large scope for career progression. Following my successful placement I was sent a very thoughtful personalised bottle of champagne and letter congratulating me which in my experience is just one more element that separates Kingston Barnes from any recruiter I’ve dealt with.
Steve Duke – Senior Quantity Surveyor

Just a note to thank Kingston Barnes in helping me in securing my new position at Redcliffe Homes.

From our first dealings you always listened to my requirements and kept in contact on a regular basis which made me secure in the knowledge that you were acting on my behalf as a person and not a number.

I cannot recommend you and Kingston Barnes highly enough to anybody looking for a creditable employment agency in a sea where many are viewed with distrust.
David Medley – Quantity Surveyor

After some bad experiences I was initially reluctant to move back from retail into construction, however after a meeting with James Kingston and Alex Payne of Kingston Barnes I felt very confident they would be able to find me a company that suited me. From the outset, I felt Kingston Barnes were looking after my best interests as they took the time to understand my ambitions and training needs. It wasn’t long before they were able to find me a number of companies which they felt were suitable and then acted quickly to arrange interviews. For each and every interview I was given a lot of information to help me with learn about each company, this strongly contributed to receiving the eventual offers. James talked me through each offer clearly and pointed out the benefits of each without being too pushy to go with one or another. I am now very excited to be restarting my career in construction and this is largely due to the service provided to me by Kingston Barnes.
Pete Holland – Project Manager

I am a Chartered Builder with over 40 years’ experience in this country and overseas and I am quite a good judge of character. I have been a freelance Project Manager for the past 3 years and am really enjoying the freedom that brings. I work with a few people I trust and Charlie is one of them. I was so impressed with our initial telephone conversation that I came up to Bristol from Trowbridge in Wiltshire so we could meet.

It was the day of the General Election 07-05-15 and I was so glad I did.

I met with Charlie and Jordan and we discussed the construction market and freelance opportunities. These young men were genuine and switched on, interested and so willing to help. Throughout the summer Charlie kept me going with opportunities allowing me to make good impressions with several contractors for which I am most grateful.

Charlie always give me the impression that he wants to do the best for me which is why he is one of my tried and tested contacts!
Gary Male – Design & Technical Director – Bloor Homes

Kate, many thanks for your assistance in sourcing two new members for our commercial team over the last few months. I have found you and others at Kingston Barnes to be a pleasure to deal with as you have always been responsive, professional and pro-active. This has been a particularly active market and your response with a suitable candidate was most welcome on both occasions. Should any vacancies arise in the future, I will definitely utilise the help of Kingston Barnes in filling the role.
Mark Keightley – Quantity Surveyor

I have had a fantastic success story will Kingston Barnes. After being on the market for a few weeks I was beginning to think it would be difficult to achieve what I was looking for. After speaking to James Kingston within 1 hour I was sat in Kingston Barnes office discussing what I was actually looking for and creating a shortlist of companies to approach, this was the first time I had ever been invited to do this, as many other consultants were only interested in sending my CV to anyone that showed an interest. By the next day James and Alex had arranged 4 interviews for me, providing a varied selection of companies all within my criteria and requirements. When I was offered the job verbally, the written offer took some time to come through, however Alex was on hand to manage the process and keep me updated. I would highly recommend Kingston Barnes going forwards as they found me exactly what I was looking for.
Andrew McKim – Project Manager

Kingston Barnes delivers. As a freelance Project Manager, Charlie has placed me on a number of good local projects with high-ranking, regional players, keeping me continually employed over the past eighteen months. I have been very impressed with his integrity. If you are looking for a construction management role, then I would definitely recommend you give Kingston Barnes a call.
Simon Larkin – Project Lead – Sweet Construct

I would like to give a huge thank you to Kate Hallett of Kingston Barnes. She was very helpful and worked hard on finding the right position for me (two positions and two offers). I would highly recommend her and her team if you are looking to recruit or looking for a new position. Thanks Kate Hallett.
Martin Burgis – Partner – Peter Gunning & Partners LLP

“PGP have used Kingston Barnes to source various new members of our Quantity Surveying team over the past few years in what is a challenging marketplace for new recruits. Kingston Barnes have taken the time to understand our business and have provided some excellent candidates taking the time and stress involved with advertising away and allowing us to continue to concentrate on our business. We would strongly recommend Kingston Barnes to assist anyone with their recruitment needs”
James Driscoll – Cost Manager – Turner and Townsend

“I am pleased to provide this statement to highlight the exceptional service Kingston Barnes offered me from initial contact to successfully being placed with an employer. I would like to give a special thanks to Charles Orr, you have been a pleasure to contact, very helpful and friendly. Thank you for your encouraging words and support from my application to interview and after to see how I’m getting on, I will never forget this!

I would highly recommend Kingston Barnes you have been fantastic to work with”.
Joe Poppy – Quantity Surveyor – Cube LLP

During my career as a Quantity Surveyor over the last 12 years I can honestly say I have not come across a recruitment consultancy that prioritize the applicants needs over their own finding fees, until I met up with Kingston Barnes. My position was a particularly difficult one at the time but KB managed to take my requirements on board and introduce me to a company that could fully accommodate them as opposed to trying to tempt me into alternative opportunities that most of us would have considered anyway. In addition to the excellent service provided during the negotiation process KB have continued to impress with their aftercare, with regular feedback on progress and sincere willingness for the candidate to succeed within their new role (something that a lot of recruitment companies tend to forget about). I would recommend KB to any aspiring QS that wants to improve their career.
Nick Cooper – Land Director | Redcliffe Homes

It was a pleasure to deal with Kate at Kingston Barnes. They have fantastic contacts within the development industry and unlike many other recruitment agencies made me feel like an important individual and took my search seriously and kept in regular contact. They were quick to understand the type of role I was looking for and more specifically the type of company I was seeking and each time put me forward for exactly the right position. I found Kate professional and approachable and always there to help through the process.
Nik Williams – Contracts Manager – Harvey Shopfitters

Having had some very mixed experiences with a variety of similar firms in the past, it was an absolute pleasure working with Kate Hallett at Kingston Barnes.

After an initial introduction with Kate, she wasted no time at all in contacting various prospective employers, which she felt suited my skill set and requirements. Within a few days she had meetings set up, and very quickly I was employed by a fantastic firm.

I know that it was Kate’s professionalism and persistence that opened the door for me, and without her I would not be in the position that I am in now. Even after my employment, it was reassuring to receive follow up calls and emails enquiring how things were going, which is a great touch.

I really cannot rate Kingston Barnes highly enough, and I would recommend them to anybody who feels they need the services offered.
Richard Jeans – Interim Procurement Manager | Edwards Vacuum

I have been an Interim Procurement Manager with Edwards for over 6 years. The department I work within is a key part of the business. Non-performance would stop inbound supply of products so when we have any staffing requirements they are urgent and very important we have the right person hired.

Historically I have found it very difficult to recruit for my team. I have used agencies in the past but my experience has been awful. I have found a lot of recruiters do not understand the positions or our business and are unable to act fast to my needs when the arise. As a result no suitable candidates being submitted has left important gaps in my team.

I have only been working with Kingston Barnes for the last 6 months, but I must say working with them has been a breath of fresh air!
Kingston Barnes have successfully recruited 3 excellent people in my team all of which are still here. Every vacancy I have needed to fulfil they understood the role and the type of person I was looking for. But what has impressed me the most is their speed of finding quality candidates. Within 24-48 hours of my requirements being identified I had a selection of perfectly suited candidates which had been carefully selected, consulted in detail and sent to me. All of which were an exact match to what I was looking for. This has saved me an awful lot of time and hassle, ensuring my team can succeed.

Kingston Barnes is now my recruiter of choice. They get my needs, understand the business, communicate well but most importantly deliver. I would certainly recommend for companies looking for an easy, enjoyable and effective recruitment process.