Goodbye, you're in safe hands
After almost a quarter of a century at the Association, it is time for me to step out. I will miss some of it, but I have reached my limit and someone new needs to drive the project forward!
Despite the struggles, it has always been the members that have made the job worthwhile. It has been my great privilege to stand in representation of a community of professionals who have the confidence and foresight to fund an organisation that is tasked with challenging them.
It is members who have sanctioned and funded the adoption of new ways of working, helped to create national consumer protection schemes, enforced mandatory qualifications and best practice, and driven engagement with legislators. The PCA has simply represented your wishes. As a result, the PCA continues to be at the vanguard of education, professional standards and customer service.
When I joined the BWPDA, we were still in London. The business was sober, functional and respected, but not very exciting. When we moved to Derby, we changed our name and then after a slightly acrimonious separation from the BPCA, the PCA ended up in Huntingdon with a new boss. This move resulted in meeting the love of my life, a new home, two beautiful children, a dog and a great many new friends.
As the PCA grew...
Despite being a talented administrator, my predecessor didn’t really learn to read the room very well, and so her tenure was relatively short. As my time as gaffer began, I took the view that we needed to keep things simple. With the support of the Board over many years, growth and expectation have seen things get a bit more complicated, but what is retained is the ideal that nothing happens unless it benefits members.
There are always things to fix, but as I clear my desk, I think Sue and I can take some pride in the fact that we are leaving the PCA in a better state than when we found it. It has money in the bank, it owns property, it has become the permanent voice in the sectors it represents, and it is relevant. The Association is a respected training and qualification provider and we have a lots of friends, supporters and collaborators that range from homeowners and legislators to academics and lenders.
Any organisation which makes waves, sets challenges and impacts the market will have detractors and I have certainly collected a few of those over the years. But regardless of a few noisy idiots and the limited effect they may have had, the PCA has never been so well regarded, connected or important. There are lots of people who have the PCA in their phones!
The future of the Association...
As the Association moves into the next phase of its development, we must trust that the new team remembers that the organisation they are privileged to serve is built on the hard work, experience, skill, and reputation of those who trust them to do the right thing. I know members will remind them of this if they don’t!
I am a bloke who remains as fascinated by damp, rot and mould as I was when I started on the tools at 19. No surprise then that I will be unable to fall far from the tree! As a surveyor, consultant and teacher operating my own firm, I very much hope that I can retain links with the PCA and provide the sort of service to contractors, clients and the Association that I have seen valued by so many for so long.
So this is goodbye. Good luck to you all and thank you for the opportunity, the friendship the support and the challenges.
Very kind regards
Steve.