Gwyn Morris has worked his way up from trainee dumper driver to a senior leadership role during his 35 years with Jones Bros.
Following another recent promotion, Gwyn is now a construction site manager at Clocaenog Forest Wind Farm.
He works closely with the contracts director, sharing responsibility to ensure construction of the infrastructure for the 27-turbine scheme is delivered on time and to budget.
Gwyn’s day-to-day responsibilities also include supervision of works managers, who in turn oversee foremen and their teams of ground construction operatives and plant drivers, as well as planning and reporting on overall progress.
After leaving school, Gwyn went to agricultural college, then worked on a farm for two years, before deciding he’d prefer to pursue a career operating heavy plant in the construction industry.
He joined Jones Bros aged 19, as an apprentice dumper driver, and within six months had progressed to become a trainee excavator operator.
He qualified as a heavy plant driver, and spent the next ten years driving various types of heavy plant, mainly on landfill sites and sea defence construction contracts around the UK.
Gwyn then worked for four years driving a low loader, delivering specialist items of heavy plant to Jones Bros sites across the UK, before he earned promotion to foreman.
In the position of foreman, Gwyn was employed on landfill, sea defence and wind farm sites, responsible for supervising teams of construction operatives and ground workers.
In 2014, Gwyn was promoted to works manager, a position he held until his appointment to his current senior leadership position, in March 2018.
Gwyn said: “In this role, I now work closely with the contracts director. There is a lot of planning ahead. Now, I get involved in internal project review and update meetings, where we gather information for progress reports to present to the client and our own operations team. I have to have more understanding now about the entire project rather than just one operation or team on a project.
“I also really enjoy the fact that, as I have become more senior, the roles have provided me with opportunities to mentor the up-and-coming members of the team.
“I’ve really enjoyed using my skills and sharing what I know with less experienced people.
“After all, earlier in my career, I benefited greatly by learning from more experienced colleagues, so it’s great to be in a position to do the same for the next generation.”
Gwyn went on to say: “Since the day I arrived in 1983, the company has presented opportunities, and trained and encouraged me all the way.
“I was continually being put on courses, whether operator courses, health and safety, or site manager training. If you show that you want to progress, the senior managers are always pushing you to aim high.
“Everyone at Jones Bros has the chance to progress or move sideways, to do whatever they like within the company, if that’s what they want.
“Here, you progress on merit. You don’t have to wait for someone to leave in order to get promoted.”
Gwyn’s family has strong connections with Jones Bros. For his father, Evan, now aged 85, was employed by the company for 30 years from 1974, as a driver of a low loader.
Furthermore, at one stage, Gwyn’s son Elfyn, formed a third generation of Morris family employees. He completed an apprenticeship as a plant mechanic, before leaving to take up a position outside construction five years later.