Nigel Higgison, the new owner of our Manawatu and Horowhenua franchise, is a local boy born and bred.
He spent 19 years running businesses in construction and project management. He’s also worked in almost every aspect of the building industry, from running crews on civil engineering projects and operating drill rigs and cranes in large foundation engineering around New Zealand to building beautiful new homes and multi-unit complexes in the Manawatu area.
Taking over his local Sentinel Homes Franchise was an exciting new challenge – and not without its pressure. He knows he has to see his clients every day and doesn’t take that responsibility lightly!
“It’s nice to walk into Countdown, for instance, and have someone shake your hand,” he says. “We’re building the future of the Manawatu – high-quality houses build communities. I love doing that.”
Throughout his large scale work, Nigel was passionate about architecture. He always wanted to get more involved in building new, which is why he jumped at the chance to join the Sentinel Homes team as a project manager.
“My son was building for the company, which is how I got to know them,” he explains.
When the previous owner moved on, Nigel knew he wanted to take over, and already had a clear vision for where he wanted to take the business.
“It’s not rocket science. It’s just getting key people in key roles. I’m talking about experienced, clever people. We’re dealing with people’s life savings, so there’s no room for error.”
That approach has already started paying off – within 12 months, the company has gone from three homes to 20, with clients trusting them to build large complex homes, multi-unit dwellings and duplexes.
“I’ve seen the whole spectrum of the build process and am experienced and comfortable with large and small projects.”
But he’s most excited about being able to work on bespoke builds at the architectural end of the industry.
“We’re not just making cookie-cutter houses,” he says.
Nigel’s oldest son Rueben was the reason he came to Sentinel Homes – and Rueben has now moved from building to taking over from Nigel as project manager.
“He has a very good reputation in town already,” says the proud dad.
Younger son Toby also works with Nigel, bringing his tiling expertise to different projects.
“We work well together. We have an honest, open relationship.”
And his out-of-work hobbies? Nigel loves boats and motorbikes but sold them a few months ago because they weren’t being used a lot anymore. “If I start something, I don’t stop until it’s 100%, so I’m all in Sentinel Homes at the moment,” he laughs.
Ask Nigel why he thinks business is booming and he’ll first credit his team.
“There’s a huge passion there. There’s really no room for 9-5 in this industry,” says Nigel.
He knows they’re all working for the same outcomes – even if it means he’s built a reputation for having high expectations and attention to detail.
“It’s that attention to detail, that fussiness you need when you’re dealing with people’s life savings.”
“We’ve got people shoulder-tapping us for jobs from other companies because they like the way we operate. We’re treating people well, and we know it’s crucial to our success.”
For many people, building a new home can be daunting – Nigel is setting Sentinel Homes apart in the market by building trust from the outset with excellent processes and customer service.
“It’s about talking to clients honestly, not just telling them what they want to hear, and suggesting clever alternatives to problems if and when they occur. The build process has a lot of moving parts and can be very complex . Our team enjoy taking the stress out of the process for our clients .”
Nigel is always surprised at the inroads we can make just by getting the basics of customer service right – getting back to people fast and making sure the pricing doesn’t sour the whole experience.
“We don’t want surprises,” he says. “I want them to walk into their new Sentinel home with smiles on their faces, thinking we’re amazing. So far, we’ve been getting that!”
Let’s get together for a free, no-pressure meeting with one of our team, at your place or ours.
We can't wait to hear your ideas!
