Alan Barnes – Managing Director at Wernick Refurbished Buildings

Alan’s interview

My name is Alan Barnes and I am the Managing Director at Wernick Refurbished Buildings in York.

As General Manager my role mainly entails co-ordinating my team’s efforts in meeting and exceeding customer demands. I am responsible for all areas of the business including sales, on-site developments, factory production, administration, after-sales, as well as managing the team here in York. There are currently 40 members of staff in my team who report to me either indirectly or directly.

Communicating effectively with my team helps overcome and avoid all the problems and complexities that may arise on a day-to-day basis. Keeping the peace and developing good working relationships not just within my team, but with suppliers, clients, and sub-contractors, is a big part of my job.

I enjoy my role because the duties are so varied, you never know what the day has in store – and I like the challenge of that. The diversity of my role is something I enjoy, from managing site-visits, meeting clients, to interacting with my team and my bosses.

Managing housekeeping for the business, as well as all aspects of health and safety gives me a buzz.  I love being able to walk people around the business and be proud of it.

This is what gives our customers and visitors the right impression and is extremely important for Wernick Refurbished Buildings. High standards are what help us to sell our concept better, as to what a “Refurbished Modular Building” really is.  Our buildings are cost effective, they are designed and built for long term occupation. They are bespoke, they are high quality, and our team are proud of the refurbished buildings that we produce.

Seeing the business grow year on year is a great achievement for me.

I have been with Wernick for nearly 10 years, and I would absolutely recommend working here, it’s rewarding and a great place to work. We are always empowered here, we are given all the resources we need from our facilities to the tools we use, from there, it’s up to us to deliver the targets.

Outside of work: 

Long walks on the beach with the dog (14 miles of it between Bridlington and Hornsea on the east coast) – fantastic walking in the Lake District and a reduced amount of running are what keeps me in relative shape.

Cooking is another new hobby. The wife is very pleased!

I have also been getting back into fishing. I used to go as a teen, but recently I have started going with my youngest son. He’s 15 years old now and he teaches me all the new tactics. He’s a far better fisherman than me – check out his latest catch! It’s also great for father/son bonding time.