TALL TIMBER

Tony Brand.

ALL IN THE FAMILY

Story: Richard Stringfellow, Safetree Toroawhi

MULTI-GENERATIONAL BUSINESSES

are common in forestry, particularly among contractors. Brand Logging, Canterbury, is no exception.

Dad, Tony Brand, founded the business in 1984 and his wife, Kerin, does the books. Eldest son, Simon, is Operations Manager and younger son, Adam, is Manager for one of the crews. Daughter, Gemma Mason, works one day a week in the office and her husband Craig is a Diesel Mechanic and works in the workshop.

So, there are no prizes for guessing what this family talk about when they meet up for Sunday dinner.

“Yeah, when we get together socially, we do talk a bit about forestry,” says Tony.

“It’s good seeing the kids involved in the industry you work in. Sometimes I hear people say, ‘Oh, I don’t want my kids doing what I’m doing’. Well, I don’t think that. I think we’ve got a great industry and they’ll be set up for life if they carry on with it.”

Tony says his father got him into forestry: “We lived in Nelson and my dad worked for Baigents, putting in the forestry roads for the logging crews and the trucks. And I

used to go to work with him as a kid for the holidays. I just loved the skidders and the chainsaws and the smell of the timber.”

Today, Brand Logging runs four harvesting crews and a large repair workshop in Ashley that employs 12 people. It also runs one logging truck and some roading equipment, along with a Husqvarna Crown dealership in Rangiora. Enough to keep everyone busy.

Family focus

So, what’s it like working for your Dad? “It’s great working for Dad,” says Adam. “He’s seen it all in the industry so he’s always good to get advice from.

“Working in a family business is great. It gives us something in common. We’ve always got something to talk about when we catch up.”

What’s the best thing his sons have learnt from their father about running the forestry operation?

“I suppose one of the big things I’ve learnt from Dad is that dealing with people is a big part of the job,” Simon says.

He and his father work pretty well together, Kerin Brand (left) with Gemma Mason.

A vehicle renewal programme helps keep the crew safe.

Achievable targets avoid accidents and environmental problems.

he says. “He trusts me to look after the day-to-day running of the logging operation.

“He doesn’t come into the forest often these days because the other businesses keep him busy. But he’s still involved enough that I can ask him for advice if need to on the odd job that may have different challenges.”

Simon says the best thing about working in a family business has been growing up with it around him. “You just learn it from a young age.”

Adam says that when he joined the business his dad gave him good advice on how the ‘bosses kid’ could earn respect from the crew.

“When I was starting out, the best thing Dad taught me was a good work ethic. He told me the way to earn respect from the guys was to just get into it and work hard. And he was right.

“I think the best thing that Dad does as a business owner is, he looks after the guys, he looks after the gear and overall that looks after the company.”

Keeping it safe

So, does Tony worry about his sons working in a high-hazard industry like forestry?

No, “When it comes to safety, whether it’s my kids or any one of our staff, we want them all to be safe and go home at the end of the day,” Tony says.

Safetree Certified, Tony says Brand Logging’s approach to keeping the team safe is based on good training, good gear and good working conditions.

“We don’t scrimp on gear; we supply the guys with the right equipment and make sure all the machines are up to standard.

“Driving is a critical risk in forestry, so we’ve been updating our vehicles to safer ones. We can control how people drive on our site but on the open road there are other drivers, stock… anything can happen. So, we want our vehicles to offer good protection.

Fatigue is also a big issue in forestry, so operators are encouraged to jump out of their machines regularly for a quick stretch and a break.

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From left: Simon, Adam and Tony Brand.

“When it comes to production, we make sure the targets aren’t excessive and if we don’t make them there’s no punishment or coming in on Saturday to catch up.

“If you make the targets too high or start putting on production pressure that’s when bad stuff could happen – health and safety problems, environmental problems, machinery breakages.”

Simon says a key aspect that helps the business run as smoothly as it does is good staff retention.

“Of our 21 guys, one of them has worked for us for 30 years or more, three for over 20 years and another eight have worked here a decade or more. Fourteen of our guys were introduced to logging by us. Having experienced, trained operators helps things run smoothly. The guys know how to do the job right and safely.”

He thinks people stay because the company tries to look after them and because the crews have a good culture.

“At lunchtime, everyone comes down to the container to eat together and have a laugh. A lot of the guys socialise out of work as well.”

So, with much of the business now being taken care of by his children, is Tony ready to step back?

“I’m not sure I’ll ever retire. Once you’ve got your kids involved you feel like you can’t walk away really. Although to be honest they probably wouldn’t mind if I did!” NZL