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The Grid Group is one of our country’s leading property developers. By Ian Armitage
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he Grid Group, one of South Africa’s leading property developers and building contractors, has a number of high profile clients, amongst them Massmart. “That project is a big warehouse building in Riverhorse Valley,” says The Grid Group’s Russell Winship, who recently talked with a South Africa Magazine researcher. “It is a massive structure that is easily noticed,” he says. Some of the construction statistics for that project are staggering, with as much
as six rugby fields cast in concrete for parking alone. But it is just one of a whole bunch of projects Grid Group has worked on and completed. “We’ve been involved with some leading construction projects, such as the Grideye office park in KwaZulu-Natal, the Porsche Umhlanga Building, and The Aspect and The Cube mixed-use developments at Umhlanga Ridge,” explains Winship. And the awards have flooded in. Grid Group won a Master Builders Association Excellence in Construction Award for its work on the www.southafricamag.com
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Porsche Umhlanga Building. That shouldn’t be a surprise, Winship says. The company has quite the “pedegree”, having been formed in 1967 and been owned and led by Bruce Winship and his family for the past 24 years. “Blending contemporary architecture and practicality, Porsche Umhlanga has burst out the red dust at speeds of zero to 100 in record breaking time, arriving first on the block the new housing for this glamorous vehicle has already got heads turning and people talking,” Grid Group’s website says, talking about the flagship project, proudly proclaiming that the “challenge to construct a high-class eyepiece was met with enthusiasm and confidence by the Grid team who are proud to be part and parcel of the high performance products both companies are accustomed to delivering.” It is one of best examples of green building in South Africa. “We brought some professionals over from America to assist us in developing the building and park,” Winship says. It is designed to be energyefficient and to have low emissions. “We firmly believe that green building helps with social upliftment, as well as being financially efficient,” Grid Group says. Grid Group is primarily focused in Durban and the KwaZulu-Natal region. The company employs around 250 people, covering the whole range of activities associated with construction. Its revenues are in the region of R500 million. “We already have R400 million booked in for this year,” says 4
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Winship. “We have been in the market for 45 years and are a stable, dependable company, with a strong portfolio of completed work. “We strive for the most economical prices,” he continues - a strategy, which coupled with an unwavering reliability and dedication to quality buildings, has made Grid Group “one of the most highly respected” building construction companies in the property development business. “We have several businesses within the group, covering a whole range of construction.” The companies within Grid Group are Grid Developments, Grid Construction and Grid Rentals. It’s clear that what began as a construction business now offers project management, small works, residential homes, rentals and commercial and office space: “While our years of experience and expertise as building contractors mean we can tackle even
Grid Group FEATURE
the largest contracts with complete confidence, we are also equally adept at handling the smallest jobs,” the company’s website says. “No matter how big or small the project, our customers are rest assured that it will be completed on time, within their budget and to the satisfaction of even the most exacting clients,” added Bruce Winship, CEO. “We have made it our highest priority to produce the best products at competitive prices. I believe one must have a humble attitude, but be dogmatic in a selfbelief that all goals will be achieved. Of prime importance to The Grid Group is maintaining the focus of quality and efficiency, while building strong effective relationships at all levels.”
This approach will see Grid Group well in the future, especially in what is a tough trading environment. So too will the fact that it has learned over the last few years to be highly innovative. “Throughout the South African property development and construction sectors, developers are now cutting their prices to stay afloat,” an industry insider told South Africa Magazine. “Many of the professionals serving the construction sector, some of whom four or five years ago had more work than they could really cope with, are now struggling and facing an uncertain future.” Will President Jacob Zuma’s pledge to ‘industrialise SA’ help? Only time will tell. Something does need to change. END To learn more visit www.grid.co.za.
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