It takes passion for any firm to succeed in the building and construction industry, and this is something that Betts & Townsend, a leading construction and project management firm in Africa, has in plenty. This explains why the firm has the confidence to declare in its mission: ‘It can be done! Nothing is impossible, and we know how to do it’.
For Betts & Townsend, which is celebrating a quarter of a century in business this year, its mission statement is not just words because the rich footprint of projects across Africa is testament to the fact that nothing indeed is impossible. “We have passion and passion drives the business. That’s why we are able to make the best decisions for clients,” says Michael Taylor, Betts & Townsend’s Executive Director. He adds that if you fix your mind and you are flexible, it is possible to find a solution to any challenge.
Over the past 25 years, Betts & Townsend has managed to emerge from a nondescript project management firm to join the leading holistic construction management firms in Africa. Howard Betts founded the firm in 1995 in South Africa, with the other founding directors being Taylor in 1998 and John Townsend in 2000. When he founded the firm, Betts had a vision of shaping the construction landscape across the African continent but did not envision Betts & Townsend as it is today. “Howard started this business in the back of his garage, literally,” states Taylor, adding the big break for the firm came in 1997 with the Village Walk refurbishment contract.
This, in fact, explains how the firm has managed to evolve having started as a project management company to one that generates 80 per cent of its income from construction management and turnkey. This emanated from spending about five years looking at how to differentiate itself by offering the market high quality and unrivalled services.
The firm does not hide the fact that it was born out of a determination to be different, with excellence being at the heart of its approach as it constantly strives to provide innovative ways of delivering complex projects and exceeding expectations within a true culture of collaboration. The firm prides itself in its knowledge, integrity and focus on putting the clients first. This explains why Betts & Townsend has evolved into a strong competitor in the project and construction management space, attracting high-calibre clients across the commercial, industrial, retail, leisure, mixed use, sports and institutional sectors.
Over the last two years in particular, Betts & Townsend has been concentrating on changing its approach to projects in which it aims to manage projects under one roof, something that clients are appreciating. “Today clients want full stop solutions and that’s what we want to offer them,” explains Taylor, adding that the complexity of modern day construction projects has made clients prefer dealing with one firm as opposed to different firms, each handling a different facet of the project.
Headquartered in Johannesburg, Betts & Townsend offers services across the spectrum of real estate, infrastructure and the built environment, bringing together experts in programme and project management, construction management and turnkey delivery, and co-ordinating the full professional team. A member of the Green Building Council of South Africa, the firm has offices in Gauteng, KwaZulu-Natal, Eastern Cape, Western Cape, Northern Cape, Kenya, Rwanda, Uganda, United Kingdom and Mauritius.
Being in an industry where clients’ confidence and trust is anchored on portfolio, Betts & Townsend stands out having implemented some of the most iconic projects across Africa. “We have been involved in massive projects that have given us credibility,” notes Taylor.
In South Africa, for instance, the firm oversaw the implementation of The Oprah Winfrey Leadership Academy for Girls, a unique project in which The Oprah Winfrey Foundation was able to trust Betts & Townsend and deposited the $250 million for the project into the firm’s bank accounts and only came back after the project was successfully delivered two and half years later.
Other iconic projects in South Africa include the Peter Mokaba FIFA Football Stadium, which Betts & Townsend picked while it was in distress mode considering that 20 per cent of the committed funds for the stadium and other related infrastructures like railways and roads had disappeared. “We were called with the brief to turn the project around and we delivered it in time for the FIFA world Cup,” says Taylor, adding this is among the projects that give the firm immense satisfaction and makes it stand out.
Other projects in South Africa include the Baywest Mall, the biggest mall in Africa, and Hemingways Mall. In Kenya, its footprint include The Hub, Sarit Centre and Dusit Hotel while in Rwanda it is overseeing the construction of the I&M Bank Headquarters, a unique project that encompasses solar water harvesting and green build. “This is the first building in East Africa that is powered by the sun and we harvest the solar and the rainwater,” explains Taylor, adding the building can be taken off the grid and that during the day the building is fully powered by solar.
Establishing itself as a trusted construction and project management firm has seen Betts & Townsend become the preferred choice for clients, both for repeat business and new clients despite the growing competition in the space. In South Africa for instance there are over 1,000 firms but Betts & Townsend continues to clinch many of the tenders. Its ability to deliver to the satisfaction of clients has also brought about recognition, with the firm winning industry awards including a Diamond PMR Africa certification, together with both Gold and Silver awards that clearly place it amongst the top three leading construction project management companies in Africa.
To ensure sustainability, in 2005, Betts & Townsend marked another milestone in its business after it entered into a strategic partnership with one of its clients, Redefine Properties, a firm with which it has done about 600 projects. As the second-largest South Africa-based property fund, Redefine is a major player in the property market and has been central in opening new channels of business for Betts & Townsend.
The partnership model is one that Betts & Townsend also wants to replicate in East Africa. “We want to start this kind of relationships and foster them,” avers Taylor. He adds that with proper governance and stability, East Africa has the potential to become a proper real estate investment trust (REIT) market.
Although the Covid-19 pandemic has dangerously shaken the building and construction industry, for Betts & Townsend it has been a learning period, particularly on the fact that limitations on travel has forced the directors who are always hands-on to take a backstage and let the subsidiaries operate with little supervision. “Our employees in the subsidiaries have taken the bull by the horns and have continued to execute projects in very challenging times. This has made it possible for us to deliver projects during Covid at a time when other companies have put breaks on projects,” explains Taylor.
Having building a formidable business over the past 25 years, Betts & Townsend is promising an exciting coming quarter of century with the world witnessing major innovations. With the future for the building and construction industry set to be defined by smart buildings and visionary, environment-friendly designs, Betts & Townsend is promising to be a central player in the unfolding new order.
