For some people, a career with Tamdown begins with a job application. For this month’s Stories from our Longest-Serving Colleagues feature, it began around the family kitchen table!
As the son of Tamdown co-founder Tom Mohan (affectionately known as “Ginger Tom”), Paddy Mohan witnessed the business grow from its earliest days, from watching wages being handed out from his home on a Friday to building a career that has spanned more than four decades.
A proud dad of three, he has progressed from Labourer to Senior Contracts Manager, and his story is one of hard work, loyalty, leadership and a deep pride in the people, projects and values that have shaped Tamdown over the last 50 years.
How are you linked to the formation of Tamdown?
My dad was one of the founders of Tamdown. Tom Mohan, affectionately known as “Ginger Tom”, started the business in 1976 alongside his business partner, Mick McDonnell. Growing up, Tamdown was always a big part of my life, so the company has been close to my heart from the very beginning.
What is your earliest memory of Tamdown?
I always remember dad working the in corner of the kitchen. He would have all his paperwork spread out around him on the kitchen table. And I can also remember the workforce turning up on a Friday to pick up their wages. That was completely normal for me growing up. My dad lived and breathed Tamdown. He worked incredibly hard to build the business.
One summer, when I was 14, he told me, “You’re not lying around here all through the school holidays. You can help out on site.” So he arranged for me to work on the Bury St Edmunds site. He dropped me off on my first day, handed me over to the ganger man, Jim McCarthy, and left me there. Jim showed me how to operate a dumper and told me to get on with it. At the end of the day, one of the machine drivers dropped me home. That’s pretty much what I did for the rest of the summer holidays, helping out with whatever a 14 year-old labourer could do in those days.
At Christmas, I helped with the setting out for what is now No.4 Tamdown Way. I can still remember bashing pins into the frozen ground in the snow. After that, I spent every school holiday working on site.
The following summer, I worked with Keith Breen as a Trainee Engineer, and that’s when I realised I really enjoyed that role. It inspired me to go to college, where I completed my HNC. Keith and I got on well and has always been a great mentor and friend. There was always plenty of banter, although he was very good at keeping me in my place.
I remember before hard hats and high vis, the office was the dash of the van. Site phones were rare and mobiles didn’t exist. My first job on a new site was to find a phone box and make sure I had plenty of coins to make calls to order concrete!
What roles have you had during your time with Tamdown?
I’ve worked my way through a number of roles over the years: Labourer, Groundworker, Trainee Engineer, Engineer, Site Manager, Contracts Manager, Director of Operations and Senior Contracts Manager.
I’ve been running sites since I was 22 years old, so I’ve had the opportunity to build up experience across many areas of the business.
Looking back, I’ve been fortunate to see the business from almost every angle, having progressed from working on site as a labourer through to a senior leadership role.
Is there a project that stands out as particularly challenging or rewarding?
Great Notley Garden Village is one that really stands out. It was one of the first major projects I worked on, and I was involved from the very beginning, including the first infrastructure meetings.
I helped develop the drainage ponds in the Country Park, and when I look at them today, it’s incredible to remember sitting in a dusty site cabin trying to work out how everything would fit together. Now you see swans on the water, families walking their dogs and people enjoying the area. I’m really proud to have played a part in creating something that has become such an important part of the community.
There have been plenty of other moments over the years too. I’ll be driving along with my family and point things out to the kids, saying, “See that roundabout?” or “See that crane, that’s a Tamdown crane,” or “See that building up there? We did that.” I have a real sense of pride in looking back and seeing the impact of the projects I’ve worked on and know they’ve helped shape places where people live and work.
How would you describe the company culture now?
I still believe the company is founded on the same principles it started with, which is that we care. We still want everyone to go home safely at the end of the day, and that has never changed.
The culture is very much people-based. If you look after your workforce and make people feel valued, they’ll support you in return. I’ve always believed that when people know they’re respected and cared for, they give their best. For me, that’s one of the things that has remained consistent throughout Tamdown’s history and is still a big part of the culture today.
What have you found to be the most rewarding part of your time at Tamdown?
Developing people has always been the most rewarding part of my job. If someone is good at what they do, I like to encourage them to take the next step and give them the opportunity to try a higher role. As someone who is dyslexic myself, I’ve seen first-hand how people can thrive in our industry when they’re given the right opportunities and support.
People often think being a manager is easier, but the reality is very different. Alongside the job itself, you’re dealing with paperwork, customer expectations, supporting your workforce and sometimes helping people through challenges they’re facing at home. Sometimes promotion is not for them, but at least we have given them the opportunity.
When I look back, I’m proud of the people I’ve helped develop and the part I’ve played in their careers.
I’m also proud of the work we do. We’re building people’s homes, often the biggest investment they’ll ever make. There’s a real sense of satisfaction in delivering a project and creating places where people want to live.
Another part of the job I love is solving customers’ engineering problems. If a client has a challenging project and isn’t sure how to make it work, I enjoy being part of the team that finds a solution. I like that puzzle-solving aspect and figuring out how to turn an idea into reality.
What advice would you give to someone aspiring to a construction management role in the industry?
It’s a rewarding career and, if you’re prepared to work hard, it can be very rewarding financially too. Construction management isn’t just for people who are highly academic. If you’re a good problem-solver, can communicate well and enjoy developing and leading teams, there are plenty of opportunities to build a successful career.
The industry has changed a lot during my career. Years ago, groundworks wasn’t always viewed as a trade in the same way as bricklaying, but that’s changed. It’s become much more professional and covers a huge range of skills, from roads and drainage to paving and hard landscaping. There’s a lot more to it than people realise, which creates opportunities for people with different strengths and interests.
One of the things I like most about the industry is that you have something tangible to show for your hard work. At the end of a project, you can stand back, look at what you’ve helped create and say, “Yeah, we did that.”
What keeps you motivated after so many years?
Passion for what I do. I enjoy creating things and working with people to make that happen.
What does the company’s 50-year milestone mean to you personally?
I’m very proud of the journey we’ve been on. Over the years, some of our customers have become lifelong friends, which says a lot about the relationships we’ve built along the way.
There have been some unbelievable challenges to overcome, from recessions and global events to the uncertainty of Covid. It’s certainly been a rollercoaster at times, but we’ve always found a way to keep moving forward.
I’m especially grateful for all the legends I’ve worked with over the years (too many to mention), who helped shape my career and taught me so much along the way. I still remember people like Mike Morris as a Materials Buyer, Keith Breen as an engineer, Dawn Hillman on Reception, Rob Kendal starting out as a Trainee Machine Driver, Barry Maile and Lee Haylock as Trainee Engineers and Mike Hine as a forklift driver. Watching people develop and build successful careers has always been part of what makes Tamdown special.
To have been part of that journey, and to see the company reach its 50-year milestone, is something I’m incredibly proud of.