To celebrate Father’s Day this Sunday, we take a trip down memory lane with father and son – Mick and Rick Heaver – who combined, have been working at Bewley Homes for nearly 40 years.
The photo (below) was taken in 1997 when Mick was the Manager of Bewley sponsored Alton Under 11s with Rick, standing next to him, playing a vital role in the success of the team that year.
Fast forward just over ten years later, Mick, Contracts Manager at Bewley, guided Rick into the industry when he was at a crossroads. Both their careers have been connected ever since. Rick is currently a Senior Site Manager working on the Bishop’s Gardens development in Wickham, Hampshire and Mick covers all the Bewley sites in the south east as part of his role and often visits Rick’s site to offer advice.
We ask father and son what it’s like to work together at Bewley Homes
What’s it like to work together?
Rick: It means everything to me. Having that working relationship and connection, the passion and the drive is why we make such a good team. Following Mum’s passing five years ago it’s not been easy, so for me, I love the fact I work with dad.
Mick: It’s great watching him mature into the person he is and his learning curve for the future.
How long have you worked together at Bewley?
Rick: Just over 12 years
How would you describe Mick?
Rick: My inspiration, that one person I can always look to for advice, if I need to talk about anything. Dad was my football manager as a young man and has led me to become the individual I am today. Passionate, strong and a true family man.
How would you describe Rick?
Mick: He wears his heart on his sleeve and is very passionate about everything he does. We are in a business that can be very frustrating and stressful but both of us love what we do. As a father I’m proud to say: ‘that’s my son’.
Do you ever disagree at work?
Rick: Yes! Who doesn’t? Everyone has their own ways of how they would like to do things but that’s where we rub off on each other and come up with different ideas. Normally mine are better than his!
Mick: “No, we don’t really disagree!”
Did you always anticipate joining your dad in the industry?
Rick: To be honest it never crossed my mind. I was at a dead end didn’t know what to do so was ‘guided’ into the industry by dad and it’s the best thing that could have ever happened to me.
What’s the best aspect about your job?
Rick: Bewley is a great company to work for and I can’t believe how fast the time has gone. The best thing is seeing the customer happy with their new home. After all we spend tens of thousands of hours designing and building a new home for a buyer and it makes it all worthwhile. I genuinely love my job as well – it’s my passion!
Mick: There are many satisfying aspects of the job. Seeing the vision and plans eventually built into a thriving community gives you a sense of pride. I have always loved building houses and how they have evolved over the years with the introduction of new regulations.
Andrew Brooks, Managing Director at Bewley Homes, commented: “It’s a special relationship and both Mick and Rick are highly respected members of the Bewley team. We have a number of sibling and parents working here which follows our family ethos.”
