Steelrite is a respected steel framing company built on drive, experience, and family – and the staff are part of the extended family, too.
To find out more about Steelrite Framing go to www.steelrite.co.nz
Steelrite – a snapshot
Steelrite Framing is a steel framing specialist based in South Auckland with a branch recently opened in Gisborne.
The family-operated company has over eight years experience in cold-formed steel manufacturing including creating steel framing structures and prefabricated products – for everything from trusses for tiny home production to substantial frameworks for two-storey commercial buildings.
Steelrite also creates customised steel framing solutions for specific needs.
Climbing down off the roof
Every business story starts somewhere and Steelrite’s began with a career change for co-owner/director Mark Rose.
Having worked in the roofing industry for 30 years, Mark wanted a fresh challenge – plus, when your back is hurting you know it’s time for a change of scenery.
“At this point, we bought a steel shed franchise company in South Auckland. It was a franchise creating portal shed frames and as part of that we purchased the existing steel roll-forming machine to create our own elements for the sheds’ interior fit-outs,” says Mark. From there the business grew rapidly to the point where Mark had to upgrade that machine.
“Working together with Framecad (a cold-formed steel equipment & software company) we sped up the machine and updated the software,” he says.
“We won a couple of government contracts and moved from our home base to rented premises and bought another machine – and it just kept going from there.”
Strength to strength
Then came the couple’s brave leap to open a steel framing business and Steelrite Framing was born. “As of today, we have seven machines, a 150 machine, four 89 machines, a 63 machine and a Purlin machine. We have a staff of eleven, including one in Gisborne.
“Steelrite’s key clients include The Education Board and Kāinga Ora – Homes and Communities, Builtsmart and Compac Homes.
“Plus we’re up to about 140 cabins constructed for emergency housing down in Gisborne and the Hawkes Bay.”
Sometimes a bad thing results in a good thing
While Mark is the owner and director of Steelrite Framing, Vicki Rose is the other co-owner and takes care of the administration side of things. Together they ran the company for several years but a blood disorder meant Mark had to spend time in the hospital and time away from the business.
That’s when their son Cameron Rose came into the picture.
‘Why not someone I can trust’
“Cameron still had a month to go on his diesel apprenticeship but he said, ‘Dad, I’ll come and run the business – I’ll take a couple of months off work’,” says Mark. “Long story short, he enjoyed it – so, after a brief interlude to finish his apprenticeship training, he’s been with us ever since. He’s got a good rapport with clients, too – so, yeah, why not someone I can trust?”
It is perhaps no surprise that Cameron Rose is now the full-time manager.
“Cameron also brings young blood into the company and some of our clients have grown with us. It’s just gone from good to better.”
Family affair
So what’s it like being a family running a business together?
“I think it’s great – it’s close and trusting, like any family activity. Cameron treats my money as his money – we’re quite conscious of how we run the plant, what the market’s doing,” says Vicki. “Our philosophy is just get in there and if there is a problem, fix it right there and then.”
The trio are a close bunch but with staff also considered like family. “We feel the welfare of our staff is key and we reward them as well, not just through the payroll but also with lots of breaks, vege packs or meat packs – our staff love being fed, haha,” says Mark.
“So this is a family business, but you could also say it’s an extended family business.”
