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October 7, 2025
Reaching 20 years in business is something I feel both proud of and grateful for. It’s given me the chance to look back at the choices, challenges, and lessons that have shaped TEG into what it is today. More than anything, our story has been about staying true to our niche, learning as we go, and relying on the strength of our people.
Finding Our Niche
One of the most important decisions early on was to specialise. We chose to focus on providing seconded Project Managers for the Food & Beverage industry, supported by safety engineering expertise. That decision gave us a clear identity, and it’s been the foundation for much of our success. The food and beverage sector can be demanding and fast-paced, but it’s also full of great people to work with. Our clients have been supportive, collaborative, and a big part of why we’ve enjoyed the journey so much.
Safety engineering has always been part of our DNA, and it continues to set us apart. Clients rely on us for practical, technical solutions to machine safety and hazardous area problems. It’s highly specialised work, but it’s where our expertise adds real value.
Evolving Our Approach
Over the years our way of delivering projects has become more structured. What started out as practical and hands-on has grown into a more formal approach, drawing on Project Management Professional (PMP) frameworks. It’s helped us stay consistent and provide clients with the reassurance that their projects are in safe hands.
Growing Carefully
If there’s one thing we’ve learned about scaling, it’s that growth can only happen as fast as we can find and bring on the right people. Experienced project managers with food and beverage knowledge are not easy to come by, and we’ve learned to value quality over speed when it comes to expanding our team.
Building a Team That Lasts
Hiring has taught us some tough lessons too. We’ve learned to trust our instincts — if there are doubts about a candidate, it’s better not to hire. Once people join us, though, we make a point of investing in their growth. We’ve developed pathways for younger engineers and project managers, and it’s been rewarding to see how often they exceed expectations when they step into new roles. What has been especially rewarding this year is to celebrate some of the team members who have been with us for over a decade – or as much as 20 years.
Every few years a new challenge seems to come along — whether economic, industry-specific, or global. What’s kept us going is the collective effort of the team. Time and again, they’ve stepped up to find solutions and keep the business moving forward.
Leading Through Change
My belief has always been that leadership starts with setting the example. That mindset was never more important than during COVID, when projects were cancelled and workloads disappeared almost overnight. What carried us through was every single staff member pitching in to help us get through. It was one of the hardest times we’ve faced, but also one of the moments that made me most proud of the team.
Working with Clients
At the centre of everything we’ve achieved are the relationships we’ve built with our clients. Trust and mutual respect are what we rely on, especially when projects are complex or high risk. Over the years, we’ve been fortunate to work with long-term partners such as Silver Fern Farms and Fonterra, and those enduring relationships have been a cornerstone of our success. They’ve shown us the value of consistency, loyalty, and growing alongside our clients as their needs evolve.
One of the key insights we’ve gained is that major capital projects need a very different approach than mid-sized ones — getting the structure and resources right from the start is critical..
Consistency and Risk Management
If there’s a single factor that makes the biggest difference to project success, it’s having project managers with industry experience. That’s been our constant in delivering quality. When it comes to large-scale projects, we’ve also learned the importance of formalised risk management processes — they give us a framework to anticipate challenges and work through them before they escalate.
Looking Back, Looking Forward
If I could give one piece of advice to my younger self — or to someone starting out today — it would be to find great professional advisors early. Good accounting, legal, and business mentors make a huge difference in setting up a business to last. Just as important is taking a mindset of continuous improvement — both within the business and in the way we deliver projects for our clients.
After 20 years, I know we still have plenty more to learn. But the lessons so far have shown me that staying focused, investing in people, and building trust with clients will always be the keys to long-term success.
