Magic at the construction cite

Stine Aakervik Pedersen assumed leadership of the company, which has 47 employees, last fall. Betonmast Oslo is projected to achieve a turnover of approximately one billion in 2022 and was nominated for Business Unit of the Year in September, being recognized as one of AF Gruppen's most profitable business units. She has significant experience in the industry, having worked in roles such as concrete foreman, design manager, environmental manager, and project manager for large construction projects. The interview takes place at her office in Schweigaardsgate.

– Last fall, I was fortunate to receive an excellent team and have dedicated significant time to understanding each member thoroughly. I believe that a deeper mutual understanding among team members fosters greater interpersonal appreciation.

She is confident in the theory, believing that familiarity facilitates communication. Thus, Betonmast Oslo's team regularly meets across projects to share experiences and socialize.

– I love the word "dugnadsånd" (community spirit). With us, it should pay off to pitch in, whether it's helping a colleague in the project or assisting a team in another project.

The focus on a sharing culture and community spirit has been there since the beginning in 2006. When the founders, Jørgen Evensen and Peter Sandrup, together with Stine and a handful of skilled people from the industry, started Betonmast. They moved into Schweigaardsgate, ordered pizza, assembled furniture from IKEA, and started calculating bids.

– We calculated everything. We were a group that wanted to create something together.

Stine has been involved in numerous construction projects, except for a few years when she served as the environmental manager to build BREEAM expertise into the portfolio. Her lifelong dedication the environment has likely influenced her family. Both children, now in their early twenties, prioritize environmental protection and have actively opposed dumping mining waste in Norwegian fjords.

– If I had the time, I would gladly participate myself. I proudly and gladly pay my children's fines from important environmental actions.

Magic at Construction City

Betonmast Oslo currently has five ongoing construction projects. One of them is Construction City, where Betonmast, together with the project team from AF Bygg Oslo, has formed a joint venture. Construction City aims to create the construction industry of the future and will house the headquarters of both Betonmast and AF Gruppen. The idea that the building should also be constructed together came up early. Neither company has vested interests. This has been important for creating a cohesive culture on the construction site. Even the visibility clothing and signage show equality with a logo where both company names are displayed.

– The collaboration is incredibly good. At Construction City, we have managed to create magic. It has been developing and inspiring to utilize the strengths of two units in this way.

In fact, it has been so inspiring that the daily manager has initiated several collaborative projects across Betonmast units.

Her career progressed through trust and opportunities earned by her achievements. As a leader, she prioritizes spending time with employees. Upon assuming leadership of Betonmast Oslo, she enhanced the management team with marketing and calculation resources, and a project support for better financial reporting. This allowed her more time to engage with company staff.

– If we do not remain attractive, we risk losing our employees to competitors. It's that simple. Our employees should feel secure, grow, and enjoy their work.

The philosophy of developing employees in-house, so that the highest leadership positions can be recruited internally, is shared with several leaders in AF Gruppen. Stine Pedersen looks for diversity. In her own management team, two out of seven leaders are women, but the commitment to diversity extends beyond gender balance. Everyone with the right mindset should have a chance regardless of gender, ethnicity, and sexual orientation. She is a strong advocate for bringing in people with different education and backgrounds.

Green philosophy

However, she believes that everyone should have high environmental competence to ensure competitiveness. Similar to other companies in AF Gruppen, the objective is for all design managers, site managers, and project managers to obtain BREEAM AP certification. Additionally, Betonmast has implemented the Green Thread model, which requires projects to suggest at least 20 environmental measures to the client, regardless of whether the project will be environmentally certified. It is one of several measures to ensure that everyone is proactive on behalf of the environment.

– It fosters engagement when we take the initiative beyond merely meeting requirements. Applying our contractor expertise can contribute to advancing the industry.

*This article was published in Norwegian November 24th 2022