On 6 July 1998, a fresh faced, enthusiastic university graduate walked through the doors of the Monadelphous office in Applecross for the first time. Little did he know, it would take him on adventures across Western Australia (WA) for the next 25 years.
We sat down with Commercial and Contracts Manager of M&IS Energy, Ross Middenway, to hear a bit about his journey here as he celebrates an incredible career milestone this month.
Ross started out working as a Graduate Engineer in our Engineering Construction division, working on the Windimurra Vanadium Project outside of Mount Magnet in the mid-west of WA.
He said, by today’s standards the project was small, but back then it was considered substantial. It was fast-paced, exciting and a steep learning curve.
He then worked on our first long-term oil and gas venture on Barrow Island off the coast of WA, which he says had the biggest impact on his career.
“It was our first foothold in the oil and gas market, so success was crucial. Succeeding centred around delivering what we promised and exceeding our customer’s expectations, as well as developing solid relationships with our customer, relationships that could withstand challenge and allow both organisations to realise the value of the arrangement.
“It was also the first contract with such rigorous environmental standards and procedures – Barrow Island being a Class A Nature Reserve. Environment and safety performance were considered equally important,” he said.
Ross said something that we do well at Monadelphous is deliver on our promises and regularly exceed our customers’ expectations.
“The senior management and executive team lead by example and always exhibit a fantastic attitude, which shows we value our people.
“I think one of the reasons Monadelphous continues to be successful is our unique culture; we’re fair, passionate about succeeding and diverse.
“Our people put in more discretionary effort and are committed to the success of our organisation because there is a sense that there are opportunities for all of us and ultimately everyone benefits,” he said.
Ross has worn many hats over the past 25 years, including Project Engineer, Cost Engineer, Site Manager, Project Manager and, now, Commercial and Contracts Manager.
He said each role has been interesting, and he’s had a variety of opportunities in different roles, each with its own set of challenges.
“There have been plenty of learnings, but that’s what makes a career worthwhile. The people I work with are equally important – in fact, for me, it’s the people that make or break a company and a workplace.
“Currently, I am enjoying the commercial and cost engineering area, where I deal a lot with contracts, numbers, claims, risk management and the systems and procedures around that.”
He has come a long way with Monadelphous and said if he could give advice to anyone starting out, it would be to ask lots of questions.
“In the case of engineers, get to know tradespeople on site and learn from them – they are incredibly talented and experienced professionals who take pride in their craft and are keen to share if you have the right attitude.
“Understand the importance of safety, work hard and be reliable and patient – it’s not going to happen overnight. By all means be ambitious and committed and, before you know it, you will get more responsibility,” Ross said.
Operational Support Manager M&IS Energy, Paul Barnet said that in working with Ross over the past 20 years it has been great to see his personal development and that he has always had a real can-do attitude to the many different roles he has undertaken.
“Not only is Ross a very loyal person he brings a unique skill set to our business. He has successfully worked across all facets of Operations and Support Services and has developed outstanding relationships with all stakeholders,” Paul said.
On behalf of everyone at Monadelphous, thank you Ross.
Here’s to 25 remarkable years of service.