Dug Pomeroy

Executive Chairman of Pomeroy Pacific

By Sloane Patterson

Giving Victoria’s landscape new artistic strokes ever so often, the Dug Pomeroy signature has been emblazoned across Melbourne for the past 47 years, and is still trailblazing across the country with style and vehemence.

A qualified Master Builder, this Executive Chairman of Pomeroy Pacific holds Unlimited Building Licences in commercial and residential construction, and has a project portfolio in the billions of dollars.

Born in Tel Aviv, Dug is a special import from Israel.  He came to Australia at five and has been infatuated with the Australian lifestyle and infrastructure ever since. “I consider myself Australian. I love Australia, it’s my home and my country.”  Educated at a well-known private school in Burwood – Mount Scopus Memorial College, young Dug was always building something – model battleships, aeroplanes, cars and then moved on to brick and mortar behemoths. It was really no surprise that he studied architecture when he left school.

From a small three-metre-by-three-metre office with flannel wallpaper and pretty curtains at $8 rental per week, Dug’s first purchase and development was a piece of industrial land with no services or facilities. “I designed the industrial buildings and came up with an interesting toilet system like those on boats. Before we knew it, the first plot was leased and sold at record price.  Suddenly we were buying up the surrounding sites. Five years on, we had something like 20 different projects.”

Some of his notable works were 553 St Kilda Road where the American Consulate is based, Clarendon Towers, Southern Cross Tower and Queensbridge, to name a few. “We built the Boroondara Aquatic Centre, with the first swimming pool in the southern hemisphere to have a floor that can be raised. The Qantas Flight Simulator and the ABC Television Studios were also our projects. We were the first to start tilt-up construction and we had the reputation of undertaking the most difficult and complex building projects.” Some of the biggest houses in Victoria, shopping centres in the CBD and Box Hill, and more than 40 factories were all Pacific Pomeroy projects.

“We endured a massive haemorrhage from the 1990 recession, but survived. In the same year we also decided to concentrate more on project development management and project delivery. Those are exercises where we provide a full menu – from assessing site feasibility and purchase, financing, leasing and selling. We take the client through the development process until where he can cash his chips and make money. It’s not necessarily about the lowest price, it’s about the right price.”

As a teenager, all Dug wanted was to have a Gibson guitar like Paul McCartney and to drive an E Type Jaguar.  Having achieved that and then some, Dug of today, “Wants to be in a position where I can afford to have a reasonably full life. If you are dedicated and constantly strive for perfection, the money will follow. There is no room for compromise. Near enough is never good enough.”

The Pomeroy philosophy is to enjoy many things in life. “I love music, musicals, movies, art, fashion, cars, watches, books and travelling. I’m never bored.” There are, however, pet peeves.

“I dislike rudeness, ignorance, and am not a fan of belligerence.” 

“When I think of a company, it’s like passengers travelling on a train journey. They look out the window and can see what’s happening. I like to think of myself sitting on top of the train where I can see where we’ve been, my surroundings and where we are going. That is the key of being chairman of a company.”

过去的47年里，让维多利亚州的景观绽放全新的艺术风格，Dug Pomeroy 标志性的风格已经积极贯彻墨尔本各角落，并穿梭在全国范围内展开一场品味和激情的探索。

作为一名具备资格的建筑大师，Pomeroy Pacific这名执行主席在商业和住宅建设工程中持有无限建筑物许可证，并拥有数十亿元的项目投资组合。

他出生在以色列的特拉维夫，属于非常特殊的“进口”人群。在5岁时候来到澳大利亚，他就爱上了这里的生活方式和基础设施。“我认为自己是澳大利亚人。我爱它，这是我的家园和国家。” 在 Burwood 区一间著名的私人学院 – Mount Scopus Memorial College，这名年轻人一直在构建特别的作品—战舰、飞机或汽车模型，然后再转向砖头和水泥等庞然大物。他在离校后投入建筑设计，其实完全有迹可循。

从一间仅有3公尺长高，内部装饰着法兰绒壁纸和漂亮窗帘，每周租金8元的小办公室作为开端。Dug Pomeroy首次买下和发展的是一块没有任何服务或设施的工业用地。

“我设计的工业建筑中构思了一些在船上的有趣厕所系统。结果不自觉间首个发展计划以破记录的价格出租和出售，我们接着买下了周围的土地据点。直至5年后，手上有了20个不同的开发计划。”

他的杰出工程包括位于 St Kilda 路 553 号的美国领事馆基地、Clarendon Towers，Southern Cross Tower 和Queensbridge等。“我们建造了 Boroondara 水上中心，这个是南半球的第一个游泳池具备上升式的地板。澳洲航空公司的飞行模拟器和ABC电视台也是我们的计划。我们也是首个开始倾斜(立墙平浇)工程的公司，维持着承接高难度和复杂建筑项目的声誉。维多利亚州的一些大型住宅建筑，中央商务区 CBD 和 Box Hill 的购物商场，以及40多家工厂都是 Pomeroy Pacific 的项目计划。”

“1990年经济衰退时刻我们不可避免受到大面积冲击，但幸存了下来。同一年，我们还决定更多地关注计划开发管理和交付。这些是所提供的完整菜单练习—从评估土地的可行性和购买、融资，租赁和销售。我们把客户引入开发流程，直到他能把筹码兑换成现金并赚钱。这不一定必须是最低价格，而是最佳价格。”

在青少年时期，他向往着像 Paul McCartney 那样拥有一把 Gibson 吉他，开着一辆捷豹跑车。在实现了这一点之后，他现在想要处于一个合理充实的生活位置。

“如果你全身心投入，不断追求完美，钱财就会随之而来，这没有妥协的余地。没有最好，只有更好。”

Pomeroy 的哲学是尽情享受生活细节。“我喜欢音乐、音乐剧、电影、艺术、时尚、汽车、手表，书籍和旅游，我从来不无聊。然而，还是有厌烦的事物。我不喜欢鲁莽、无知，而且我也不好战。”

“当我想到公司，就联想到乘坐火车的旅客。他们从窗户往外看，外头景物一览无遗。我喜欢想象自己坐在火车上，我能看到我们去过的地方，周围和即将启程的方向。这是成为公司执行者的关键所在。”

Paul Webber

Owner of Webber Design

Structural Engineers

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“My philosophy at Webber Design has deliberately been totally different. I am a perfectionist and to me our reputation is all about consistency in our delivery and that can’t happen if you are spread too thin.”

It has been said that “Children are the builders of a brave new world” and as a child Paul Webber loved playing with Meccano sets and carpentry kits, experimenting with building structures and understanding how they stand up. That childhood passion has stayed with Paul and today as the owner of Webber Design he is one of the faces changing Australia’s skyline.

Graduating in Brisbane in a depressed economy at a time when jobs were few and far between, Paul was handpicked by one of his lecturers and employed to work for a leading Brisbane Engineering Firm. “That was my start and appreciating just how fortunate I was at the time, I have never taken anything for granted in my career.”

It wasn’t long until Paul, still in his twenties, was promoted to an Associate Director before heading to Hong Kong to work for a large multinational multidisciplinary practice in Asia.

“I was responsible for a team of over 30 structural engineers most of whom were Chinese and it was there that I developed a massive respect for their engineering expertise and work ethic. We worked on some incredible projects, airports, railways and tall buildings in Thailand, Southern China, Hong Kong and Vietnam. I loved it all. The intensity, the long hours and the experience was something that you couldn’t get in Australia at that time.”

Paul returned to Australia and became a Principal of a large Brisbane Structural Engineering practice for 5 years before opening up and growing their Melbourne practice for a further 4 years. “That was an exciting time for me being a part of Melbourne’s rapidly growing property market.”

With his growing success in Melbourne Paul was headhunted and accepted the position of National Structural Director for another large Australian Engineering company, “The job became more a management and administrative role and to be honest I hated it. It was not what I enjoy doing. I have always loved being hands on dealing with architects right from the beginning, being creative, making good engineering designs come to fruition and having fun. That was my skill set and what I enjoyed doing and why people enjoyed working with me”

At a crossroad and armed with a new vision, Paul started his own Structural Engineering company Webber Design in 2007. He admits that, “Apart from the start up costs It was a little daunting at first, being an outsider from Brisbane and starting on my own in Melbourne, however right from day one clients, architects and developers gave me their work.”

“Webber Design work hard for our clients and our approach and focus on cost effective designs has paid off over time.”

“Most of the engineering companies that I had worked for had a philosophy to open offices everywhere and be big. I understand that approach however big isn’t always better. I also saw first hand many of the downsides including, at times, a too rapid a growth without sufficient quality staff or systems in place, a loss of control and poor design outcomes which ultimately impacts on the bottom line and reputation. Of more importance though was that the clients were not receiving the best outcomes or service on many occasions.”

“My philosophy at Webber Design has deliberately been totally different. I am a perfectionist and to me our reputation is all about consistency in our delivery and that can’t happen if you are spread too thin. I employ quality staff across every level of the business who are all well respected in the industry. We remain client and project focused and that has proven to be my formula for success.”

A very respected and successful engineering company in Melbourne, Webber Design is now making its mark in Sydney. “I am not here to grow quickly but rather my philosophy, as always, is to maintain a controlled growth, delivering consistent quality work and cutting-edge designs. Since we opened the office here two years ago we’ve secured over 30 projects including most recently a role on the tallest residential tower in Sydney, the 65 level Greenland Centre developed by Chinese developer Greenland. We are working in collaboration with Arup and the contractor Probuild to incorporate our alternative structural design.”

Over the course of ten years, Webber Design has delivered more than $20 billion worth of projects and is one of the largest privately owned structural engineering firms in Australia. “I’ve always had a strong work ethic which I inherited from my parents and have always put pressure on myself to strive for perfection. Webber Design work hard for our clients and our approach and focus on cost effective designs has paid off over time. On reflection and perhaps based on my experiences in Hong Kong we employ a very strong multicultural staff base with many Asian engineers. Interestingly our client base is currently around 80% Chinese with a lot of repeat business.”

It’s not all about business. In his spare time Paul collects art, unusual chess sets and has a share in a few racehorses one of which won three races in Singapore and another winning a race on Oaks Day last year. “I used to play golf but sadly with my 24/7 business demands, I rarely find the time.”

“I wouldn’t be the person. I am today without Deborah. I love everything about her. She is passionate, funny and a major asset to me in business and life. We are very close.”

More admirable is their commitment to charities. Paul and Deb are ambassadors for the St Vincent Hospital’s HIV fund in Sydney. Smiling he acknowledges “Most of my industry colleagues know that I am a soft touch when it comes to donating to a worthy cause. I believe it is important to give back when you have it to give.”

So what is next for Webber Design? “I am still as passionate today as when I first started my career. My focus as always is to keep mentoring my staff and building Webber Design as a brand that people respect and trust and continue to deliver great structural engineering outcomes for our clients and their projects.”

 

“我热爱由始至终与建筑师进行沟通交流，携手创作，让美好的工程设计得以实现而获得乐趣。那是我的技能专长，我做着喜欢的工作，也是人们喜爱与我共事的原因。”

孩童时期，Paul Webber的主要玩具是麦卡诺组合模型和木匠工具箱，并且尝试剖析物体的建筑结构和组合原理，那份童年激情Paul留存至今，也印证了“儿童是勇敢新世界的建造者。”的说法。今天，作为Webber Design的创始者，他是改变澳大利亚城市天际线风貌的人物之一。

在布里斯班学成毕业的Paul当时处在经济萧条的年代，工作机会稀少，但他被一名讲师精心选中，受聘到布里斯班一家领先的工程公司上班。“那是我的开始，感谢幸运之神眷顾，因此我的职业生涯不存在侥幸心理，只有全力以赴。”

20多岁的Paul不久晋升为副总监，过后被委派到香港，在亚洲开展大型多国多元学科专业的项目计划。“我负责一个由30多名结构工程师组成的团队，其中大部分是中国人，对于他们的工程专业知识和职业道德，我给予最高敬意。我们共同完成了一些令人难以置信的项目计划：包括机场、铁路和高层建筑工程，横跨泰国、中国南部，香港和越南，我热爱这一切。当时的工作强度，漫长的时间与经验累积都是无法在当时的澳大利亚体验到。”

重返澳大利亚后，Paul 成为布里斯班大型结构工程业务的负责人为期5年，接下来开启墨尔本长达4年快速拓展的实践业务。“这是令人激奋的时刻，我加入了墨尔本迅速增长的房地产市场战局。”

随着Paul在墨尔本取得的成功战绩，他被相中并接受了另一家大型澳大利亚工程公司的委任，作为全国结构工程总监的职位，由于新岗位偏向管理和行政业务范畴，并非他所愿意和向往的。“我热爱由始至终与建筑师进行沟通交流，携手创作，让美好的工程设计得以实现而获得乐趣。那是我的技能专长，我做着喜欢的工作，也是人们喜爱与我共事的原因。”

而伫立十字路口并怀揣新视野，Paul 终于在2007 年创立了自己的公司 Webber Design。他承认，“最初的起步成本环节让人有点不安，作为来自布里斯班的局外人，我把起点设置在墨尔本，可是开业伊始，客户、建筑师和开发商就把他们的业务托付给我。”

“我就业过的大多数工程公司都有在各地开设大型办事处据点的战略理念，我也深切了解大幅度扩张的做法并非是最恰当的，其中也看到许多致命伤，包括随着快速增长，结果缺乏足够的质量员工或到位的系统操作，由于失控形成设计缺陷，最终损害底线和名誉，关键的是在许多情况下，客户无法获得满意成果或优质服务。”

如今，Webber Design作为墨尔本相当权威且领先的工程公司，目标定位涉足悉尼。
“我并非快速增长，而是一如既往地保持自己的理念，实践具备持续性的质量工作和尖端设计。自两年前开设办事处以来，我们已获得参与30多个计划项目，包括最近在悉尼的住宅高楼，中国绿地集团开发的65层绿地中心，我们正在与奥雅纳(Arup)还有承包商Probuild合作，结合我们的替代结构设计。”

过去10年来，Webber Design已经成功交付价值逾200亿元的项目计划，也是澳大利亚最大的私营结构工程公司之一。“我继承了父母的强烈职业性特质，再加上极力追求完美的动力，我们为客户努力付出，其中聚焦在注重成本效益的设计方案显著有所回报。
反思下，由于依据在香港的工作经历，我们拥有了非常强大的多元文化员工基础与许多亚裔工程师。有趣的是，我们的客户群目前大约80%是中国人或华裔，有很多重复业务(回头客)。”

在人生旅途中，Paul的妻子DeborahGray始终陪伴身旁。“没有Deborah就不会造就今天的我。我爱她的一切，她是我工作和生活中的激情与乐趣，也是重要财富，我们亲密
无间。”

另外，工作并非他生活中的全部。在业余时间，保罗收集艺术品、别致的国际象棋棋套，共同拥有数匹赛马，其中一匹赛马在新加坡赢得三场比赛，另外的赛马也在去年的橡树日赛会获胜。“我之前有打高尔夫球，可惜被工作业务占去大部分时间，很难
抽空。”

至于更令人钦佩的是他们坚守投入慈善事业的承诺。Paul和Deborah是悉尼St Vincent’s医院的艾滋病基金会的大使。他微笑表示，大多数业内同事们都了解，如果提到捐赠有价值的事业时，他就会变得感性柔软，他相信最重要的是有能力做出回馈。

Webber Design的下一步将怎么走呢？“今天的我还是与初次开展职业生涯一样充满热情。我一直集中在继续引导我的工作团队，建设 Webber Design 成为人们尊重和信任的品牌，不断的为我们的客户及项目计划提供高质量的结构工程成果。”

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by Billie Ooi-Ng Lean Gaik