The Sunday Mail
Business Reporter
Beyond the feel-good factor, corporate awards recognise the hardwork that has gone into making a company a leader in its domain.
So it says a lot that construction firm, German Construction, has bagged quite a few accolades in a relatively short period of time.
The youth-led firm is one of the fastest growing construction companies in Zimbabwe.
And growing recognition gives an indication as to why.
The company has bagged the “Fastest Growing Company of the Year” at the FinKing Business Awards 2021.
And its 29-year old MD was also recognised as “Chief Executive Officer of the Year” at the FinKing Business Awards, and “Director of the Year” at the Megafest Awards 2021.
German Construction also walked away with the prestigious “Company of the Year” award.
Notwithstanding his personal accolades, Hlere says effective teamwork is the secret to the company’s success.
“German Construction has thrived because of the expertise of our staff. We have a rich and broad-based skill set, from our engineers, architects and executives who work as a team to ensure that the customer is satisfied.
“We are passionate about applying our ingenuity to all our work. We do this by adopting a thoughtful approach to how we work,” he told The Sunday Mail.
“We pride ourselves on our attention to detail, learning from experience and ensuring excellence in everything we do.”
Established in 2015, and becoming fully-fledged in 2017, the construction firm has been involved in several public and private sector projects, including the construction of Disaster Recovery Centres in Chimanimani and Chipinge, construction of Hospitals in Gokwe, renovations at Belvedere Teachers College, as well as other commercial and residential properties across the country.
German Construction currently has a presence in the United Kingdom, South Africa, Mozambique and Namibia.
And management has indicated near-term plans to expand into Zambia.
But who is Manson Hlere?
The son of a businessman, perhaps Manson was predestined to follow suit.
“My father was one of the earliest entrepreneurs to develop Gokwe Centre.
“He was into hardware retail, majoring in motor spares distribution,” he said.
“He taught me a lot about business as I would go to work with him often. I was exposed to business at a tender age, and I attribute a lot of my success to my father, Felix Hlere.”
Although the senior Hlere passed on due to Covid-19 last year, Manson is grateful for the life and business lessons.
The future appears bright for German Construction.
Management says reflection and strategic planning are key for consistent growth.
“We are in the process of acquiring state-of-the-art infrastructure for use in bricklaying and modelling, which will significantly increase our lead time in project execution,” said the company’s commercial director, Tafara Muchakata.
The story of German Construction has also been documented in a new book — “Without a Silver Spoon” — Trynos Dongo.
