Boss would have liked more time

FUTURE: Darren Mason says Infracon is fundamentally a good, little business. Photo / Christine McKay

Despite being put into liquidation Infracon is "fundamentally a good, little business", the company's chief executive says.

Darren Mason, who was appointed late last year, remains with the business on a week-by-week liquidators contract, assisting John Fisk of PwC as the company is put up for sale.

Mr Mason said he was trying to remain positive and putting as much effort as he could into finding jobs for the remaining Infracon staff.

"A good number of our staff have found jobs and our top machinery operators are being snapped up by other companies," he told the Dannevirke News. "And of course, it's business as usual for the divisions not affected by the liquidation in the Central Hawke's Bay and the aggregates."

But the past few weeks have been difficult for the Infracon chief executive, who had been hoping to take the business from a loss-maker into profit.

"I knew it was going to be a challenge when I was first appointed chief executive to turn Infracon around and it's just disappointing we didn't get the opportunity because we were building momentum," he said.

"Everyone knew the company needed a cash injection for restructuring and capital expenditure and I'm bitterly disappointed with the way things turned out as the whole Infracon workforce got behind it.

"It's a real shame because in six months' time we would have been seeing greenshoots as we became a smaller, more focused company.

"We would have turned around in two years."

At the time of Mr Mason's appointment, Tararua District Council's Deputy Mayor Bill Keltie said he was impressed with the attitude of Infracon's new chief executive and his drive for profitability for the company and his wish to "do it right, do it once".

Mr Mason said it had been upsetting as the business broke up.

"We've been very much like a family and it's been hard," he said. "People have put their heart and soul in the company and schools and other organisations have benefited from Infracon and they'll miss out now."