HONESTY, TEAMWORK AND FUN: HOW NICK BANFIELD IS BUILDING AN INCREDIBLE CAREER WITH A TEAM THAT ALWAYS HAS HIS BACK
At Mainbrace, we strive to be a great place to progress – no matter where your ambitions might take you. When Nick Banfield decided to spread his wings and explore the world beyond our team, we were proud to have given him a solid career foundation. Two years later, when he was ready to return? Our doors were wide open. From a Cadetship to Project Manager, Nick’s built a rewarding career at Mainbrace, where he says good, honest teamwork underpins every win.
A culture that means something
It’s early morning and all hands on deck at Forest Hill Chase Shopping Centre. Nick Banfield and half of Mainbrace’s Victoria office team are assembling furniture, moving pot plants, and ensuring all the finishing touches before the refurbishment’s big launch later that day. For Nick, this solid display of teamwork gets him through the tougher days and makes him proud to be a Mainbracer.
“That was a super challenging project, but it’s one I will look back on for the rest of my career,” Nick recalls six years later. “We had a great team that banded together to get a really successful end result. There was no, ‘That’s not my job, I’m not doing that’ – everyone chipped in to get that project over the line.”
The project was a career milestone for Nick, a Contract Administrator at the time. Although working just hours before a launch doesn’t happen on every build, Nick says it makes the outcome that much sweeter.
“I love that feeling – that last big push to make a project happen. When you sit back and look at what the team’s achieved, it makes you feel really proud. We call it the Mainbrace way, where everyone gets in to help each other out.”
Nick’s steadily built his successful career the Mainbrace way ever since he joined our Sydney team as a Cadet in 2014. Today, as Project Manager with our Victorian team, Nick strives to instil that mindset of collaboration, integrity and teamwork in our newer team members as they progress their own careers in retail construction.
“I’ve always been given opportunities to step up, and with that has been the space to make mistakes. I try to teach our newer team members the way I was taught, that it’s OK to make mistakes and learn from them. We try to encourage that safe environment at Mainbrace. There’s always a solution and support when you need it.”
A successful career, done the right way
As a Project Manager, Nick leads innovative retail builds that make a lasting impact on our clients and communities. Dividing his time between the office and on-site, he enjoys the variety of his role and getting hands-on with projects that matter.
“That last year of high school, when you’re scrambling to work out what you want to do with the rest of your life – I thought about engineering but realised it wasn’t for me. Next on my list was construction, which was a good decision. We’re not confined behind a desk crunching numbers all day; we get a good taste of everything.”
While studying for his Bachelor of Construction Management, Nick joined Mainbrace as a Cadet, working alongside mentors and industry experts across Purchasing, Contract Administration and Estimating. Then, in early 2016, with his degree in hand and the world at his feet, Nick decided to leave Mainbrace and head to the United Kingdom for a working holiday.
“I thought there’s never a best time to go, but it’s better to do it when you’re younger and don’t have too many commitments. Mainbrace was really good about it.”
Nick spent a year and a half in the UK, working for a smaller builder specialising in residential builds.
“It gave me a different taste, but residential never really interested me. When I decided to come back and move to Melbourne, I reached out to Mainbrace. They were super welcoming. I had an informal catch-up with the State Manager, and the rest is history. I’d had a great time in the Sydney office as part of the Cadetship program and found the same thing in the Melbourne office. It’s got a really good culture. We work hard but we all have a laugh and get along really well.”
Since re-joining Mainbrace in 2017, Nick’s career has skyrocketed – from Contract Administrator to Project Supervisor to Project Manager in 2021. He’s been a key player in several impactful builds, including the Forest Hill Chase Shopping Centre, a HomeCo outlet in Keysborough and a new-build Aldi store in Gisborne.
“I’ve been able to work on a good range of projects and naturally progress through the ranks,” Nick says. “That was something that appealed to me about the Victorian office: because it’s smaller, there are good opportunities to grow relatively quickly and work on bigger projects.”
Real ownership of projects that matter
Harpley Town Centre stands as a triumph for Nick’s career and for Mainbrace. This significant retail and social centre now services the master-planned community of Harpley, 35km southwest of the Melbourne CBD, enriching the lifestyles of residents and families for generations to come.
“This was by far the biggest project I’ve worked on,” Nick says. “It’s also the biggest project we’ve delivered in Victoria. We had a fantastic team, and the client was great to work with.”
For now, Nick looks forward to continuing to develop in his role as Project Manager, getting stuck into more exciting projects as our Victorian team grows. And if you’d like a career with plenty of variety and room to progress, Nick says you’ll find the tools, experts and growth you need at Mainbrace.
“You definitely get to work on and own some big projects. Support is always there, but you’re never micromanaged. I think that’s important when you’re growing into your role. You need to walk before you can run, but at Mainbrace, you’re encouraged to stand on your own two feet.”
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