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While all those around him are diversifying like crazy to survive 2011, Graham Cash is sticking to what he knows. The chief executive of Bam Construct, the UK construction arm of $9bn Dutch giant, the Royal Bam Group, has no qualms about being a bit different. Especially as he is convinced his strategy is the right one. 鈥淢ore companies will go bust throughout 2011,鈥� he concedes. 鈥淏ut ours will not be one of them.鈥�

His confidence is unwavering. It needs to be. His plan for the future of the company - one he has already put into action in some parts of the business - is pretty left-field compared with the strategies his competitors have been adopting. 鈥淲e鈥檙e not diversifying into all sorts of weird and wonderful things,鈥� he explains in a friendly, yet no-nonsense Mancunian accent. 鈥淲e鈥檙e sticking to what we do, what we鈥檙e good at - construction. And, although only time will tell, I think we鈥檙e doing it right.鈥�

Moving on up
There鈥檚 no denying that in recent months, Bam Construct has risen through the ranks to become one of the most talked about large contractors in the UK. The firm ranked third in 好色先生TV鈥檚 Top 150 contractors last year and is well known for winning work on increasingly high-profile schemes including King鈥檚 Cross, the Riverside Museum in Glasgow and the Ashmolean Museum in Oxford.

We鈥檙e staying true to what we do and who we are. Not like Costain which has gone very infrastructure-focused or Carillion which has gone services-focused. We鈥檙e not doing that

鈥淚f you鈥檙e asked who the contractor of the moment is these days, Bam is likely to come up,鈥� says one industry source. 鈥淭he firm has a reputation for being well organised, doing good work and winning well regarded, complicated work.鈥�

High praise indeed, but how does Cash, who has only been in the role of chief executive since April, prepare to keep Bam Construct at the top of its game throughout 2011 and beyond? Well, Cash鈥檚 involvement with the firm actually spans 23 years so he鈥檚 more patriarch than chief executive. Before he took on his most recent role he was managing director and before that he was head of the South East region. He says his long history with the company means he can run it in a way that staff are familiar with: 鈥淚 run things very much like a family business,鈥� he explains, 鈥渨e鈥檙e not an aggressive hire and fire company. We鈥檙e very balanced.鈥�

What clients want
This balance is evident in his measured strategy for the firm. There are no knee-jerk reactions to the current climate, but a careful evaluation of what might be on the horizon and the best way to prepare for it: 鈥淲e鈥檙e trying to rethink the sectors we鈥檙e already working in to be leading the pack and to give clients what we think they鈥檙e going to want in the future.鈥�

Luckily for Cash, he is starting from a relatively secure point. In its last published results, Bam Construct posted a turnover of just over 拢1bn in 2010 and a pre-tax profit of 拢30m, down from 拢52.3m the year before - but Cash says that from December 2010 70% of the firm鈥檚 workload for 2011 was already secured and that the forward order book stands at 拢2.3bn.

He hopes turnover will come in at just over 拢1bn in 2011, adding that a flat financial progression for the firm for a year or two, followed by an increase later on, is all part of his plan.

Cash is quick to stress that all this doesn鈥檛 mean the group won鈥檛 be moving forward. Quite apart from changing approaches to sectors such as health and education, Bam Construct will be investigating emerging markets such as waste, water and energy, and will be looking to support its sister company Bam Nuttall, which specialises in infrastructure, with above-ground developments. 鈥淥f course we鈥檙e looking at all the usual emerging markets,鈥� he explains. 鈥淏ut we鈥檙e staying true to what we do and who we are. Not like Costain which has gone very infrastructure-focused or Carillion which has gone very services-focused. We鈥檙e not doing that.鈥�

From quality to science
So, how does he propose to make sure his firm is the best when it comes to offering government what it wants in terms of school and hospital design and build?
鈥淚 think the market will shift from quality-led design to science-led design,鈥� he says. 鈥淔or example, it will shift from schools that are corporate headquarters to schools that are much more functional, utilitarian, componentised.

鈥淲hen I go through Europe - you look at schools and they鈥檙e very simple. Utilitarian and bright but the children seem to enjoy them. Who鈥檚 it for - all of these walkways and atria? It鈥檚 for the architects. A classroom is a classroom and a sports hall is a sports hall. They don鈥檛 have to look the same but they are made up of similar components.

鈥淎t the moment we鈥檙e coming up with an idea of standards to build this sort of thing to and it鈥檚 not about lowering standards - it鈥檚 just getting more out of design, more for less, which is what the government wants.鈥�

Cash adds that this doesn鈥檛 mean there is no longer any need for iconic buildings - it鈥檚 about recognising when they are appropriate. 鈥淭he pendulum swung too far one way,鈥� he says.

鈥淭he UK just got a bit silly architecturally and the architectural profession and Cabe have produced an awful lot of excessive buildings. You always need the odd iconic building, but they cost you. You visit certain buildings and think, 鈥橧 appreciate this quality and it鈥檚 right鈥�, but you visit other buildings like schools with three-storey atria and you think, 鈥檃ctually this is a bit OTT鈥�.鈥�

Staying agile
Cash goes on to say that agility is key for survival through a recession, and from 2011 onwards this will be particularly important. He says the firm鈥檚 regional focus allows it to change direction and adapt quickly and smoothly: 鈥淩edirecting and refocusing the regions very quickly is necessary at the moment.鈥� There are seven clear-cut regional areas run by seven directors who meet regularly. He says this allows Bam to develop each region to ensure it is best suited to the sort of work available locally.

At last, there is a slight chink in Cash鈥檚 armour of confidence as he admits that 2010 was a very daunting time to lead the company. And there are certainly challenges on the horizon: 鈥淚t is hard winning work in a market like this and also keeping staff motivated. The spending review is obviously a concern to everyone - anyone who is listed on the English Stock Exchange anyway.鈥�

But the confidence doesn鈥檛 take long to return: 鈥淚t鈥檚 always a pendulum. So, the public sector went up, then down. And when it goes down further, the private sector will come back up. You only have to look at firms like British Land and Land Securities - major developers - starting to get things moving again. The pressure will be high but I am confident.

鈥淲e鈥檙e taking a different path to our competitors - we鈥檙e getting ready for what might happen next. Plus we have a very efficient and focused business. And one I am very protective of. And I get to be the captain of the ship. It鈥檚 great being the rear admiral. But I do like being the captain.鈥�