Meet the Team - Sharon Amedee
Business Support Manager Sharon Amedee is the vital cog that keeps Hawthorne Civil turning and running like clockwork and celebrates two years with us this week!
“Without Sharon, we would not be where we are today, it is as simple as that,” said Enda O’Brien. “Sharon is an absolute legend who has been a major part of our success. She basically runs everything that goes on behind the scenes at Hawthorne Civil, allowing our team to get on with what they do best. As she celebrates two years with us, I’d like to thank her for everything that she does and will continue to do as part of our team. Thank you Sharon.”
As Sharon celebrates her second year with Hawthorne Civil, we caught up with ‘Shaz’ to learn more about her ‘down to earth’, ‘no frills’ view on work, play and life on the farm.
Why did you become a Business Support Manager?
The opportunity arose when my mum retired from our family business thirty years ago. I had the opportunity to take over running accounts, payroll and the back office which led to a career in business support and my eventual role at Hawthorne Civil... So, I guess this role kinda fell in my lap!
What do you love about working in the engineering and infrastructure industry?
It’s a diverse industry to be a part of. The scope and location of works keeps it interesting; we have projects all across Queensland and New South Wales and each one is different so no two days are the same...
What are you working on at the moment?
As we grow and increase our services and build our team, I’m making sure that we have the systems in place across Accounts Payable/Receivable, Payroll and General Admin to help make everything as smooth as possible for our business and our clients.
What has been your greatest professional achievement to date?
Before working here at Hawthorne Civil, my husband and I ran our own successful business for over a decade. I’m proud of our journey together and the blood, sweat and tears it takes to make it work.
What’s the best project you have worked on?
That’s a hard one to answer, all the projects that we work on are unique in their own way so I can’t really pick a favourite yet, but we have some interesting projects coming up so watch this space!
What’s the most useful thing you’ve learned throughout your career?
KISS - keep it simple stupid
K I S S -Keep It Simple Stupid. It’s really easy to make things complicated but in business support keeping it simple makes processes easier to understand, admin simpler and everyone’s life easier.
What do you enjoy doing when you are not at work?
My family and friends are a large part of my life and nothing beats catching up for a special occasion or family celebration.
What do you enjoy about being part of the Hawthorne Civil Team?
I work with a fantastic group of people. Everyone has a great attitude and wants to do their best every day. That really helps us all to achieve the best for the business and kick goals together.
What Hawthorne Civil Project are you excited about working on?
Although I’m not on site, I feel like I’m involved in every project and work on them all because I help get things done so that our teams can go to site and do their job.
Tell us a little bit about your background - where are you from, family, hobbies, interesting facts etc?
I grew up in Brisbane, married my high school sweetheart and raised our family. Our two daughters are now grown up and their strong work ethic makes us so proud and it’s great to see how they are building their lives. Family and friends are important to me, I love spending time with them. I also enjoy exercise and ‘pretending’ to be a cattle farmer.
