CCBR Business Review

5 even a few overseas), her business has not been immune to challenges. When the GFC hit, many developers on the Central Coast were hit hard, creating a domino effect to associated industries. “It was a very difficult time,” said Cathy. “We had some huge bad debts as developers were literally going broke around us. So we had no choice but to downsize the team to seven and bring the staff home so we didn’t have to pay rent. We just consolidated and soldiered on.” Once they had recovered, Slater Architects moved to an office in Erina before relocat- ing to their current premises, which they purchased from John Stevens (The Stevens Group) ten years ago. Today, Cathy employs two architects, each with their own special- ty areas, an internal accountant and contex- tual draftspeople. Including Bill, the team now stands at a “nice even ten”, a figure Cathy is comfortable with. “Having a team this size with specialised skills allows us to offer a full service. It also allows me to deal directly with every owner and provide that personal touch that our clients appreciate and I enjoy,” said Cathy who still begins the design process for every client on paper. Cathy credits her team as one of the keys to her success and looks after them like fam- ily. Lyndell, one of her architects, who has been with her since 2005 is one of two staff who work from home two days a week to balance work with parenting young children. Cathy treats her team to lunch (often home cooked) every Friday. The result of her efforts and care is a dedicated, hard working team. Cathy has also been very strategic in select- Specialist Prestige & Luxury vehicle repairer Accredited BMW Body shop Factory trained technicians Specialist Aluminium Repair facility Prestige Loan Vehicles Phone 02 4324 6683 24 Hours 02 4306 4656 3 Marstan Close West Gosford www.harrisadamsprestige.com.au CO V E R S T O R Y ing staff who bring a broad range of skills to the table, from architecture, interior design, town planning and CAD, to environmental sci- ence, graphic design and carpentry. Builders and clients appreciate this well-rounded approach, as it means Slater Architects is essentially a one-stop service. Builders and architects ‘speak the same language’ reducing time and money due to miscommunication and clients take comfort in the knowledge that every aspect of their project, from the design to the custom joinery and colour selection, will be professionally managed by the one team. “I believe it’s important to take control. It allows me to visualise the final result and manage the steps to get there in the best interest of my clients,” said Cathy. Cathy and Bill are passionate rugby fans (Bill’s grandfather played for Australia). Cathy donat- ed her time to design Terrigal Trojans Rugby clubhouse at The Haven and is now the club’s patron. With John Stevens of the Stevens Group the driving force behind the construc- tion of the venue and many other rugby fans sharing the building Slater Architects occupy, the ongoing management of the club is in good hands. Indeed close collaboration with other Central Coast construction-related com- panies is another contributing factor to the success of Slater Architects. It’s not always easy working with your partner but Cathy and Bill have made it look effortless. They make a good team. Bill summed it up well when he said, “Catherine is the design genius behind the business. She started the whole thing and I’m just one of the soldiers. She’s also a fantastic wife and my best mate”. Cathy has come a long way since the days when she had to ignore male domi- nance on construction sites. She commands enormous respect from her peers, staff, clients and the Central Coast business community. Bill and Cathy Slater (left) with the Slater Architects team CENTRAL COAST BUSINESS REVIEW APRIL 2018