Mr Bisset, who has been working at the Waitaki District Council-controlled company since 2019 as deputy chief executive and Central Otago executive manager, was appointed as chief executive in March. He has replaced Glenn Campbell, who resigned after 11 years to take up a position with Higgins in the North Island.
Mr Bisset was born in Twizel during the years of the upper Waitaki hydro projects. His father worked for the Ministry of Works and his family moved around a lot for various projects, before settling in Cromwell about 40 years ago.
"I’m a project boy — we moved around a lot," he said.
Although he was brought up in the construction industry, it was not an obvious first choice for him when he left school.
After a brief stint in surveying as a chainman, he went to Otago Polytechnic to study civil engineering. He then spent six years working for Works Civil Construction in Alexandra "cutting my teeth", before taking on a variety of roles in the South.
In 2012, he began working for Fulton Hogan in Central Otago, and he accepted the executive management role at Whitestone Contracting in 2019.
Civil construction was "a great industry to be part of", he said.
Completing a project that improved a community — whether it was a road, water service, new subdivision, or bridge — was rewarding.
"And there’s some great people in the industry — everybody’s trying their best to do the right thing."
He was enjoying his new role, and building on the "really good foundation", Mr Campbell laid.
Three new directors — Craig Wyatt, Sina Cotter-Tait and Jonathan Kay — had recently been appointed to the Whitestone Contracting Ltd board, and Mr Bisset appreciated the fresh perspective they brought.
The company employs 95 staff. About half are based in Oamaru, while the rest are spread across its Fairlie, Twizel, Cromwell, Alexandra and Dunedin depots. Creating a good culture and being an employer of choice was important to Mr Bisset.
The firm had felt the loss of two big contracts in the Waimate and Mackenzie districts in recent years, but "that’s contracting and you’ve just got to adapt and move on", he said.
There were opportunities for sustainable growth, but the challenge at present was recruiting staff, Mr Bisset said.
"You can buy diggers and trucks ... but finding people is tough for everyone — everyone’s feeling it."
While the head office is in Oamaru, Mr Bisset is still living in Cromwell with his wife and two daughters. His daughters were in their last years of secondary school, and he did not want to disrupt their lives by moving this year, he said. He also liked to be visible across all of the company’s depots.
He planned to spend about three days a week in Oamaru, and enjoyed the drive over the Lindis Pass and through the Waitaki Valley.
"Time will tell what happens."
