B&J Civil Works celebrates 25 years

B & J CIVIL WORKS, the road construction firm that recently constructed Guyana’s first batch of pedestrian overpasses at Houston, Eccles and Peter’s Hall, East Bank Demerara, is currently observing its 25th anniversary, as it continues to make a significant impact on the engineering landscape in Guyana.

The celebration began with a Thanksgiving Service last Sunday at the Church of the Transfiguration, Mandela Avenue, followed by a Dedication and Unveiling Ceremony of a portrait of the late founder, Mr. Jochen M. Tapp on Monday. Officiating priest at both ceremonies was the Reverend Raymond Coxhall. The ceremonies were hosted by Managing Director of B & J Civil Works, Mrs. Beverly Tapp MSc Engineering and widow of the now deceased Mr. Tapp.

In observance of 25 years in business, over the next four months, B&J will be embarking on a number of activities which includes:
• Breakfast for 50 homeless persons
• Afternoon time-out with seniors
• Career Talk and distribution of scientific calculators to Fourth-
Formers of Beterverwagting Secondary School
• Building of a bridge for a special school
• Donation of a boat
• Fun day for children of staff
• Cocktail Dinner and
• Staff Retreat

COMPANY HISTORY
Mr. Tapp, a German national, first visited Guyana in 1979, while en route to Brazil, but as fate would have it, he never reached Brazil, but had cause to stay in Guyana for an extended period, thereby getting the opportunity of travelling to hinterland locations and experiencing first-hand the glorious civil engineering possibilities that exist here.
Brilliant mechanical engineer as he was, he spared no pains in exploring the possibilities of setting up a civil engineering business and brought his equipment, including a German truck and launched what was to become known as ‘J. Tapp Road Construction Firm’ in 1993. Using his favourite German truck, he launched out, providing a transportation service to mining communities in the interior before working with the Upper Mazaruni Road Project (UMRP); Mabura and Rockstone, but with a focus on teaching his employees how to find new ways of doing things. In record time he was able to become well equipped with engineering tools and machinery, employing his engineering skills, his wife Beverly now recalls.

In 1990 he met and later became married to Beverly Allen, a Construction Engineer at her job. That union gave birth to one child, Josephine Tapp, now a University of Guyana Law student. Together, the couple developed on what started as the J. Tapp Road Construction Firm, later renaming the business B&J Civil Works in 1998.
Beverly was for him, the ideal bride and certainly proved to be a tremendous asset to the type of business in which he was involved, since apart from her business acumen, she has an MSc in Highway Engineering from the University of Birmingham, U.K. and a BSc in Civil Engineering from the University of Guyana, as well as a Diploma in Project Management.

TAKING UP THE RESPONSIBILITY
But tragedy struck in 2007 with the passing of Mr. Tapp. His wife being a woman of strength was determined that the firm should not be interred with his bones and so she worked assiduously to move the firm foundation built by him, from strength to strength.
Not only is she the Managing Director of the Company, but Mrs. Tapp is also directly involved in project execution, functioning as the Project Manager and Project Engineer on most projects. Her firm resolve is that quality continues to be the hallmark of B&J Civil Works.

Since acquiring the reins of the business subsequent to her husband’s passing in 2007, Beverly has successfully managed engineering projects in regions across Guyana. This wonder woman stands tall in providing quality service in her field. Her academic qualifications along with a wealth of hands-on experience from having co-managed the business with her husband until his passing, makes her a giant in her field.
Today, B&J Civil Works is managed by an innovative team, headed by the dynamic Mrs. Tapp, one of few women with a Masters Degree in Highway Engineering in Guyana. Being a Civil Engineer with more than 30 years of experience in road construction, she possesses a unique blend of technical expertise and ‘hands-on’ construction management experience- a combination generally absent in the local construction sector.
Mrs. Tapp has as her management team, a competent staff with 20 years or more of road construction experience. Having retained the core management and field teams that were involved from the inception, the firm has as its Operations Manager, Mr. Tyrone Comacho and Mr. Anand Singh, as Construction Manager for Bridges and Major Structures.

TRANSFORMING THE CONSTRUCTION SECTOR
Well poised, the mission of B&J Civil Works is to transform the local road construction sector, by leading the way in introducing new engineering solutions and construction techniques; investing in training, investing in equipment and making quality their hallmark.
Having started as a small business, the firm has grown and continues to transform the landscape of Guyana by investing in modern technology and qualified human resources. Recently, Mrs. Tapp and Mr. Langevine, the Concrete Works Supervisor, completed a specialised training course in Panama on Thin Concrete Pavement Technology.
B&J Civil Works constructed roads, bridges and culverts in communities such as Bartica, Charity Essequibo Coast, Wakenaam, Hydronie, Vive La Force, Sophia, Buxton Friendship, Bath-Woodley Park, Rosignol, Plantation Glasgow, East Bank Berbice, New Amsterdam, RoseHall, Corriverton, Moleson Creek, Laluni, Moblissa, Wismar, and Mahdia, to name a few, literally spanning the entire coastal road network.

CONSTRUCTION PIONEERS
Their most recent work has been the construction of Guyana’s first batch of pedestrian overpasses on the East Bank of Demerara at Houston, Eccles and Peter’s Hall. B&J Civil Works has also worked with geotextile fabric to enhance shear strength of weak subgrade soils and introduced the Thin Concrete Pavement Technology (a CEMEX concrete design) to road construction work in Guyana, the pilot project being the stretch of roadway at Princess and Water Streets, Georgetown.

Humanitarian in nature, Mrs. Tapp continues to give support to organisations whenever possible. Habitat for Humanity Guyana was one such beneficiary. In its early stages, the organisation greatly benefitted from free technical, equipment and later cash support from B&J Civil Works. Mrs. Tapp continues to give support to a number of organisations including the East Coast Demerara Community Base Rehabilitation Programme.
She credits the success achieved by herself and husband, to the support provided by her staff, friends, business colleagues, clients and family members who encouraged her along the way.

Motivated by her faith in God and a desire to be a role model to her daughter and others, she aims to produce work that meets the highest engineering standards. Mrs. Tapp’s work in the youth and women’s ministry at the Church of the Transfiguration has honed her people skills, making her a compassionate and strong woman.