Aussie is new NCBC housing manager

Steven Chadwick, the new facilities manager for Balfour Beatty Communities’ privatized family housing at Naval Construction Battalion Center (NCBC) Gulfport, Miss., has garnered a great deal of experience through his service with the Australian Navy. Years later he followed it up with earning degrees in Construction Management and Construction Economics from the University of Southern Australia. Quality military housing has been a sore spot for privatized housing throughout the country; drew the ire of Congress and has been in the media spotlight since families addressed the lawmakers last year. Chadwick got his first exposure to maintenance-, construction- and facilities-related career fields when he decided to join the Royal Australian Navy at age 16. He served eight years with the Aussie navy and reserves performing maintenance on various ships’ heating, ventilation and air conditioning systems, water filtration, and other mechanical equipment. He also had the opportunity to volunteer to assist with housing unit inspections. After leaving the service, Chadwick became interested in the management side of the construction industry, and decided to get those two degrees. He worked as a project manager for several companies on Australian and U.S. military construction projects before deciding to travel to the U.S. in 2012. He decided to stay, and eventually marrying, and moved to Florida. He began working in housing maintenance for several resorts and was promoted to supervisory and managing roles before moving to the Gulf Coast to BBC’s facilities manager post at Gulfport in May 2019. Chadwick deals with contractors and performing quality control to ensure repairs are up to the standards required by BBC and the Navy. “I really enjoy it … the interaction with the tenants and just helping people out and seeing a finished product that’s of good quality,” he said. BBC services 477 homes on NCBC Gulfport, in addition to the 60 homes in Northpoint Preserve and the 24 homes in Slidell, La., which are occupied by Navy military members working at the John C. Stennis Space Center, Miss. (Source: NCBC Gulfport 01/28/29) https://www.facebook.com/notes/naval-construction-battalion-center-gulfport/facilities-manager-focuses-on-quality-control-in-career-of-choice/10157980357914655/