When successful Whangārei businessman Lindsay Faithfull was told he’d been chosen as this year’s inductee into the Northern Advocate Hall of Fame in the Northland Business Excellence Awards his response was: “surely you must have more deserving people?”

It’s exactly that humble attitude, in the face of huge success for his company McKay (formerly McKay Electrical) for the past 30 years he has been running it, after taking over from father Joe Faithfull, that stood out, Northland Chamber of Commerce president Tim Robinson said.

The Northpower and Top Energy Northland Business Excellence Supreme Award winner at Friday night’s awards ceremony was Whangārei in-home care provider tlc4u2 Ltd, which also won the NDSL Ricoh Northland Excellence in Business – Large Business Award.

Robinson said Faithfull had some tough competition for the Hall of Fame honour, but he just jumped out as the right person.

He said McKay had gone from strength to strength under Faithfull’s leadership and it was now a leading electrical engineering company, with branches in Whangārei, Auckland and the South Island as well as a subsidiary in America.

McKay Electrical was founded in Dargaville in 1936 by Tom McKay – who in 2008 at the age of 101 was inducted as the inaugural member of the Business Hall of Fame.

In 1944, aged 14, Joe Faithfull approached McKay for a job at McKay Electrical. Due to his age he was originally turned down, but returned a week later when he turned 15 to start work. In 1982 the Faithfull family bought out the McKay Whangārei branch, which became McKay’s head office.

In 1992 Lindsay Faithfull became GM and shareholder and together with Joe they work together to grow McKay. Joe died in 2017.

Lindsay Faithfull said he was honoured to be inducted into the Northern Advocate Business Hall of Fame in the awards, but said nothing could happen without a good team.

He dedicated the award to his late father Joe and the McKay team that now totals more than 500.

He is an electrical power systems engineer, and his background before taking over was working on some major projects here and overseas, including at Marsden Pt and on North Sea oil projects, based out of London.

”My interests were in industrial things and projects of scale. I just had no experience or interest in a retail business (as McKay Electrical was then) so I thought about launching a new direction for the business.

”I guess using that technical background as a reference point I looked at how could we grow the business in a way that was interesting and create a successful, sustainable business long term,” Faithfull said.

And it’s worked very well.

At that time the company had about 35 employees and now has more than 500 in branches and factories including in Whangārei, Auckland, Taupo, Wellington and Otago.

It has a number of major contracts, including with the RNZ Navy at Devonport, and is working on two huge New Zealand projects – The New Zealand Conference Centre in Auckland and the Waikeria Prison Development.

Other work the company is involved in, which Faithfull says is the way of the future, is building electric boats, and it has already helped build six – three hybrid craft in the US and three fully electric vessels in New Zealand, including the first carbon fibre electric ferry Ika Rere that is operating in Wellington.

It’s an area McKay will expand further into as the technology improves and the demand for electric vessels increases.

”That’s a new area and we have set up a start-up company to expand that further and look at different business models.”

Another area that Faithfull was excited about was its work on renewable energy, with work on large-scale solar plants.

”Renewable energy is the future and we have just put solar panels on our Water St building and they are working really well.”

Robinson said the decision around the Hall of Fame inductee was made based largely on the following criteria:

■ Longevity in Business – ”McKay is a well-established organisation with a long history in Northland that Lindsay has built on and taken around Aotearoa and offshore.”

■ Innovation in business – ”Innovation is a key aspect of their business, including Ika Rere, the fully electric ferry among other projects, one of which has been submitted for the Innovate awards this year.”

■ Growth/Expansion of business – ”A huge business reach both in Aotearoa and offshore.”

■ Community sponsorship support – ”McKay stadium, and in the last few years the work done for Tai Mahi Trust set up and development of – with the goal of providing real living wages for folks with mental disabilities in the community. While his wife Allison has spearheaded this he is on the board and supported all the way through and Mackay staff have assisted eg the marketing team.”

■ Public Profile – ”Not as high as it could be, but that will change.”

■ Business Profile – ”High, and well known in business community.”

■ Leadership internal/external – ”Has been on and headed up a number of Advisory/working groups over years – currently- on Rautaki – regional Strategy Group, one of 12 on this group, and TTNEAP – Economic Advisory Action plan group (6 years)”

■ Sustainability/Succession – ”Strong succession and sustainability – whanau business. Cross-sectoral – Marine, Electrical, construction.”

Other winners on Friday night were:

More FM Northland Customer Choice Award: Feast NZ Ltd

Jeroen Jongejans Innovate Northland Award: Aqua Mould Systems

BDO Northland Judges Choice Award: Sistema – Toi Akorangi

Vodafone Northland Business Best Digital Transformation Award: Earthworx (2012) Ltd

Marsden Maritime Holdings LTD Excellence in Business – Medium Business Award: Bay of Islands Plumbing & Gas Ltd.

Henderson Reeves Excellence in Business – Small Business Award: Northland Petfood

NorthChamber Excellence in Business – Micro Business Award: Haus of Brows

Wynn Fraser Best Emerging Business Award: Feast NZ Ltd

Northland Regional Council Environmental Excellence Award: Foreno NZ Ltd

Creative Northland Excellence in Cultural and Creative Industries Award: Whatu Creative Ltd

Te Mana Oranga Workplace Diversity and Inclusion Award: Northland Waste Ltd

EMA Recognition of Social Community Impact: Tokotoko Solutions Ltd

Ministry of Social Development He Poutama Taitamariki Award (Youth Employee of the Year): Employee: Eryn Grace Vesey; Employer: Northland Disabled Charitable Trust, trading as Forget Me Not Adult Day Care Centre.

Accident Compensation Corporation Workplace Safety Award: Robinson Asphalts 1992 Ltd