A tribute to Harry McMahon

Billy Hodgson, executive chairman, Hodgson Sayers.

Our company core values of honesty, decency and integrity, could have been written to describe Harry McMahon.

Harry was the first employee that Joe Allon and I took on way back in 1981 and he was with the business until he retired in.

At about the same time, we appointed two apprentices, Colin Howey, who was Harry’s nephew and Billy Wilson, who was my nephew.

And, so, it was this tight team that took the business forward in those very early days.

Very sadly, Harry, who was a life-long friend of mine and my brother-in-law, passed away recently.

He was known, respected and loved by so many people across the business and played a critical role in the growth of our work with what, in the early days, was Northern Electric and which became Northern Power Grid.

Harry set the tone and culture for our relationship with Northern Power Grid which, today, is the single largest client of Hodgson Sayers.

From Tanfield Lea in County Durham, Harry’s word was his bond and he embraced every day with humour, generosity of spirit and boundless enthusiasm.

A man with great individual skill, he was, first and foremost, a team player.

He was a wonderful golfer and cricketer and we played football together for many teams including Whickham and Whitley Bay. We were both members of Winlaton West End which made the Guiness Book of Records for going multiple seasons without a defeat.

Harry joined us without any formal training and became one of the best felt roofers I worked with. He went on to become a contracts manager – always going on site in a suit, shirt and tie – and was awarded national contracts manager of the year by a leading industry body.

His legacy at Hodgson Sayers includes the huge, positive impact, he had on the careers of so many people including myself and both past and present members of our staff. Indeed, his nephew, Colin Howey, is today a contracts manager with the business.

So many people will have fantastic memories of Harry and his impact on the business and the community at large is immeasurable.

Harry McMahon – truly a man of honesty, decency and integrity. God bless.