McCaw renews ambassador role

http://www.stuff.co.nz/business/industries/5418589/McCaw-renews-ambassador-role
ALAN WOOD
August 10th, 2011

All Blacks skipper Richie McCaw has signed again as a brand ambassador for Versatile Homes & Buildings saying he, the building firm and the rest of Christchurch are awaiting the quake rebuild to swing into action.

Versatile Homes & Buildings is a residential home-based subsidiary of Spanbild Holdings, whose range includes smaller kitset holiday baches, sleepouts, garages and utility sheds as well as farm and commercial buildings.

The company has built a home for McCaw in the Wanaka region and says it has had plenty of inquiries since the February 22 and June 13 earthquakes, although insurance issues are holding up some of those potential rebuilds.

McCaw said friends and acquaintances were "waiting for something to happen" regarding substantial work on the residential rebuild.
"All my friends, everyone I know has got some sort of damage or new house [to be built]. It's just when it's going to get going.
"When it gets going, there's going to be some demand for people, and homes and builders ... everyone's just sort of waiting."

Versatile Homes & Build ings general manager Darren Sandford said the company had signed up McCaw for another three years from January 1 through to December 31, 2014. The rugby player had already been an ambassador for the company for two years.

Spanbild is owned by founders Bill and Gillian Gee, and does not reveal its revenue or profits figures.

Gee said yesterday business had been slow for about 12 months, but the company had more recently had considerable work associated with earthquake building at Canterbury University and temporary homes in Kaiapoi and Linwood.

Spanbild general manager of business development Tim Blake said the company was working closely with the AMI and IAG insurance organisations to be a provider for home builds, with a recent spike in inquiries associated with those relationships.

- The Press