Megan Leeson started her career at Stevenson in 2018 when close family friend Shane Toto helped her get a job at Drury quarry. Two of her siblings Gemma and Adam were already working at the quarry when Megan joined the Drury team, and later siblings Alix and Faye came on board too. Four years later she transferred to Poplar Lane in Pāpāmoa where she achieved a significant goal of buying her own home at 22 years old.

“When I started working at Drury I was assigned a buddy who trained me and taught me how to operate the dump truck. Once my confidence increased I moved on to learning how to operate the loader. I learnt everything I needed to on the job and Stevenson paid for all of the licensing which was helpful,” says Megan.

Megan has been at Poplar Lane for two and a half years and had a recent change of role from weighbridge and administrator to operations support. Operations support means that Megan can go back on the machines if she is needed while continuing with admin duties and operating the weighbridge. She adds, “Being in the office and on the machines gives me a good perspective on how things work around the business and allows me to build skills and knowledge.” The flexibility in her role is favourable for Poplar Lane as she is experienced in operating the mobile crushing plant and driving the loader, dump trucks, excavator, bulldozer and grader.

A typical day starts at 6.30 am with operating the weighbridge until 9 am when Delwyn Spriggens takes over operations. Megan then heads into the office that she shares with Quarry Manager Dave Loach and Technical Accounts Manager Barrack Carle to do administrative tasks and any other odd jobs that Dave might find for her.

“Megan is an absolute pleasure to work with! She is a team player who is professional and fun. Nothing is ever a problem for her, even when we are fighting fires. She is an asset to the business and the industry,” says Barrack.

The team of sixteen at Poplar Lane includes three women but Megan would like to see more women join the industry.

“I’ve been at Poplar Lane for two and a half years, our team all get along well and are very supportive. Dave is great to work with, he sees the potential in everyone and encourages them to reach their goals. Working for Stevenson has helped me reach my goal of getting into my own home, there are so many opportunities throughout the business to reach your full potential,” says Megan.

Megan is an inspiring role model and supporter of recruiting more women to the business. Dave and Regional Manager for Waikato and Bay of Plenty Rodger Jones nominated Megan for the female leadership programme, Road to Success.

She has recently completed the first module that was held in Christchurch and is looking forward to the next one. She says, “The programme is really eye-opening and teaches women skills to positively lead and influence people. I can’t wait to start the next one.”

Megan encourages people from all walks of life to consider a career at Stevenson. “If you have the opportunity to work at Stevenson you should go for it. You will learn so many skills that you can take with you to other departments. It’s not just quarrying, there is roading and the cadetships are really cool. They offer the chance to work in different areas of the business to figure out what you like and where you would want to work. You will get pushed to reach your potential.”

Family is important to Megan, and being one of ten siblings she likes to catch up and spend time with her family in Auckland when she can. Megan and her partner Keenyn have two dogs named Olive and Pickle. The four of them like to go on adventures and explore waterfalls and beaches at the weekend.