Nick Prestwood provided pro-bono Project Management services at the recently opened Act for Kids Moreton Centre in Queensland and has already jumped into another QLD-based Haven Project.
For the past few years, JLL Project Manager Nick Prestwood has been working behind the scenes coordinating a Haven Project to transform a disused vet clinic into a therapy centre for at-risk young people in the Moreton Bay-Caboolture region. The Moreton Centre was recently handed over to our charity partners at Act for Kids to run evidence-based intervention therapy that’s desperately needed in the area. We talked to Nick about his volunteer work for the Foundation.
What is your current role?
I’m a Project Manager within JLL Project & Development Services QLD
How and why did you get involved with the Haven Project in Moreton Bay?
I had been assisting the Property Industry Foundation where I could in fundraising events and am a supporter of what the Foundation does as an organisation. I wanted to assist further in a professional capacity and approached a JLL Brisbane colleague, who is on the Board of Advisors in Queensland. The opportunity to manage the Haven Project Moreton Bay was shared with me. It has been a tremendous privilege to be a part of this.
What was your role during the project?
Construction Project Manager (pro-bono), managing the consultants and contractors from early feasibility and design, through to project completion.
What was your experience like on the project?
It was an interesting shift to work on a long project in a pro-bono capacity, experiencing the different drivers and pressure points to those in regular fee-paying projects. There was also a learning curve identifying the different stakeholder perspectives and needs, which were different to what we’d experience in a standard project. Overall, it was a fantastic, coordinated effort from various consultants and contractors to bring this project together.
Why do you believe the Foundation is so important in supporting vulnerable youth?
Aside from the funding the Property Industry Foundation offers, I feel that the way the Foundation utilises experienced property industry professionals to manage and drive these projects is a brilliant and unique initiative which offers so much for their clients and recipients. JLL is happy to support me in providing a pro-bono service on this.
What’s next for you?
Now the Moreton Bay project has come to a close, I’ll be supporting the Foundation, in a Project Management capacity, on another QLD project to provide transitional housing in the South Burnett region.
I’m also bringing some additional project management experience onto the project with some willing JLL colleagues to support me on this project.
