If you’ve ever wondered how the repairs at Tafuna High School are being handled, this is the story:
The American Samoa Collaboration…
In October 2022, Alex Willis emailed a enquiry to PERI Head Office in Weissenhorn, Germany, requesting somebody to contact him about more information on our PD5 shoring system. PERI HQ passed this to myself seeing that our office takes care of ASIA/OCEANIA countries.
After making contact with Alex, we set up a Teams call for Alex, Roy and Zamir (Head of Business Development), as a introduction meeting and to understand their project requirements better. When I asked Alex where they’re contacting us from, he replied, American Samoa [and] I had to look on the map where this island was because I had never heard of it before.
After the meeting, we understood that the shoring was required for a existing structure, namely Tafuna High School, which needed repairing to concrete works as this had deteriorated over time and was putting the pupils at risk and was deemed unsafe.
PERI engineers started working on the project to find the most economical solution for this project and also keeping in mind the reuse of the materials on the island for future works. PERI decided that PD8 would be the best system to offer and we could also sell this at very attractive pricing to Willis Construction to suit their purpose.
We shared our solution with Alex and Roy and, after they agreed to all, they gave PERI the “go ahead” to supply.
From the beginning, I could feel the seriousness about their company from Alex and Roy being the 7th generation of Willis Construction and they understood their market very well. They strive for innovation in American Samoa and also introduced the Polymer Carbon Fibre Concrete repairing materials, being another 1st for American Samoa.
In June this year, I agreed to visit American Samoa because I wanted to understand more about their market and their needs and where PERI can assist, because PERI is not just a supplier of Formwork, Scaffolding & Engineering, but we see ourselves as a business partner and we build relationships with our customers to be able to assist even when times are tough.
On my arrival in Pago Pago, American Samoa, in June, I was greeted with big smiles from Roy & Suma as if we knew each other for years already. The same for the rest of the community I met at the hotel, restaurants and shops, all were very welcoming and friendly. As someone from a small seaside village in Cape Town, South Africa, I missed this and it brought back many memories.
Roy, Suma & Alex were always a call away if I needed anything or wanted to visit project sites etc., which made it very easy to understand the culture. We inspected the Tafuna High School project and the Willis Construction Team were well advanced on the installation of the PERI PD8 system and got to know the system quickly.
The last night was the best when the Willis Family invited me for a feast at their home, which was so special to me, there was so much food prepared and I was very honored to meet mother Millie, father Roy Snr., Jasmay Willis and Qrsteena Willis, where we shared many stories about our cultures and just life in general. The Willis family spoiled me with so many traditional gifts that is now in our PERI office where I can see it everyday and relive the good memories.
We, PERI & Willis Construction, have decided to take our collaboration a step further by being the 1st company in the Pacific Islands to purchase our exciting PERI DUO system to be able to assist the construction community on the island, and to help them to improve their profits by using the DUO system. We at PERI are very exciting about this venture and look forward to a positive mutual beneficial business relationship.
I am looking forward to our customer day this coming November, where we, together with the Willis Construction Team, will do a live presentation of the DUO system and also, hopefully, meet more of the American Samoa community and share a meal together.
I feel truly blessed that Alex wrote that email in October 2022 to PERI, it was God’s plan for our paths to cross and for me to visit America Samoa.
I look forward, anxiously, to see you all again very soon and God’s Richest Blessings.
Yours Sincerely,
Lance Nelson
Managing Director
PERI APAC Services.
UPDATE: Lance has forwarded more information from his LinkedIn page:
UPDATE SEPTEMBER 6, 2023:
We are heading to American Samoa, and you are invited! Join us for this special DUO Day where you will have a chance to learn more about DUO and the growing collaboration between PERI and Willis Construction.
Scan the code to register or send us an email on: willisconstruction684@gmail.com
To learn more about DUO, please visit: www.peri.nz
We look forward to meeting you there!
