As a co-founder and joint owner of Arrow International with long-time business partner Bob Foster, Ron Anderson is riding the crest of a construction wave that generates annual revenues of more than $350 million.
Recent work and contracts under way include the $14 million doubling of the size of Hawke’s Bay Airport’s terminal at Napier; a $28m multi-storey apartment project in Airedale St, Auckland, that includes seismic strengthening of the historic Ara Lodge, purpose-built for the Freemasons in 1928; and a 3680sq m warehouse at Christchurch Airport for medical supplies company Ebos.
Another project in Auckland’s CBD is a $40m, 21-level student accommodation building on a steep 600m site between Anzac Ave and Beach Rd
Arrow's integrated project and construction management approach harks back to its formation in 1984 when its founders quit their well-paid jobs at Fletcher Construction to start their own business from a Dunedin garage. Some 34 years later, Arrow employs 450 people and has completed more than 3000 projects, including Dunedin's $220m Forsyth Barr Stadium.
The first three decades of Arrow International has been captured by Dave McKinnon’s book, The Bushman & The Builder, published by Arrow in late 2016. It recounts how two young men took a gamble with a radically different approach to construction that fellow Rich Lister Sir Eion Edgar describes in the foreword as a story of "true grit." They were and remain, he says, "true New Zealand business iconoclasts."
The book also traverses the Arrow culture of outdoor adventuring and multi-sport participation, which has been led by Anderson, a keen multi-sporter, hunter and fisherman, who has completed five gruelling Coast to Coast events.
Anderson is also overseeing development of the $130m Arrowtown Lifestyle Retirement Village, which has been government approved as a special housing area. Located on 12ha beside The Hills golf course, the village is a joint venture between the Anderson and Monk families. It comprises 120 villas selling for a minimum of $500,000, plus 75 apartments and a 100-bed aged care facility.
Photo: ODT