Sponsored: TCC Ltd celebrates 30 years of success on and off the water

Adrienne Matthews

The Marlborough Sounds is a very unique operating environment. Many companies have come and gone but Sam and Lisa Edwards are celebrating a great milestone - three decades serving the region through their company Tory Channel Contracting Ltd, renamed for their 30-year anniversary - TCC Ltd.

In the early days, Tory Channel Contracting Ltd, then known as Tory Channel Charters, was an on-demand charter boat company, operated by a very young 17-year-old Sam.

Sam grew up on boats. A very accomplished youth sailor, he sailed in PClass, Laser and enjoyed many successful years of Elliot 5.9 racing. The family moved to Te Pangu Bay, Tory Channel and built the charter boat, MV Felix and Tory Channel Charters was born on 13 April 1995 by Sam Edwards, Wal and Sue Edwards and Jamie and Ellen McDowell in equal shares.

Lisa, meanwhile, finished at Lincoln University and moved to the Bay of Many Coves for work in early 1996. The daughter of orchardists, Donald and Gillian Campbell, from Nelson, and like Sam, had a classic grounding in rural NZ. They met at the then Gem Resort in the Bay of Many Coves, and the rest is history. “We are a hard-working team and I’m often seen as the handbrake but we have made it work,” says Lisa. “Living and working together for any couple is not easy but it helps if you marry your best mate.” When MV Felix was sold in 2002, Sam and Lisa took ownership and renamed the business Tory Channel Contracting LTD. They married a year later and in 2004, Harry Edwards was born.

On the 15 July 2008, Sam had an accident that nearly ended it all. In true Sam style, although he had multiple serious injuries, he stubbornly pulled through. Within three months he was back to work. His drive is unmatched. The best thing to come out of this time was, Max Edwards, born 9 months later.

Sounds construction work continued, but frustration with the ever-growing red tape of the building industry was tough. There were thoughts of a change in direction. Careys boat company went into liquidation in the Port. “It was derelict for 9 months and we took a leap of faith with Port Marlborough and negotiated a lease to move in and get things going,” says Sam. “Alot of Kiwi ingenuity and a great team got this place going. Although still operating as Tory Channel Contracting LTD, everyone just started calling the yard TCC Boats. After a few years, we had to register the company name TCC Boats LTD. It named itself but became a division of the contracting business.”

“The yard is now pumping out custom vessels from trailer boats to massive complicated projects. “35metres is probably our limit in the current sheds but 10-30metres is probably our mainstay”, says Sam. Wal is still drawing the odd plan but enjoying retirement more. A highly skilled designer and thinker outside of the square, he can be proud of the success his only child has achieved.

The business has grown beyond anything that the young Sam and Lisa could have dreamed of. It employs around thirty staff, some of whom work at the boatyard site in Port Picton under the umbrella of Kaipupu Point or the Sounds Construction division on sites in the Sounds. “The list of jobs in the Sounds is endless and we appreciate the patience of our loyal clients. We don’t want to scale up any bigger and run multiple gangs. We prefer to stay in demand and a family run small/medium operation. We don’t want it to lose that personal touch,” says Lisa.

Life hasn’t always been easy for the company, especially during the Covid years. “We had big jobs suddenly cancelled/stalled overnight when lockdown was announced. We couldn’t sit and do nothing so we bought one of the in-production vessels, cut it into two and added 10 metres, turning it into a

32-metre barge which enables us to carry out a wide range of jobs and deliveries throughout the Sounds, explains Lisa. “Monetarily, we went backwards for about a year and we had to sell our own boat but with help from family, we got there. Both barge hiab cranes are named Grandma and Annie for a reason. We protected our staff from most of it, but there were many sleepless nights. We knuckled down and added value and made the most of the cards we were dealt.”

With Sam’s history in sailing, it was no surprise that he took Harry to the local Queen Charlotte Yacht Club in 2014 to do a learn-to-sail. He was a natural. “The life skills these young kids learn is truly one of the last greatest options outside this PC world we live in,” says Sam. “It builds resilience”.

The old club was dilapidated. “It was kind of the perfect storm timing-wise,” he says. “We poured a lot of time, energy, money, community contacts and favours into building the new Queen Charlotte Yacht Club. The official operating in November 2020 was met with relief and pride, noting the finishing during the tough Covid time. The local yacht club will always hold a special place in our hearts. Our kids grew up there and they watched us work hard and what that achieves. Our family have made some amazing lifelong friends all over NZ, but particularly the people who stood with us and helped. We really appreciate them,” says the couple.

Sam and Lisa are very proud of their family. Both boys are growing up being busy finding their passions. Harry’s partner Emily is a valued member of the TCC team and she and Harry are both qualified mariners with commercial tickets. Max is close to leaving school and has a passion for flying and currently working part time in the engineering at TCC. There will no doubt be something marine based in their futures.

These days TCC Ltd operates from what is Picton’s heaviest lifting boatyard with twin slipways that can haul up to 180-ton vessels. “It is a constant conveyer belt,” say Matt Byrne, General Manager, “and allows for a wide variety of vessels and projects to be worked on.” The large shipyard contains extensive sheds including paint booth and fabrication facilities.

“As the manager of TCC Limited for the past 8 years, I’ve witnessed incredible growth and evolution of a company,” he says. From humble beginnings, the company has become a leader in its field that also gives back to the community.”

“When I first came on board, I never imagined the exciting projects we’d take on. We've designed and built custom vessels for customers all over NZ and beyond and we’ve helped clients find solutions for their applications or ongoing maintenance programs.”

As Lisa and Sam say, "we celebrate 30 years in business building more than just boats and infrastructure. We’ve built an amazing team along with lasting relationships with our clients, subcontractors and networks. Here’s to the next chapter of craftsmanship, innovation, and teamwork. We thank everyone who has been involved along the way.”