The act of receiving an award is often a fast track to being profiled on this website, and many others. But less obvious achievements are equally deserving of a moment in the spotlight, and even more enjoyable to research. Probing the careers of long-time members reveals the surprising degree to which they have influenced and enriched the organisation, and Glenn Jones provides a vivid example.

Glenn began his long career with Master Builders in 1983 with full-throttle eagerness. His father, Barney, had already enjoyed a long career with the association, and Glenn was eager to get started on his own. Enjoyment of the home building trade was total for Glenn, who describes the elation associated with planning, building a delivering a project as akin to addiction.

“Nothing is more satisfying than being outside, building a building,” he says matter-of-factly. “That’s the ultimate.”

But such was Glenn’s fascination for the process of building, and not just the execution of it, that within a few years he’d embarked on his own extracurricular career with Master Builders. Beginning in the early 1990s, Glenn became active as a participant on the Housing Sector Committee, as an MBAV delegate and Deputy Chairman to the Building Registration Committee and, eventually, a director and board member for the association. His enjoyment meant he racked up untold hours volunteering his experience and energy, devoting approximately three days of his work week to the cause.

“It had a big impact on my work load,” he reflects, “but these are activities for which I am eternally grateful. I was introduced to working with government, for example, which was very interesting.”

Glenn says there are many builders today who aren’t familiar with the history of their industry, and how many features that they take for granted actually stemmed from hard work within the association. He cites home warranty insurance as an example.

“That was an invention of Master Builders Association of Victoria and the Housing Sector group in the 1960s for consumers,” he notes, “and to help provide builders with a marketing edge for their clients.”

Eventually, Glenn left the board to pursue consulting full time and direct his talents to more profitable expenditures of his time and energy. Now trading as Boston Group, he works full time with his own staff “developing products to help builders and consumers across the full spectrum of the industry”, an example of which is the well-known MBAV Major Domestic Building Specifications.

“Today, we’re more of a ‘Topgun’ training program for builders,” explains Glenn. “Building companies have various administrative programs and systems; we make them better. We provide specially designed e-tools for problem-solving, but if that’s not enough we roll up our sleeves and assist. I always remain conscious of the relationship between builder and client so it doesn’t become unnecessarily costly for either of them.”

Conflicts here and there may be inevitable, he acknowledges, “But a soft landing for all parties is a good outcome.”

With 31 years of membership under his belt, Glenn has had time to see and test the full spectrum of what it can offer, and his endorsement is emphatic.

“In my view, the value of a Master Builders membership is still highly underrated,” he says. “To get full value, you need to use the facilities Master Builders has built for you. If you get involved, it can lead to the development of relationships that are really good for your business.

He adds a friendly warning, though. “You have to be balanced about the time you put in. Me, I couldn’t drink enough of it.”