Gerry Alleaume
Managing Director
Matesrates Australia
GERRY Alleaume started Matesrates in 2005 from a small home office. It is now a million-dollar company, specialising in IT business products and services.
Matesrates offers IT consultancy, hardware supplies, web design and software through an online store and a retail brokerage. It aims to be a single contact for clients to purchase all their business and personal IT and communication needs.
Mr Alleaume diversified his business to protect it during the economic downturn. The retail store in Subiaco was opened to create a new opportunity for sales when regular sectors of the business slowed.
‘‘My most significant business achievement overall has been to leave a job with $1,000 in my pocket and a mortgage payment due in 25 days’ time and tell my wife it would all be okay,’’ Mr Alleaume said.
Conscious of the importance of incorporating environmentally friendly initiatives into its practise, Matesrates buys energy from government accreditation program Green Power and participates in the Carbon Neutral program.
Matesrates made the top 100 in the BRW Fast Starters Awards in both 2008 and 2009. It also won a SmartCompany Smart50 award, achieving 37th in the top 50 fastest growing companies in Australia for the financial year ending 2009.
Deborah Ambrosini
Company Secretary and Director
Advent Energy Ltd
Deborah Ambrosini joined her first board of an ASX-listed company at 35 years old (BPH Corporate). Now, two years later, she is a board member of nine Western Australian companies including public unlisted Advent Energy and ASX-listed MEC Resources in roles including director, company secretary and CFO.
During the past 12 months Ms Ambrosini has coordinated capital raisings for BPH Corporate, MEC Resources and Advent Energy totalling over $40 million. She did this through equity issues to private entities, sophisticated investors and existing shareholders.
Advent Energy, a subsidiary of MEC Resources, is preparing to drill its first well, and the first ever natural gas exploration well off the New South Wales coast, in the offshore Sydney basin. Ms Ambrosini has been heavily involved in the contract negotiations for the drilling process, including assisting the review and negotiations of the drilling rig contract worth $US16 million.
Mark Antonio
Owner/Managing Director
DMD Shelving Direct
MARK Antonio was just 18 years old when he entered a partnership with two others and started DMD Shelving Direct, which initially provided installation and relocation services of commercial shelving and racking systems.
Within six months, the business began buying surplus materials and selling them second-hand. This then led to the purchase and sale of new products.
DMD Shelving Direct has now developed its own products, which are used in industrial, commercial and domestic areas. The company has been operating for 15 years.
The business is now expanding further, with the construction of a purpose-built facility in Cockburn Commercial Park almost complete. It will include a showroom, design centre, warehousing and fabrication factory.
Mr Antonio has actively sought to employ staff from overseas on 457 visas. DMD Shelving Direct currently supports two managers and their families from England and is currently processing a third from South Africa.
He credits the success of the business to combining 457 sponsorships with extensive in-house training, as the international influence has provided the business with invaluable methods, technology and experience.
Chris Bates
Director
Interpeople
CHRIS Bates started Interpeople with two partners in 2008 after seeing a gap in the market for high-level technical recruiting. The business provides technical recruitment and human resource consulting for legal, accounting, engineering, mining and not-for-profit organisations.
Mr Bates is responsible for the legal division. He has a degree in law and commerce, a postgraduate certificate in migration law and has worked as a solicitor for 18 months.
Mr Bates ssaysaid he took the global financial crisis as an opportunity to expand.
‘‘It highlighted the effectiveness of our business plan by doing simple things well and the importance of taking calculated risks ‘against the trend’ to generate long-term growth opportunities,’’ he says.
He focused on developing ‘trust’ relationships with clients and positioning the company as the specialists for when things improved.
Interpeople plans to expand this year by launching Interpeople Migration, which will work to recruit migrant workers.
Interpeople donates 10 per cent of all profits to charity, and provides premises for Love Angel Foundation and The Global Good Foundation to operate from.
The company also holds an annual charity ball to raise money for the Love Angel Foundation and Make-A-Wish Australia.
Michael Chester
CEO
Sun City Plumbing
SUN City Plumbing has become an integral part of the Geraldton community since Michael Chester started the business 10 years ago.
The business employs 55 people including 13 apprentices and five indigenous Australians, and gives back to the local community through its involvement with the stepUP Foundation, which helps educate disadvantaged teenagers through its coaching and mentoring programs.
Mr Chester started his first business, Chester Plumbing, in 1997 but, realising how rapidly the company was growing, developed a business plan and a new business to meet the demand.
Sun City Plumbing provides domestic and commercial plumbing installation and maintenance services and is one of the largest plumbing providers in the Mid West region.
The company currently holds the Homeswest maintenance contract for the Geraldton and Mid West areas and has carried out work at the West Angelas mine site, the Geraldton Medical Centre and remote locations such as Christmas Creek.
During the GFC, the company invested in heavy haulage machinery so it could expand into cartage and haulage and provide more cost-effective and timely services to its clients.
Leigh Cometti
General Manager
Cometti Tyre Wholesalers/ Complete Tyre Solutions
COMETTI Tyre Wholesalers is a diversified full-service tyre wholesaler, distributer and marketer. Complete Tyre Solutions is a subsidiary company serving as Cometti Tyres’ direct link to fleet operators.
Leigh Cometti joined the family business in 2001 aged 17, where, under the guidance of his parents, he managed to gain an understanding of the tyre industry by the time he left school.
As a full-time employee he started on the ground floor, working from the shop floor upwards, often14 to 18 hours a day, to achieve the best possible outcome for the business.
Mr Cometti says he is dedicated and passionate about his work, and is prepared to work harder and smarter than his competitors.
The company has grown to become one of the leading independent tyre and wheel wholesalers in WA. Mr Cometti thrives on entrepreneurial challenges, and his positive attitude and outstanding product knowledge has won distributorships with leading tyre manufacturers.
He is determined to learn as much as he can about the industry, products and the market and can see potential for growth through investing in technology.
Shane Coote
Director
Exmouth Freight Services
SHANE Coote is director of Exmouth Freight Services, a transport service agent for the Exmouth region and the offshore oil and gas industry.
The business operates a line haul from Exmouth to Karratha for waste disposal from the Gorgon mine site.
Mr Coote says one of his most significant achievements was contributing to the release of industrial land in Exmouth, which resulted in the creation of Mowbowra Industrial Estate.
In 2004, his business premises had to be vacated due to a town planning restructure.
He wrote a report on the inefficiencies of the zoning policy and its ramifications on small business and presented it to the local shire and LandCorp. This resulted in the grant of an exceptional licence to occupy undeveloped crown land.
Mr Coote raised money from investors to purchase prime industrial land and his business was the first to start operations in the industrial estate.
Mr Coote says the human side of his business, such as regular client phone calls and ongoing friendships, are important.
“I’ve never been able to take the personal element out of the way I conduct my business; I still make decisions from the heart,” he says.
“Some would say this is a downfall, I believe it’s a key to running a successful business.”
Merrill Dalgleish
Managing Director
Dalgleish Catering
MERRILL Dalgleish is director of Dalgleish Catering, a three-pronged business offering catering services to Geraldton and the Mid West region, and operating the Us2+2 cafe and POSH Event and Function Centre.
A fourth arm of the business, a steakhouse family restaurant, is in its planning stages. The catering business also plans to diversify into the resource market by servicing mining camps.
When faced with a labour shortage and competing with the resources industry in the region, Dalgleish Catering decided to encourage Geraldton youths to stay in their local community with a career in hospitality. The business offers sponsorships and five-day week rostering to attract young people to the job.
It also specifically encourages indigenous youth, with four apprentices and two trainees currently on the books.
“The longevity that an apprentice gives Dalgleish Catering is remarkable, with natural progression they move though the ranks, they learn more and as a result take on more responsibility,” Ms Dalgleish says.
When managing multiple businesses, she says, it is important to work ‘on’ the business rather than ‘in’ the business. She has learned to delegate tasks to staff members so she can focus on the core of the business progress.
Sasha deBretton
CEO
Million Dollar Makeovers & Fast Renovations
SASHA deBretton bought her first house when aged just 21, renovating the property and selling at a profit.
She continued to buy, subdivide and renovate for 17 years before turning her hobby into a multi-million dollar business.
Ms deBretton left her full-time job in 2009 to focus on the business, hiring a PA and administration staff, and made her previous annual salary in the first month.
Million Dollar Makeovers and Fast Renovations provide a complete cosmetic renovation service for homes in a two- to four-week period, a turnaround time that Ms deBretton promotes heavily in the marketing of her business. She provides a full design, project management and furnishing service and calls on a team of more than 100 tradespeople to complete the job.
Ms deBretton had no qualms about launching the business in the midst of the economic downturn, as she used the GFC slump to market home renovation as an alternative to selling in a falling housing market.
She has just registered a third income stream for the business, Fast Shop Fitouts, which will provide commercial fit-outs and renovations. Fast Renovations is also expanding to create franchises.
Natasha Di Ciano
Managing Director
Egami Style
EGAMI Style is an image consultancy that offers personal image and professional positioning advice for individuals and organisations wanting to develop a brand.
Natasha Di Ciano founded Egami Style in 2007 to help people create their own professional image.
“I believe there is a science behind image which extends beyond what is aesthetic,” Ms Di Ciano says.
“It embodies everything that we are and can influence how we want to be perceived.”
She says starting a new business was challenging, especially when the service is an entirely new concept to the market and the product is intangible.
To help the business grow, Ms Di Ciano created a product from the service – an image plan, to be considered a business plan for a person’s own image. She also attended networking events and presented talks at industry seminars, to increase the public profile of her business.
A second arm of the business, Egami Talent, specialises in executive recruitment, advising on methodology for identifying senior talent.
In May last year, Ms Di Ciano launched Dine for Life, a charity fundraising dinner series that promotes a mid-week dining culture. She hopes to run this event twice a year.
Stuart Diepeveen
General Manager
Electrical Group Training
STUART Diepeveen began his career in the mid-1990s as an electrical apprentice at Electrical Group Training, a not-for-profit group-training organisation for apprentice electricians.
He is now the general manager of the organisation.
After completing his apprenticeship, Mr Diepeveen became a production supervisor and workplace safety coordinator at Advanced Energy Systems.
He later became a training instructor at The College of Electrical Training. While researching for a lesson about employment in the electrical industry, Mr Diepeveen came across a job advertisement for a field officer at Electrical Group Training.
He landed the role and after five months he moved up to operations manager, a position in which he was responsible for managing the team of field officers.
Two years into that role, he became general manager, taking responsibility for management of all aspects of the company.
During his tenure, OHS standards have improved significantly. Mr Diepeveen introduced new testing equipment, set KPIs with monthly rewards and implemented performance and feedback systems.
He restructured the OHS and operations teams to include new positions dedicated to improving safety.
As a result, there was a 50 per cent reduction in the number of incidents in 12 months.
Timothy Edwards
Managing Director
Metro Power CompanyMETRO
Power Company uses the artificial intelligence E2M system to perform a range of enhanced energy services for utilities, industry and government. It is used to learn and predict complex energy use behaviour so that customers can receive lower electricity tariffs, while improving productivity and efficiency.
Timothy Edwards’ key expertise is in the area of energy management; his passion for emission and energy reduction has engaged him in developing a world-first in technology and services, his data analysis systems are unlocking the way for Western Australian businesses to prosper in the new carbon constrained economy.
Mr Edwards won the ‘Growth Category’ of the WA Innovator of the year 2010, for the system’s projected benefits to the community and environment on a large scale. He continues to plan, lead, design, develop and supervise major projects as part of an extensive smartgrid, to promote a culture of sustainability, trust, transparency and vision, in a bid to reduce emissions.
Increasing global demand for energy has affected the international competitiveness of companies.
E2M-enabled services will improve industrial and commercial productivity on an unprecedented scale in WA. Mr Edwards’ efficient electricity grids allow WA business to prosper and continue being competitive on a global scale.
Marcus Fulker
Managing Director
Great Aussie Patios
IN 2000, Marcus Fulker was a subcontractor working for a small patio building company in Perth’s southern suburbs. Two years later, the concept for Great Aussie Patios was born.
The company started in Mr Fulker’s shed in what was his first home.
Today, the company has two 300-square-metre factories based in Maddington and 18 employees. One factory is used for the fabrication of patio components and warehouse steel products, the other acts as a showroom with the company’s range of patios on display.
Mr Fulker has experienced many ups and downs relating to the recruitment of quality staff.
He has now fine-tuned his employment methods, by implementing a tight screening process and training more than 20 patio installers from ‘rookies’.
Mr Fulker applies the following guiding principles in the day-to-day running of his business: work on quality first, quantity second; grow your business in a sustainable way; and money is not what it’s all about.
In addition to these principles, Mr Fulker credits his love of reading to his business success.
“Along with Dale Carnegie’s How to Win Friends and Influence People and Michael Gerber’s The E-Myth, I would have to say a bookshelf full of education has played a significant part in the success that I have thus far attained,” he says.
John Gallop
Managing Director
Mineworks Group
JOHN Gallop’s vision of growth, sharp intuition and no fear of failure have given him the means to turn a small mechanical workshop into a successful multi-million dollar business servicing the mining and resources sector.
Mineworks Group is a service provider to the Australian mining, civil and resources industries. Focused on the supply and support of mobile plant and equipment, the company operates with four divisions: workshop services, hire and sales, innovation and labour hire.
The group was started in 2001 as Mineworks Mechanical with the goal to support mining clients with high-quality subcontract mechanical services. Mr Gallop worked long hours away from home to build a reputation of integrity and hard work.
As the economy boomed, the company grew and redeveloped in line with its clients’ needs.
Mr Gallop says his most significant business achievement was the recent turnaround of Mineworks Group’s financial position following the economic downturn in 2009.
‘‘I am extremely proud of what I have accomplished in such a short space of time. The Mineworks Group of companies has an unlimited future and this process has helped me recognise my achievements and improve self confidence,’’ he says.
Derek Gerrard
Co-Founder/Managing Director
Greensense
IT was their passion for starting a green business and a background in IT that led Derek Gerrard and two friends to start Greensense in 2008.
The idea for the business was to develop a technology solution that would support energy efficient initiatives with a real-time, energy monitoring solution.
However, when Mr Gerrard and his partners first took their idea to the market, they had trouble finding organisations that wanted to invest in their product as the GFC struck.
This did not deter them and they quickly evolved their business plan to provide a climate change consulting service, which enabled them to establish significant client relationships while they continued research and development of their product.
Mr Gerrard’s passion for his product and determination paid off and the business now boasts an impressive portfolio of clients, including Horizon Power, the City of Perth, the WA Football Commission, Curtin University and Woodside.
Greensense has been selected as the preferred supplier of climate change consulting services to the local government sector.
The company has also worked with Sunset Events to improve the sustainability of the Southbound, One Movement and Blues and Roots music festivals and has helped develop the environmental and sustainability program of Perth 2011.
Tim Gooch
Managing Director
iWebGate
iWEBGATE is primarily a research and development company that has created the world’s first commercially viable product that promotes the use of network security zone protection.
The company strives to bring a next generation approach to the way people and businesses communicate and collaborate on the internet.
In 2004, iWebGate was formed in Western Australia after managing director Tim Gooch identified a universal problem with the way most small-to-medium enterprises operated online.
It released the first commercial version of its DMZ Platform late in 2009. Since then the company has been recognised for its innovation by winning a series of awards.
Mr Gooch says he is passionate about his work, while recognising that iWebGate’s achievements are a direct result of a clever, devoted and integrated team of people.
He says his most important achievement has been identifying and defining a fundamental problem causing the internet to be ‘unsafe’ and systems to be generally less productive than they could be. His vision started with the desire to make remote access over the internet faster and easier for all users.
Rachael Hain
Managing Director
Ready to Work
RETURNING to work after having children can be a difficult adjustment for some women; for others, however, the experience can be traumatic to contemplate.
It was the heart-breaking challenges faced by many disadvantaged women that motivated Rachael Hain and Danielle Benda to set up Ready to Work in 2008 to assist Western Australian women return to or enter the workforce.
Buoyed by the success of similar programs interstate and overseas, Ms Hain took on the role of managing director and worked to develop the business into an inspirational not-for-profit enterprise.
Ready to Work provides work attire and techniques to help women perform in interviews, secure work and set their course for financial independence.
Ms Hain drew on her own difficult experience of returning to work after having children to develop the business model for Ready to Work.
Ready to Work has assisted more than 120 women with work clothes and Ms Hain works hard with her staff of 60 volunteers to ensure the ongoing success of the enterprise. She has been directly responsible for raising more than $260,000.
And she has worked to expand the reach of the business to include women from WA’s correctional institutions and pre-release centres.
In August 2010 Ms Hain’s work was recognised by the AIM UWA Business School Alliance and she was awarded the Sir Frank Ledger Scholarship to attend the advanced management program.
Chantal Haskett
Managing Director
Aston Recruitment
CHANTAL Haskett is the managing director of recruitment agency Aston Recruitment, which operates five specialty divisions including commercial, sales, property and construction, and IT. It focuses on building strong business partnerships and developing knowledge and expertise, to provide meaningful career advice for candidates.
Ms Haskett opened Aston Recruitment in 2008, using her vision of a personal approach as a locally owned and operated business to make the recruitment process easy for clients and candidates alike.
She is not only involved in the day-to-day running of the business but also in business development and strategic planning for the substantial growth of business.
‘‘Starting Aston Recruitment has been my most significant and rewarding achievement. Making the decision to go into my own business on my own was a huge step outside of my comfort zone, a steep learning curve and a true test of my own confidence and self belief,’’ she says.
With a lot of research, long nights and weekends spent putting together a business plan, Ms Haskett mortgaged her apartment to gain the funds to start Aston Recruitment, learning along the way that ‘‘people are what make you successful’’.
Rosalie Hawke
Director
Ocean Reefs Marine Aquariums
THROUGH creating a business selling saltwater aquariums, filtration equipment and interesting and unique marine animals, Rosalie Hawke says she has gained a new appreciation of the ocean’s diverse inhabitants.
The business, run in conjunction with her partner Simon, provides customised services to private and commercial clients, and operates an onsite hatchery for marine ornamental species to support a sustainable marine environment.
Ocean Reef Marine Aquariums started in 1996 and since then has gone international, with Mrs Hawke employing 12 people and servicing customers across the world.
The Hawkes plan to continue with their philosophy of sustainable oceans and marine life through the sustainable supply of ornamental fish and other marine life, as well as educating the market on the importance of the oceans to the future.
Mrs Hawke says her key business achievement was successfully making the transition from a nursing career to that of partner in the development of a successful small business exporting to 10 countries. The change was challenging when overcoming the risk associated with entering a unique business with a niche market, with no mentor or specific advice.
“We have really pioneered the ornamental fish export market for Australia,” she says.
Clinton Heal
Founder and CEO
melanomaWA
AS founder and CEO of melanomaWA, Clinton Heal is dedicated to increasing awareness in the Western Australian community about the risks of sun exposure, and especially awareness about the deadly form of skin cancer melanoma. melanomaWA provides an informative website and support network for those who are living with melanoma.
It was started in September 2008 as an information website (www.melanomawa.org.au) after Mr Heal’s personal experience with metastatic melanoma. He was diagnosed in 2005 and, finding that good information was hard to come by, created a website dedicated to providing useful and positive information for people with melanoma and their support networks.
Mr Heal says once the website was launched people started to contact him about support meetings, so these started in October of 2008. melanomaWA has been expanding ever since.
In January of 2010, melanomaWA became an incorporated association and a board was nominated to take control. Mr Heal, who has a masters degree in business administration and a bachelor of medical imaging science, was made CEO and holds the position today.
Mr Heal was recently named WA Young Australian of the Year for 2011 for his work with melanomaWA.
Anthony Janssen
Managing Director
Gnarabar/White Elephant Beach Cafe
AT the age of 23 Anthony Janssen took a failing restaurant and bar business and turned it into an iconic community and tourism hot spot.
Four years later, community loyalty and enthusiasm fuelled a campaign that secured a highly coveted lease over one of the Margaret River region’s most sought-after venues.
Through hard work and determination Mr Janssen now owns and operates a successful network of restaurant and catering services in and around Margaret River. In a ‘rags to riches’ journey Mr Janssen went from barely passing year 10, leaving school and working at McDonald’s to transforming a failing bar and restaurant business into the modern hot spot Gnarabar is today.
Mr Janssen hopes to further evolve the business into an incubator for young hospitality talent, by motivating youth and hosting a youth program, in order to create a friendly workplace.
“On our opening night, I opened the doors without a float for the till. Having left high school in year 10 and worked as a chef, I had never even seen a spreadsheet, let alone managed a business. However, with unrelenting energy and vehement hard work I overcame every obstacle that came my way,” he says.
Adam Lamond
CEO and Founder
Ocean to Outback Contracting
OCEAN to Outback Contracting provides complete turnkey construction solutions to the resources industry. Adam Lamond started the company in 2003 after identifying a need to combine all aspects of camp installation, to offer a more cost effective and quality end product.
Mr Lamond’s objective is to reach a $100 million turnover by 2012, but to also make a sustainable difference to the lives of the staff, customers and the community.
When he started out Mr Lamond was working from 4.30am to complete all the pricing and tendering work, and then to site supervise during the day, often not returning home until 10pm.
He says he was carrying about seven roles – supervisor, business developer, manager, estimator, etc. He remains proud how he and his family managed to get the business from “ground zero” to a sustainable entity in its first two years.
Mr Lamond has a passion to provide an enjoyable, safe environment for his workers. Now, with 150 staff on board and still growing, Ocean to Outback Contracting is achieving this aim to make a difference in the wider community, and is currently in discussions with one of the indigenous land councils to partner them in training and developing young Aboriginals.
Tony Metcalf
General Manager
Compass Health
COMPASS Health began in 2007 as the brainchild of Tony Metcalf and business partner Christy Whitby, who wanted to improve the level of medical care to mine sites in remote locations throughout Western Australia.
Compass Health specialises in the provision and management of paramedical, nursing, emergency response, injury management and occupational health personnel and is also a co-provider of on-site nationally accredited registered training courses.
Compass Health’s client list now includes many of Australia’s leading mining, oil and gas and engineering companies – Woodside, Rio Tinto, Fortescue Metals Group, SKM, and KBR among them – and employs 55 full-time staff.
The company was awarded its largest contract in 2009 at Woodside’s Pluto Gas project, as part of a joint tender arrangement with Gemini Medical Services. This allowed it to retain its existing staff during the GFC and add a further 14 full-time employees.
Not long after, it secured a significant contract with Rio Tinto, which led to an ongoing agreement for 2010 and 2011 with the option of a third year. This meant the company could hire staff on a fixed term full-time contract.
The company supports the Pilbara communities and regional hospitals through its services and provides employment opportunities for local and indigenous communities. Compass now has offices in Perth, the north-west, and Queensland.
Rohan Milne
Director
Rohan Jewellery
WHEN Rohan Milne returned to Perth in 2007, after spending three years working as a jeweller at Guccione in Rome, he identified the need for a personable, high-end jewellery store and opened Rohan Jewellery in Leederville.
The business has carved a niche for itself in Perth’s highly competitive jewellery market by specialising in collaborating with clients on custom pieces and employing qualified jewellery professionals and no sales staff.
Just 12 months after opening the business, Mr Milne successfully bid in the 2008 Argyle Pink Diamond Tender against some of the world’s largest jewellery houses and diamond dealers.
Mr Milne said participating in the Argyle tender was a huge leap forward. It put Rohan Jewellery on the world map and demonstrated to its suppliers and clients that it was a serious contender.
In 2010, two Rohan Jewellery pieces were selected as finalists in the 2010 National Jewellery Association of Australia Design Awards.
Mr Milne said while they didn’t bring home the winning trophy, the fact that they were finalists meant they were able to showcase their level of expertise within the industry on a national level.
“It was a great moment to see our name up there with major jewellery brands,” Mr Milne said.
John Nicolaou
Chief Officer, Membership and Advocacy and Chief Economist
Chamber of Commerce and Industry Western Australia
JOHN Nicolaou requires no introduction among Western Australia’s business community.
As the chief economist and chief officer, membership and advocacy for the Chamber of Commerce and Industry WA he commands an impressive profile, both as an independent economist and powerful business advocate.
At just 35 Mr Nicolaou has spearheaded reform to WA’s antiquated retail trading hours as well as overseeing influential research on vital business issues, such as labour shortages and the federal government’s controversial Resource Super Profits Tax.
Despite his public profile Mr Nicolaou said his work to reform and revitalise the structure of the CCI was one of his proudest achievements. While the world watched stunned at the fallout from the GFC, Mr Nicolaou was driven to find more robust and accurate measures to gauge and understand the WA economy.
Since joining CCI in 2003, Mr Nicolaou has driven its membership to a 15-year high and overseen significant organisational restructure.
“I am proud of the reputation I have earned as one of WA’s leading economic and business commentators,” Mr Nicolaou said.
“But I also believe my success can be measured by the innovations and changes I have made in the CCI, which will position it to ensure its relevancy and primacy as an organisation that advocates for free enterprise.”
Katrina O’Mara
Team Leader
AECOM Australia
KATRINA O’Mara is a highly skilled, enthusiastic communicator of the sciences, technology and sustainable development.
As a team leader, Dr O’Mara has been instrumental in growing a sustainability and climate change practise for AECOM in Western Australia.
AECOM is a global provider of professional and management support to a broad range of markets, including transportation, facilities, environmental, energy, water and government.
Though AECOM has existing sustainability teams on the nation’s east coast, it was Dr O’Mara who secured local sustainability projects in WA; this has resulted in the establishment of a sustainability and climate change practise for AECOM in WA with four sustainability professionals and current projects worth more than $500,000.
Dr O’Mara has a PhD in science communication and a graduate diploma in education, and previously worked at the Australian Institute of Physics.
“Without the support of my family, including my children, I would not have been able to achieve my successes. They are without a doubt, the factor which contributed to my success,” she says.
Lejo Ouwendyk
Managing Partner
Kennerlys
LEJO Ouwendyk can trace his passion for helping businesses grow back to his childhood and his father’s painting operation.
“I used to love watching my father run his commercial painting business,” Mr Ouwendyk says.
“My excitement in listening to business owners and being able to provide them with innovative solutions is the reason I come to work every day.”
While Kennerlys accounting practice dates back to the early 1970s, Mr Ouwendyk only joined the business in 2006 as (then) owner Angus Plummer was preparing for retirement.
Since taking the helm, Mr Ouwendyk has rapidly expanded the boutique practice, with turnover jumping by 217 per cent with only one additional staff member.
Mr Ouwendyk says efficiency measures, new systems and a hands-on approach are responsible for this growth. But a focus on driving the growth of his clients’ businesses and the energy Mr Ouwendyk has brought to the business are also big factors in the Kennerlys success story.
Mr Ouwendyk developed a range of enterprise development services for business managers and owners to help his clients capitalise on all facets of their business.
In 2010, Kennerlys was a finalist for two awards in the Telstra Stirling small business awards in the areas of quality customer service and community spirit.
Pankaj Pathak
Business Development Manager
Phoenix Academy
PANKAJ Pathak joined international training institution Phoenix Academy in January 2008. The business has successfully managed the enrolment, admission, accommodation, orientation, training and on-going pastoral care of more than 20,000 students since its inception in 1989.
Mr Pathak is responsible for the successful management of promotions and marketing through a global market, as well as building relationships between key cultural, government and private bodies.
He has a masters degree in business, and says: ‘‘It is not enough to have a goal, you need to have a path and a plan to follow. Education is very important.’’
Mr Pathak has always loved international education and the opportunities it provides. Phoenix Academy brought Mr Pathak to Australia, from his home in Botswana, and he says it is a pleasure to work for a company that he knows and has very strong foundations.
During a downturn in the industry in 2010, the team came together to diversify programs and marketing, and build new relationships while maintaining current ones, with the aim to move on to eMarketing.
It managed to halt the declining number of enrolments and is moving towards growth in 2011.
Dean Paton
Managing director
Plexal Group
PLEXAL Group is an independent company that provides engineering services across a number of focus areas. Dean Paton was appointed managing director of the company in 2010. He has worked to take over the day-to-day corporate decision-making and management.
Mr Paton says his family has been an unswerving rock of support, enabling him to push himself consistently to take on challenges and persist through adversity until success is achieved.
He believes Plexal Group is creating a lasting legacy to the next generation of Western Australians in an environmentally sustainable way.
he is growing the company both in Australia and internationally to give real engineering opportunities to young people as well as established engineers.
The Thailand business unit has provided a unique opportunity for more than 10 young Western Australian engineers to travel and work outside of Australia.
Its future business plan is to contribute to the sustainable energy sector over the next few years.
Aaron Pitt
Executive Producer/Host
Zoom TV
AARON Pitt is the founder of Zoom TV, an informative, interactive and educational ‘advertorial’ style program.
It takes any product that flies, drives or floats and hosts a three-minute segment on its functions, features and options.
Mr Pitt has a dedicated production team that works to market products by telling a story, what it does and why in an entertaining manner.
He has always had a passion for acting and strives not only to showcase a product, but Western Australia itself, and believes his show is great publicity for WA as it is watched online all over the world. Mr Pitt says one of the best moments in his career was attending the Variety bash and having his story published, as well as having Zoom TV survive in a very competitive industry.
Mr Pitt says he refuses to present a product that he doesn’t believe in, or work with people that don’t share the same vision at any cost.
Three years ago Zoom TV was just a concept, and today Mr Pitt has represented more than 100 products.
Sean Reid
Managing Director
The Breakwater
SEAN Reid’s transformation of a suburban pub into the award-winning Breakwater had its genesis on the streets of New York.
After completing a master of business administration at the University of Western Australia, Mr Reid won a green card lottery, which gave him the opportunity to live and work in the US.
Landing in New York, he hit the streets in search of a job.
The youngest of six children from an immigrant Irish family, Mr Reid was no stranger to hard work but big cities can be tough on outsiders and finding work was a bruising experience.
And just as Mr Reid was gaining traction in New York, the city was affected by the attacks of September 11 2001.
After a stint in London Mr Reid returned to Perth determined to transform his family’s Hillarys Boat Harbour tavern into a world-class venue incorporating the latest pub, club and dining trends from around the world.
As The Breakwater’s managing director, Mr Reid leads a staff of 150 employees as well as overseeing its 18-strong management team.
In 2010 it was named the best overall hotel in Australia and best restaurant in Australia at the Australian Hotels Association National Awards.
Hardworking, motivated and constantly looking at new industry trends, Mr Reid puts his success down to team work and an intense focus on the customer.
“The hospitality industry is all about people,” Mr Reid said.
“You need to focus on them and be in tune.”
Nigel Ryde
Managing Director
Ryde Building Company
NIGEL Ryde runs an independent residential building company that has grown to be the largest in the Albany region.
Established in 1996, the company faced financial difficulties like many other building companies because of the collapse of the HIH Insurance Group. Mr Ryde subsequently decided to put the business on hold.
It wasn’t until 2005 – after Mr Ryde had experienced a health setback requiring extensive rehabilitation, and then learning his new wife was expecting their first child – that he found the drive to re-establish the company.
Mr Ryde says the company has recently started to build homes outside of Albany and plans to establish offices in other regional areas of Western Australia within three years.
The company has received several awards from the Master Builders Association and the Housing Industry Association, including the MBA’s awards for excellence in customer service and most affordable home in 2010.
“It is our flexibility to meet the needs of all clients with the budget that they provide us that help us to achieve these awards,” Mr Ryde says.
The Ryde Building Company provides work for more than 100 people in the region and financial support to many non-profit organisations, including the Albany PCYC and the Albany Surf Club.
Tanya Sim
Managing Director
Block Branding
WHEN Tanya Sim and Mark Braddock set up Block in 2002 they were driven by a singular desire to pioneer a new model for brand development in an industry that was still dominated by traditional advertising agencies.
What started out as a couple of computers in a makeshift basement office is now a thriving creative agency with many of Western Australia’s biggest brands on its client list.
Ms Sim sees Block as part of a small but ground-breaking group of WA companies that are diversifying WA’s economy and promoting Perth’s creativity on the international stage.
Block’s revenue continues to grow year on year and this year alone it has secured $500,000 in new business.
As managing director, Ms Sim is proud the business has retained some of its earliest clients, an achievement she puts down to a team approach.
However staying true to ‘the Block manifesto’ has also been a strength for this small but agile creative team.
“The manifesto states that we aim to do what is right for our clients, not just what they want ... we endeavour to challenge our clients and be completely honest in our counsel,” Ms Sim says.
“The manifesto provides the backbone for our business and it ensures that we are very clear on what we stand for.”
Block now has 11 full-time staff and Ms Sim says the business is close to its optimal size of 15 staff.
Garrick Stanley
Managing Director
GO MARINE Group
IN just three years, GO MARINE has become South-East Asia’s fastest growing hydrocarbons industry vessel operator and the biggest rig moving company in Australia and New Zealand.
Two years after opening its doors, two long-term service contracts with industry heavyweights Chevron Australia and Woodside were successfully concluded.
It’s an achievement that managing director Garrick Stanley says signaled the trust and confidence the global oil and gas market leaders had in his leadership.
Mr Stanley has built the business on four simple strategic principles – vision, commitment, flexibility and delivery.
He says these principles are adopted by all staff members, which ensures lasting and long-term relationships with clients such as Woodside and Chevron.
“By drawing from 15 years’ experience as a mariner in the offshore oil and gas industry and surrounding myself with field experts GO is able to provide clients with practical, results-driven solutions,” Mr Stanley says.
“Big names in the market are assigning more and more of their business dealing with my company with absolute confidence in the result.”
The company has a workforce of 450 employees and has expanded its fleet of manned and managed vessels to 19.
Mr Stanley’s ambition is to build GO MARINE into the supplier of choice in the region’s flourishing oil and gas sector as well as raising capital to fund future expansion and infrastructure development.
Andrew Sullivan
Managing Director
GeersSullivan
SOME may think that entering into business with your father-in-law could be a recipe for disaster. For GeersSullivan co-founder and CPA Andrew Sullivan, this could not have been further from the truth.
Mr Sullivan formed GeersSullivan in 2003, utilising his father-in-law Keith’s client base from a previous firm. However, such a decision didn’t come without careful consideration of the risks.
“There was always going to be a question raised by outsiders whether the reason I was involved was purely due to family reasons and there was also the possibility that he and I would not be able to work together as equals, without impacting on our personal relationships,” Mr Sullivan says.
Overcoming perceptions of nepotism and being recognised as an expert in his own right were the driving forces behind Mr Sullivan’s business success, and he now leads the firm in his own right following the retirement of his father-in-law.
Originally a taxation compliance-driven practice, the firm has expanded to offer numerous corporate advisory services to medium-sized companies. During the past seven years, staff numbers have increased from six to 30 and the leadership group has grown with the appointment of three new directors.
One of the high points in Mr Sullivan’s career was being ranked 25 in the WA Business News ‘Book of Lists’ – Accounting Firms.
Christy Whitby
Director
Compass Health
COMPASS Health emerged as a collaborative partnership between Christy Whitby and co-founder and director Anthony Metcalf. Previously a paramedic, Ms Whitby has utilised her skills in the medical industry to build a company that provides highly skilled medical and emergency response personnel to WA’s oil and gas and mining industries.
Inadequate provision of medical services at mine sites was the driving force behind Ms Whitby’s concept for the company.
“The mines in far north Western Australia are sometimes thousands of kilometres from a doctor or emergency department. The site workers rely completely on the paramedic’s medical expertise and this really drove home my passion for helping others,” Ms Whitby says.
The most significant and proudest moment in Ms Whitby’s business career was when the company was awarded its first contract, to provide medical services to iron ore miner Hancock Prospecting in 2008.
Since then, Compass Health has experienced extensive growth and now sports a team of over 60 employees.
The company’s client list has also expanded rapidly and includes resource sector giants Rio Tinto, Chevron and SKM. To date, Compass Health’s largest contract involves the provision of medical services to Woodside’s Pluto Liquefied Natural Gas Project.
