Trio of SA Companies to Benefit from Growth Program
Luke Griffiths, In-Business
A South Australian family-owned care provider has been chosen as one of nine companies to participate in a groundbreaking national business growth program.
SACARE is joined by fellow South Australian companies Precise Advanced Manufacturing Group and Dominant, a cleaning product and system supplier, in the inaugural ANZ Business Growth program.
The intensive year-long business coaching course was developed in partnership with UniSA’s Centre for Business Growth and its director Dr Jana Matthews.
Dr Matthews at the first session of the ANZ/UniSA Business Growth progam, which was held in Adelaide this week.
The first of three modules was conducted this week and SACARE human resources and marketing communications manager, Chloe Kempe, said the program has already exceeded expectations.
“To have been invited to participate in this program is an opportunity that cannot be measured,” she said.
“The worldwide resources and experienced individuals that Dr Matthews has drawn on to provide expertise and drive discussion about improvements within our companies and general business experience and knowledge, is a resource that would have been otherwise unattainable.
“After participating in the first module it has altered our way of thinking about the services we can provide within our sector and, personally, I am looking forward to implementing ideas and reviewing them with our group at the next module in February.”
SACARE employs around 300 staff and had a turnover of approximately $14 million last financial year. It was established in 1999 in response to demand from referral agencies wanting a more independent, community-based housing option that could provide around-the-clock care for individuals living with high and complex needs.
The company is overseen by founding owners Andrew and Sue Marshall, and their children Alexander Marshall and Ms Kempe.
SACARE’s Alexander, Andrew and Sue Marshall, and Chloe Kempe.
“Although all (program) participants were from many varying industries, there were many commonalities that we all face within each individual business regardless of the product or service we offered,” Ms Kempe said.
“To be able to discuss these collectively with such creative, dynamic and innovative business leaders, some of who are pioneers within their industry, was inspirational.”
Dr Matthews said a key determinant when selecting the participating companies was that they were ambitious and coachable.
“We are very excited to be working with such an interesting group of companies from Brisbane, Perth, Melbourne, Sydney and Adelaide – all of whom want to grow and some of whom are already global.”
The ANZ/UniSA program is open to companies with turnover between $5 million and $50 million, with the three modules focused on growth fundamentals, building an organisation, and continuous innovation.
The ANZ’s Mark Whelan said the bank sees it as their role to help businesses develop and grow, particularly in regards to tapping into offshore markets and better understanding their customers’ current and future needs.
“These companies were chosen because they demonstrated excellent potential for growth and we’re excited to see them develop as they progress through the program,” he said.
Other participating companies are:
RedEye Apps: an engineering drawing solution for mining, oil and gas, utilities and property development;
Blonde Robot: sells AV and photography equipment from the US and Europe into the Asia Pacific region;
Balance Services Group: builds renewable energy solutions and integrates them with generators;
Go Natural: manufactures and distributes natural health food bars;
Pixel Technologies: develops software, features and displays for lifts; and
Styling Services: family business that designs and sells imported shoes via a variety of mediums.