Page 29 - Australaasian Paint & Panel Jan-Feb 2022

opportunities interstate we are open to them but the focus will be predomi- nantly South East Queensland and re- gional Queensland,” he said.
The next stage for Fortress is 15-20 sites, this is likely to be achieved through acquisitions and greenfield opportunities.
The Fortress group has two mantras “Build something better” and “Sus- tainability” and that includes a fo-
cus on creating a place where peo-
ple like coming to work. Across
the 11 sites there are a super impres- sive 32 apprentices and seven school- based apprentices. “We’ve forged links with six high schools. We’ve developed the profiles of the type of people we want, we work with the schools’ career teams, and the success is clear to see. We have some of the best apprentices I have seen in 35 years in the industry.
“In three years time when we have 20 sites the goal is that we will never need to recruit externally, succession will come from within. We also have
four graduates on our management programme which will soon be ex- panded,” he said.
“It’s been perfect timing because of the over capacity in the market. The population in South East Queensland has boomed and many insurers had ca- pacity issues which we have been able to assist with.
In three years time
when we have 20 sites the goal is that we will
never need to recruit externally, succession will come from within.”
“It has surprised me how slow Aus- tralia was to embrace the MSO - that’s what insurers like. I believe there will always be a national entity but nation- al pricing and fixed cost repairs no longer work. Regional groups with
closer regional relationships are what we will see develop.”
It’s certainly been a steep growth curve to reach 11 sites in less than a year. “We’re going fast, we’re going hard and we’re doing it all with our own mon- ey – which is very challenging,” Walsh said. As well as the directors of ASG and MSR, some of the site managers and sup- port staff have also bought into the group and own around five per cent.
Walsh said the biggest challenge is real estate, which is hard to find in Queensland right now. However, oppor- tunities abound.
“We’ve got lots of opportunities coming and we are aiming for 50 per cent growth over the next 12-18 months. We’ve attract- ed a lot of good quality people to compli- ment those already in the business many of whom are mentoring the apprentices, a job they find very rewarding.
“We have the flexibility of a small business but the operational expertise of a national business which gives us a unique position in the industry.”
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