Business relic becomes industry leader

THE local blacksmith may be a curio from the past, but Australian business Ahrens has beat the odds and evolved from a small town blacksmith to being recognised as one of the top 200 businesses shaping Australia’s future.

Westpac native

THE local blacksmith may be a curio from the past, but Australian business Ahrens has beat the odds and evolved from a small town blacksmith to being recognised as one of the top 200 businesses shaping Australia’s future.

The 111 year-old multi-generational business started out in the Barossa and has grown to become a national success story, providing construction, engineering and manufacturing solutions across Australia and the globe. It was recognised in last year’s inaugural Westpac Businesses of Tomorrow program, an initiative which seeks to recognise and reward businesses with the drive to shape Australia’s future.

For managing director Stefan Ahrens, who took the reins of his great-grandfather’s company at the age of 25, it’s a sign of how far the company has come. “Participating in Businesses of Tomorrow is a huge vote of confidence,” he says. “We’ve been involved in great networking events, and sometimes just one great bit of advice ends up helping you so much.”

Networks have been vital to Ahrens Group’s growth, which has increased sales by over 40% in the last 12 months alone, and now employs over 800 staff across 24 locations. “When I came in 25 years ago we had one factory and 25 people,” Mr Ahrens says. “I was a young fella from the Barossa who didn’t know anyone in business.”

A turning-point came when he took on a $9.5 million project at Mount Took Gold Mine – an enormous challenge for the company which was only turning over $7 million a year at the time. Ahrens Group went on to expand its offerings to deliver niche engineering and construction projects to large-scale developments ranging from mining infrastructure, to logistic facilities, factories and multi-level carparks. The company has its sights set on becoming Australia’s top rural infrastructure provider, and is working to expand its global reach.

It’s a far cry from the old blacksmith business in 1906, but according to Mr Ahrens, the company holds true to his great-grandfather’s values. “It’s community-minded and people-minded,” he says. “We have our own factories and our own site crew. Following a traditional model of keeping it all in-house has given us a massive competitive advantage.”

Westpac launched the Businesses of Tomorrow program as part of its bicentennial celebrations last year, recently launching the 2018 program with applications open until 8 April.

“We saw some really impressive businesses as part of our 2017 program across many industries like healthcare, retail, publishing, technology, education and manufacturing,” said Ganesh Chandrasekkar, General Manager of Westpac SME Banking. “A Business of Tomorrow can be large or small, working in any industry across metropolitan or regional Australia, and doesn’t need to be a Westpac customer.”

This year, a panel of independent experts from Deloitte and Westpac will select the top 200 businesses who will receive a three-day Melbourne Business School program and access to the Businesses of Tomorrow network among other money can’t buy experiences.

A prestigious panel including Tim Fung, CEO and co-founder of Airtasker and Westpac director Alison Deans will then select the top 20 businesses who will win a two-week study tour to the US, one-on-one mentoring, a professional services package worth $50,000 and further media recognition.

The mentors include business leaders such as former Westpac CEO Gail Kelly, McDonald’s Australia CEO Andrew Gregory, Mecca cosmetics founder and CEO Jo Horgan and Airtasker CEO and Co-founder Tim Fung.

To apply go to  https://businessesoftomorrow.com.au/

Originally published as Business relic becomes industry leader