MEMBER FEATURE
A FAMILY AFFAIR
Founded in 1946, ALLIN Towbars has built a reputation for quality, performance, and customer service Punching well above its weight against much larger competitors in what is becoming an increasingly complex market, sisters Penni Donato and Kylie Walden have set this fiercely Australian company up for long-term success. Initially established more than 70 years ago by Noel Allin, who also lent his name to the new entity, ALLIN started building trailers on the same site in Richmond, South Australia that the business still operates from today. There is little doubt that Noel would recognise the site on which it all started if he paid Penni, Kylie and the rest of the team at ALLIN Towbars a visit today. Since taking the reins full-time in 2014, the dynamic duo has successfully evolved what was still a good, albeit old-fashioned business, into a start-of-the-art manufacturing, design and installation enterprise.
“It was certainly a challenge, and I was thrown into the deep end, but we made it through, and while we didn’t know it at the time, it gave us a small glimpse into the future.” Ron overcame his health issues and returned to the business, and Penni moved back into hotel management. For a while, the family’s world returned to normal until Ron’s health took a turn for the worst, and when he sadly passed in 2014, the next generation stood up to continue his legacy. “Sam, Kylie, and her husband Grant had stayed on following Dad’s first health scare, but I have to admit it was a bit of a shock to the system returning to the business after a three-year absence,” Penni remarked. “Dad had built an excellent business with a fantastic reputation, but we hadn’t done any succession planning before he passed.
“Our family affair with the automotive aftermarket started when our father Ron Gynell, and a second partner, bought into the business back in 1983,” Penni said.
“So as a family, we had to decide if we were going to sell or pull together and have a big crack at evolving into something that would make him proud and set up a legacy for future generations, and that’s what we’ve done.”
Under Ron’s stewardship, the company grew quickly, and the new management team focused on towbar manufacturing, leaving smaller fabrication shops to fight over the increasingly competitive yet fragmented trailer market.
With the decision made, the shares were signed over just two days before Ron passed, and the baton was firmly placed in the hands of his three daughters and son-in-law.
“During these 15 years, the business went from strength to strength and one of the key times was when Dad and his partners secured the OE contract with Mitsubishi,” Penni explained. “It grew quite quickly, and as a result, they bought adjoining properties and developed the site, increasing its footprint three-fold.” Of course, nothing lasts forever, and the everpresent pitfalls of dealing with a huge OE manufacturer finally took their toll. In the early 2000s, Ron parted ways with the other two shareholders, taking a 100 percent stake in the business. “It was an exciting time for my father and our whole family,” Penni said. “Around the same time, Kylie and our other sister Sam joined Dad before I did a stint as General Manager in the mid-2000s when Dad got sick.” Penni had already built a successful career in hotel management and was working at Aristocrat before stepping in to lend a hand. “When Dad took ill the first time, it was all hands-on deck, and as a family, we really pulled together,” said Penni. 72
Australian Automotive Aftermarket Magazine July 2022
“It was perhaps the biggest decision I’ve ever made, but looking back, I wouldn’t change a thing,” said Penni.
Not wasting any time, the family started making changes quickly. “As I’m sure you can imagine, the business was a bit of a boys club when we took the reins in 2014,” Penni explained. This is certainly not uncommon for longestablished manufacturing businesses in any industry. Still, Penni and the rest of the family knew it would take a significant culture shift to secure long-term success. “Before we started making any significant changes, there was one critical issue that we needed to address urgently, and that was to build a female bathroom,” Penni said with a smile. “Back in the day, we didn’t have a ladies’ room, so
