Member News

SPECIALISED PLUMBING CENTRE ACHIEVES FIVE YEAR MILESTONE AS A CORPORATE SUPPORTER

Specialised Plumbing Centres was cofounded by three lads in 2007. Sole Director Ken, a plumber, is at the helm today. The company has moved from a few premises to our two locations today at Albion and Acacia Ridge. We’ve grown in customers and products to evolve with the changing plumbing industry.

We specialise in expert product knowledge, strong customer service, and speedy delivery. Specialised Plumbing Centres has a focus on staff mentoring and promoting from within the company, and Luisa, the Company Director was a finalist in the Women in Business category at this year’s Plumbing and Gas Industry Awards night.

The industry has changed, technology has had a huge impact on not just plumbing but how the books of the business are kept and administered, and there has been more encouragement of gender diversity with apprentices.

Our MPAQ subscription has kept us in the loop with code changes, given us access to a variety of information that can help inform our business decisions, financial help with discounts on Ute purchases, and provided a stronger network of people.

Our goals are to continue to become wellknown in the industry, an employer of choice, and continue to support plumbers in more ways with the new technology we have injected into the business this year.

Luisa Marinelli, Specialised Plumbing Centre

NICHE FIRE SAFETY SERVICES BUSINESS

Superb opportunity to acquire a highly profitable business with a steady, mandated income and an exceptional reputation that has required no marketing spend to grow. Recent legislative changes have improved the outlook further by reducing the number of competitors operating in this highly regulated space. • Predictable, mandated revenue • “Sticky” customers (over 130) • Seen as the “go to” service provider in the industry • More work than they can manage • Genuine retirement sale

Please note: Only certified holders of Fire Sprinkler Fitter or Plumbers licence need apply. • Business asking price: $349,000 inc. SAV • Approx. stock value: $10,000 • Our Reference: SC00368 • Broker: Ivan Carlse

For further information including a copy of the comprehensive Information Memorandum please fill out the online confidentiality agreement here: https://linkbusiness.com. au/businesses-for-sale/SC00368/FabulousProfit-from-Mandated-Fire-Safety-Services.

KEEP TRAINING AND STAY AHEAD

Our industry leading training will help you get ahead of the game, and stay there throughout your career.

STC offers industry-led apprenticeship and post-apprenticeship training in commercial plumbing, mechanical services (air-conditioning) and fire protection.

Contact us to find out more about the courses we have available in-person and online! Ph: 1300 222 727 Email: info@tstca.com.au

THOMAS KING MARKS 40 YEARS AS AN MPAQ MEMBER

How did your company change over the years?

The company, Robina Plumbing, became larger with key personnel and much more professional, thanks, in no small way, to numerous courses run by MPAQ. We were one of the earlier plumbing companies to embrace estimating and accounting software and tools, think MS Dos—boy now do I feel old. We also became very selective of whom we would contract to. Even so, we still got caught a few times.

What did your company specialise in?

As a mid-tier plumbing firm, we concentrated on luxury high-end homes with builders who had the same vision of quality for the very wealthy in areas, such as Hedges Ave, Sanctuary Cove, Hope Island resort, Sovereign Islands, etc., and you had to get it right as these people had very deep pockets. We also carried out work on factory complexes, small shopping centres, office blocks, and up to seven-storey apartment buildings. We carried out very little in the way of maintenance or renovations. The thing with the high-end housing was to convince the client of the benefit of paying a lot more, in some cases double the nearest tender, to achieve a high-performance, troublefree installation for now and into the future; often we didn’t issue a quotation until the job was well underway, just an estimate at commencement.

An interesting contract was for the original Big Brother reality show; everything was a big secret and impossible to give a firm price on, but money was no object, say no more. As an interesting aside, one of my plumbers went on Big Brother in a later series. He won it along with his twin brother. Who says you can’t get your name in lights in plumbing?

How many people worked at the company?

Like most people, I started by myself but quickly put on staff. At the height of the company, I had 14 plumbers on the books along with a brilliant secretary/PA Sandy Hayward, whom I have known for at least 30 years. She worked for me for at least 15 to 18 years and still carries out some small bookwork for me. It was this small group of three to four plumbers and Sandy that were essential to the success of the company. We managed to instil a sense of pride to work for Robina Plumbing.

How do you feel the industry has changed over the years?

Products have changed immensely since I started, from earthenware and gall piping to the current range of uPVC, HDPE, and numerous choices for hot and cold-water supply. There are now aspects to plumbing that didn’t exist 30, or even 20, years ago, such as backflow, solar, heat pumps, TMV—the list goes on. The industry has also moved to more self-certification, which has its own problems, with an ever-increasing amount of paperwork and bureaucratic loops to jump through but also has its benefits.

How has your subscription to MPAQ helped the business over the years?

Regardless of what profession you are in, if you don’t belong to the association that represents you then you have no voice, and nor do you deserve one. It is in your own best interests to belong to an industry body that supports your profession on both the State and Federal levels. Also, I found the networking abilities of MPAQ to be a great help, as no matter what problem you come up against someone else has been there before and can offer help and advice. Also the staff at MPAQ have come to my aid on several occasions through legal advice and courses MPAQ has run. We also had a successful outcome with an issue several years ago with the certification of fire hose reels and hydrants and the refusal by the building certifier to approve the installation purely because of the wording of the QBCC licensing board. It was solely due to MPAQ that this matter was resolved with a heads-of-table meeting with all involved. This alone was worth all the subscription fees I have paid over the years.

As well as the above, the numerous courses and training seminars that MPAQ has run over the years have been invaluable.

What are your future goals?

I have been out of the industry now one way or another for six years. The plumbing industry has been an incredibly rewarding industry to be in but my day in the sun is over, and it’s now up to the young ones coming through.

There are so many scopes in plumbing that you can go down. It’s such a varied industry that can take you to many different areas and locations. It’s not all blocked drains and tap washers.

MADONNA HODGE TAKES HOME THE WOMEN OF O’BRIEN 2022 AWARD

The O’Brien Electrical & Plumbing 2022 Advantage Conference was held earlier in the year in Port Douglas, Queensland. Over 200 delegates from the electrical and plumbing network, suppliers, and head office reunited for the first time in three years to reconnect, share, and celebrate achievements over the four days.

The gala awards night, held on the last night of the Conference is an opportunity to celebrate and recognise businesses within the network. O’Brien Electrical & Plumbing Coopers Plains were finalists for the Marketing Excellence, Excellence in Software & Systems, Giving Back and Innovation Categories and took home the Networking Excellence Award.

Madonna Hodge, the Business Development Manager at O’Brien Electrical & Plumbing Coopers Plains was the very worthy recipient of he Women of O’Brien Award, which recognises the outstanding contributions and achievements by women in their local community, business, and industry. Madonna leads the dedicated Coopers Plains team and has made the business one of Brisbane’s most reputable electrical and plumbing maintenance companies in the region.

The Networking Excellence Award was another huge achievement with the team readily working with other businesses in the network and are generous with their time and resources.

Chris Leslie, Director for the O’Brien Electrical & Plumbing Group says “O’Brien recognises Madonna Hodge’s positive contributions to her community. Madonna is an excellent O’Brien Business Manager, and a highly valued member of the O’Brien Group.”