R
COMPANY PROFILE
ROKON:
Rokon Managing Director Jim Thomas (left) and Executive Director Steve Traicevski (right).
THE BUILDING OF A BRAND IN JUST 23 YEARS, ROKON HAS GROWN TO BECOME ONE OF THE LARGEST CIVIL CONTRACTORS IN MELBOURNE, WITH AN EXTENSIVE FLEET AND A TEAM OF OVER 200 PEOPLE. DIRECTORS JIM THOMAS AND STEVE TRAICEVSKI TALK TO ROADS & INFRASTRUCTURE ABOUT THE STRATEGIES BEHIND THE COMPANY’S GROWTH.
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hat does it take to build a reputed brand in civil construction and to back it up with repeat success? For Jim Thomas, who started his career as a 17-year-old surveyor and is now the Owner and Managing Director of one of Melbourne’s largest civil construction companies, it starts and ends with ‘people.’ “I’ve always been good at understanding people, managing people and getting the best out of them,” he tells Roads & Infrastructure. Today, Thomas says he’s proud to see that the business he helped build is supporting so many families. “Many of our team members who started out as labourers have become successful supervisors and project managers. Seeing their growth is the best feeling.” After joining the civil construction industry as a surveyor at a young age, Thomas says he knew he wanted to build his own company
one day. But first, he needed the experience. “From that point on, I shifted roles across a gamut of experiences, from foreman to construction manager. But I was never worried about how much money I earned. What I cared about most was to learn, to understand what a civil construction business needed.” Thomas and his business partner, Ali Sekman, founded Rokon in 1999. “We developed the business from scratch. Rokon started out by doing small amounts of civil works and has grown to become the juggernaut that it is today,” says Thomas. This “juggernaut” now comprises a team of approximately 230 direct employees, in addition to working with multiple subcontractors. The company is involved in residential and industrial subdivisional, civil and infrastructure works across the Melbourne metropolitan area. The business also owns a varied fleet of over 100 heavy-
duty construction plant and machinery. Thomas says the company’s success owes in large part to its culture. “We believe in finding rock stars for every part of the business, and to keep our employees happy with dynamic and challenging work as well as employee benefits. With million-dollar projects at stake, we need the best people, and we ensure we look after them to retain them in the business,” he adds. In 2014, Steve Traicevski, a senior civil engineer with many years of experience as a Group General Manager, joined Rokon as General Manager. While Sekman left the partnership in 2017, Thomas and Traicevski – now the company’s Executive Director – have continued to grow the business, tripling it in size over eight years. Thomas says Traicevski’s reputation and relationships in the industry have been key drivers for growth, as have the organisational reforms and the structuring initiatives he has roadsonline.com.au
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