Sydneycelebrates

Our Sydney team and their guests were treated to a motivational speech and didgeridoo performance by Indigenous keynote speaker, Jeremy Donovan, at their anniversary celebrations at the office in Rosebery. A descendant of the Kuku-Yalanji tribe of far northern Queensland, Jeremy travels to remote and urban communities working with youth to build self-esteem, self-worth and a greater understanding of Indigenous identity. Jeremy is also one of Australia’s most celebrated Aboriginal didgeridoo players, having performed alongside some of the world’s best musicians and composers, including the Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra and the Chicago Philharmonic Orchestra. He spoke about his relationship with Hutchies, his role in design of the employment parity initiative working with Andrew ‘Twiggy’ Forrest, and the impact it has had on the lives of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people.

Hutchies first established in Sydney in 2003 when asked to complete a residential building in Zetland after the builder, a large national operator, went broke halfway through the job. After finishing that job, we decided to stay, creating a business with an annual turnover of around $50 million. By 2020, Sydney is expected to be the largest component of Hutchies’ eastern seaboard operations.

The first step towards that goal was achieved in April when nine new team leaders were elevated to head up the Sydney business. Each focusses on different segments of the market, with different clients. They have license to geographically grow as far and wide as they wish.

The Rosebery office is almost at capacity, with 165 people based there, and we’ve recently established another office in Wollongong. As our business in New South Wales continues to grow, we’re looking for additional premises in Western Sydney to accommodate not only our people but also new Sydney cranes, hoists and scaffold operations. Within five years, we think Sydney will be the powerhouse core of Hutchies’ national business.