WA - Telstra Australian Business Awards

“We want to be recognised for our standards of safety and customer service and be a benchmark for the industry.”- Paul Newbound, Director.

Director Paul Newbound established Australian Pressure Testing Services (APTS) in 2003 after identifying a gap in the resources and infrastructure markets for pressure testing services. APTS provides onsite and workshop services in water and air pressure testing of pipes, valves, fittings and vessels for the construction, resources and oil and gas industries. Starting as a one-man consultancy, Paul recognised that, to succeed, the business would need to go above and beyond client expectations. Paul said APTS aims to improve safety and customer satisfaction levels throughout the industry. APTS also has a state-of-the-art National Association of Testing Authorities accredited laboratory which provides quality calibration and repairs for pressure and temperature instrumentation. APTS has more than 150 employees and has continued to secure significant industry projects such as Pilbara’s Burrup Fertiliser project and the Otway gas plant in Victoria. In 2010, APTS won all the testing contracts for WA’s Pluto LNG and the Binningup desalination project.

“One of our biggest achievements was creating a start-up company able to compete with multi-national companies in its first year.” – Stephen Inouye, Managing Director.

New national security legislation requiring background checks on people working on offshore oil and gas facilities and at major Australian ports led Stephen Inouye to establish Veritas Engineering in 2006. Gaining Commonwealth approval to be a provider of Maritime Security Identification Card (MSIC) processing and management services, Stephen quickly gained Woodside Energy as a client on a multi-year contract. The Perth business recognised the need for a nationwide infrastructure and established a strategic partnership with Australia Post for processing MSIC cards at 3000 retail outlets. Today Veritas Engineering provides MSIC services to more than 200 Australian organisations and 12 overseas clients – maintaining 15 per cent of national market share. The business is part of the Veritas Engineering Group – a project and engineering consultancy which services the defence, maritime, financial services, telecommunications and resources industries. Stephen said Veritas Engineering uses its engineering prowess and technology to address the operational challenges of its clients.

"My operations have struck a balance between generations and I hope to influence a change of perception about energetic GenYs in the hospitality industry.” – Anthony Janssen, Director.

Anthony Janssen was 23 and employed as head chef in a failing business at the Margaret River beachside location of Gnarabup. He got the go-ahead from the owners to keep the business alive, and with funding borrowed from his sister turned his vision into a niche bar and restaurant network. Anthony drew on friends aged between 17 and 20 to undertake renovations and create an environment that has become a popular meeting place for locals and tourists, turning over almost $1 million in the first year. The business called Gnarabar now has two locations and an outdoor catering business. In 2009, Anthony won council approval for a long-term lease on a café at one of the most sought after locations in WA’s South-West. The newly-named White Elephant Beach Café is proving that anything is possible with passion, drive and determination. Recently Anthony was appointed to the board of the Augusta-Margaret River Tourist Association.

“We want to be recognised for our standards of safety and customer service and be a benchmark for the industry.”- Paul Newbound, Director.

Director Paul Newbound established Australian Pressure Testing Services (APTS) in 2003 after identifying a gap in the resources and infrastructure markets for pressure testing services. APTS provides onsite and workshop services in water and air pressure testing of pipes, valves, fittings and vessels for the construction, resources and oil and gas industries. Starting as a one-man consultancy, Paul recognised that, to succeed, the business would need to go above and beyond client expectations. Paul said APTS aims to improve safety and customer satisfaction levels throughout the industry. APTS also has a state-of-the-art National Association of Testing Authorities accredited laboratory which provides quality calibration and repairs for pressure and temperature instrumentation. APTS has more than 150 employees and has continued to secure significant industry projects such as Pilbara’s Burrup Fertiliser project and the Otway gas plant in Victoria. In 2010, APTS won all the testing contracts for WA’s Pluto LNG and the Binningup desalination project.

"Given our zero-base starting position, we simply wouldn't have survived our entry into the competitive civil contracting industry unless we were completely differentiated from the rest of the market." – Jaqueline Outram, CEO.

While many in the Australian civil contracting industry rely on heavy machinery to upgrade underground pipelines, RePipe have introduced innovative technologies and a new service model to deliver the highest safety, environmental and quality standards. The company’s co- founders, Jaqueline Outram and Scott Baggs spent two years researching client requirements, identifying suitable technologies and developing a new service model prior to its launch. The patented technologies, which RePipe holds exclusive rights to, enable old or overburdened pipelines to be replaced and upsized through ‘keyholes’. The technologies eliminate 95 per cent of excavations and safety risks and minimise RePipe’s site footprint. Importantly, the technologies apply to all types and diameters of underground pipes enabling RePipe to scale its solutions to suit each specific project. All of RePipe's projects to date have been delivered on-time and on-budget and two have achieved finalist positions in the highly coveted Civil Contractors Federation Earth Awards.

“If all you can offer your employees is cash, then all you will get is more expensive employees. RePipe uses what we call 'the value of pride' to attract, engage and retain outstanding people.” – Jaqueline Outram, CEO.

As with many civil contractors, RePipe has a strong focus on having specific procedures in place to ensure its activities cause no harm in terms of health, safety and the environment. RePipe employs ‘keyhole’ technologies - recognised by the United Nations Environment Program as environmentally sustainable - that eliminate up to 95 per cent of greenhouse gas emissions normally created through civil construction works. The company has gone even one step further and developed a secondary framework - Echo-NomicsTM - to ensure its activities deliver positive benefits for the wider community. Through the introduction of Echo-NomicsTM, the company has implemented procedures addressing work-life balance for employees, the allocation of resources to community-based tasks, the saving of numerous mature trees and the collection and disposal of unrelated litter. This has delivered significant benefits particularly for the employees, who are proud of the company they work for and the work they do on a daily basis.

"My operations have struck a balance between generations and I hope to influence a change of perception about energetic GenYs in the hospitality industry.” – Anthony Janssen, Director.

Anthony Janssen was 23 and employed as head chef in a failing business at the Margaret River beachside location of Gnarabup. He got the go-ahead from the owners to keep the business alive, and with funding borrowed from his sister turned his vision into a niche bar and restaurant network. Anthony drew on friends aged between 17 and 20 to undertake renovations and create an environment that has become a popular meeting place for locals and tourists, turning over almost $1 million in the first year. The business called Gnarabar now has two locations and an outdoor catering business. In 2009, Anthony won council approval for a long-term lease on a café at one of the most sought after locations in WA’s South-West. The newly-named White Elephant Beach Café is proving that anything is possible with passion, drive and determination. Recently Anthony was appointed to the board of the Augusta-Margaret River Tourist Association.