Shaun Cameron - Hire Works

A former deep-sea diver suffering a little homesickness, who cut his teeth in the Middle Eastern and Asian oil and drilling rig industries, thought buying a Kiwi business was just what the doctor ordered.

“I wanted to settle back in New Zealand but also wanted to ensure that I would still be progressing and decided the move back would involve me purchasing a business of some sort,” says Shaun Cameron.

So, with no prior knowledge of the hire industry, he placed an offer on Mangawhai Hire.

And with the support of his father, a successful businessman in his own right, Shaun stepped into the world of hire, or in his own words:  “It’s an industry I fell into but one I intend to continue with.”

A year after purchasing Mangawhai, Shaun acquired Hire Works, which had two branches in Warkworth and Snells Beach.  Initially, the businesses operated as separate entities, but in 2021 Shaun streamlined operations by rebranding under the name Hire Works.

This marked a key step in his entrepreneurial journey, simplifying things for both the business and the customers.  Six years on and as the Hire Works Managing Director oversees every aspect of the company’s operations, strategy, and performance. With three branches located in Warkworth, Snells Beach, and Mangawhai, Shaun’s role is to provide support to his three managers and steer the business towards success in Rodney, Wellsford, Kaipara, and surrounding areas.

Despite a slight decrease in pace over the past twelve months, the team at Hire Works are focused on high quality and is incredibly hardworking.  “I have always believed in promoting from within, allowing our team members to grow alongside the company, and this has helped with staff retention. “As cliché as it sounds, we are a family here.

“Having a smaller team works well for us, the long-standing staff have got to know each other well, including how they work and communicate. This understanding helps us get the job done faster.”

Read the full story from Shaun Cameron on page 14 in the June 2024 magazine.

Silk Estate - Kate and Jason Blundell

On a dinner date without their young children, Jason Blundell told wife Kate he was ready for a change. So, on the heels of a challenging post-COVID environment, they bought Silk Estate.

It wasn’t a rash decision but a strategic one, albeit slightly spontaneous. Buying the premium marquee and event hire company in late 2022 meant the pair could finally blend and leverage their two distinct skill sets.

Kate is a visionary in New Zealand’s event management industry, dating back long before the Silk Estate purchase, she founded Collective Concepts in 2008 and has been providing exceptional event planning services ever since.

Jason’s background in carpentry and construction brought a practical and creative edge to their partnership. This unique blend of skills has allowed the Blundells to seamlessly merge their expertise, creating a dynamic and complementary duo at the helm of Silk Estate.

Taking the plunge late in the year, with a lot of summer events already on the books, allowed them to showcase their expertise.

Without missing a beat, they provided each client with their own bespoke experience – including one of the largest marquee weddings they had ever managed just a week into their ownership.

“There was, obviously, a little bit of trepidation for some of the clients – originally, they didn’t know us or book with us,” Kate says.

“But when they realised our breadth of experience, they knew that they were in safe hands, so everything went well.” “There’s nothing like hitting the ground running, I guess.”

Performing under pressure was the perfect opportunity for the Blundells to demonstrate their ability. And they’ve continued to grow that reputation.

Silk Estate specialises in creating premium marquee experiences, primarily focusing on weddings and corporate events. Known for its high-quality, locally made marquees, the company offers a full-service experience, managing everything from initial planning to on-site execution.

Clients benefit from a one-stop-shop approach, as Kate and Jason coordinate with a network of trusted suppliers, including photographers, caterers, and styling companies, to bring their vision to life.

This holistic service is particularly valuable for clients who may not have extensive event planning experience, providing them with expert guidance and support throughout the process.

Read the full story from Kate and Jason Blundell on page 20 in the June 2024 magazine.

X-Site - Masters of own destiny

X-Site Owner and Founder Hamish Lamb is the master of his destiny, and his passion to meet and exceed his customers’ expectations is what fuels his passion. What he actually said was: “You’re the master of your own demise if you don’t do it well, but you’re also the benefactor of your success. Fortunately, we’ve been the latter.”

It is that belief system that has led him and his team to grow the business over 31 years into one of New Zealand’s largest privately owned marquee and infrastructure hire companies.  X-Site now boasts 17 staff and can supply marquees from 3m x 3m to 25m x 55m. Come to events like National Fieldays, X-Site erects more than 15,000m2 of marquees, meaning they cover about three rugby pitches in marquee canvas.

Funnily enough, X-Site got its start at Fieldays back in 1992. As Matangi Landscape Supplies, he provided a service to local ‘DIY-ers’ and then later to the agricultural event, supplying all manner of landscaping supplies and services to exhibitors.

Changing tack, landscaping took a backseat and X-Site Management was born in 2000 to focus on exhibitors’ sites and other events throughout the country.

Sixteen years later, and multiple business purchases later, marquee hire and infrastructure and design and build installations became a mainstay for Hamish.

“We’ve worked bloody hard over those 31 years, but at the same time we do it well, so I’m incredibly proud of what we’ve accomplished (now with my wife Donna) over the last 12 years,” Hamish says.

Other than hard graft, Hamish puts a lot of his success down to a passionate team – who helped the business see out the event industry’s devastation during COVID-19 – and developing lasting relationships.

The horizon looks promising for X-Site as it looks for more opportunities to grow – including a recent pitch for the 2024 ITM Taupō Supercars event set to hit our shores in April next year – which he was awarded just a couple of weeks ago.

Lowes Hire & Engineering: More than just a hire centre

More often than not, a business springs up out of necessity and does exactly what it says on the tin for decades, but only the good ones become an integral part of its community.  Opotoki-based company Lowes Hire & Engineering Ltd is one such example: “so much more than just a hire centre”.

They’ve got the accolades to prove it too; in October, the company was recognised at the jointly held New Zealand-Australia Network Conference on the Gold Coast for its decades-long service to Hydraulink.  The cherry on top of that award was another one for Lowes: Sales Growth (%) North Island – a far cry from the humble days in 1981 when Grant and Raewyn Lowe first set up shop with Grant’s brother and wife.

The business is now run by the new generation of Lowes, Jamie and his two brothers Andrew and Matt after their parents built “the business into the beast it is today”.  It was a natural progression for the family, especially after the brothers spent most of their lives in and round the business, “even if it’s just doing dishes in the afternoons after school”.

“Mum and Dad have worked their whole lives to build this business, so taking over the business was just sort of a natural progression for us brothers. And keep it in the family, I think our parents were quite pleased with that call,” Matt says.

Expanding from their little building on King Street in the middle of the surf-town destination into a well-established retail, hire and engineering specialist on Bridge Street, they’ve got most of the East Cape’s needs covered.

Supplying a range of different products for agencies like Honda, Kohler and Husqvarna means their catalogue is varied. Marquees make up a decent chunk of the business too but hiring out porta-loos and mini-buses is their bread and butter.

Despite Opotiki’s perceived “small town” status, its industries are diverse and keep the Lowes on their toes. The kiwifruit, dairy and forestry industries are always in need of equipment and specialist support.

Officially taking over just over a year ago, the brothers first set about streamlining and modernising the company’s software. “That was a major,” Jamie says.

Obviously, Grant still popped in and out to help with the more technical jobs. But now the Lowes are building on the success of their parents by bolstering the team with hardworking like-minded individuals.  “You can’t argue that what they were doing wasn’t working, so we didn’t want to change too many things,” Matt says. “We’re just glad we can keep it family-owned and operated for another generation; there’s not too many businesses around like that these days.”

Edward Sound & Vision

From humble beginnings to a sound and audio-visual powerhouse

If the myths are to be believed, some of the most legendary Silicon Valley companies started in a garage: Apple, Google, Amazon.  So, it is only right that New Zealand has a few similar legendary beginnings of its own: enter stage right Edwards Sound Systems.

Started in the 1960s by Alastair Neil and Paul Edwards, the former was a bassist in a local band called the New Mystics. Playing live shows and recording albums gave Alastair a decent appreciation for good sound equipment. Add to that his ear for music, passion for sound, and talent for electronics and design – and you can imagine where this might lead. Paul’s Mt. Eden garage was the perfect location to handcraft amplifiers and speaker systems, which would then be installed in churches, schools and commercial venues by the same guys making them.  The rest, as they say, is history.

The new owner, Jonathan, followed in his dad’s footsteps – albeit, minus the band. He grew up working part-time in the business, building amplifiers during school holidays, working in the shop on Friday nights, and helping with the hire counter on Saturdays.

“We not only have a hire business, but we also have a sound and audio-visual installation business, so we reach across the different sectors of the industry and are well-known to professional sound, lighting and audio-visual suppliers.   “Having a hand in both businesses means that we stay ahead of trends and can anticipate where the market is heading.”

“The best day for us is when we see our customer’s vision brought to life – especially those complex events or installations that have stretched our thought processes.” The team has since developed its own rental booking and management software, called Hirewin, designed around its sound system, lighting, AV and events requirements. Interestingly, life in the events industry can move counter to the economic cycles, Jonathan says. So as the collective sound of belts tightening can be heard across the economy, corporates and organisations work on sales conferences, tradeshows, and training to maximise sales. This has proved a winning recipe for Edwards Sound, which has morphed a small family-run business into a diverse medium-range employer.

Get Set Events - Tracey Thompson

After spending two decades working in the Hire industry, Tracey discovered her true passion as the proprietor and leader of Get Set Events Taupo, a full hire member of HIANZ.

With a sterling reputation, the small business provides its services to large- and small-scale events alike, including the famous Ironman Triathlon events.  Through years of dedication, the company has built a long-standing relationship with the Ironman organisers, an event that has been a big part of the Tongariro North Domain and the Taupō community since 1999.

So how does such a small business land such a big deal?

Well, in a case of nothing ventured, nothing gained, they simply asked for the business. They now provide a wide range of products each year, from marquees to catering equipment, and decorations for prize-giving ceremonies. They also supply the necessary equipment for the volunteers’ dinner and other parts of the event.

Tracey is quick to note: “Other amazing hire companies supply equipment Get Set Events can’t provide,” and says the event needs a lot of coordination among a variety of businesses, which creates strong relationships within the community.