| 59 CONTRACTING Arb Innovations Staff the focus for Craig Ab Innovations have recruited potential apprentices from local iwi, and the Ministry of Social Development (MSD). Russell Fredric Branching out into business has been a good move for arborist Craig de Denus who says the industry provides a wide spectrum of career opportunties. The founder/owner of Arb Innovations, Lower Hutt, Craig started his apprenticeship in arboriculture in Tauranga at the age of 15. He subsequently worked for a Tauranga business for five years before he and his partner moved to Wellington. Following this he worked in a few different situations, but they did not provide the family-orientated work culture he was used to in Tauranga, he says. “So I thought I would just start my own company and I started Arb Innovations in 2012. This is now our 10th year of operations and we’ve now got two depots, one in Lower Hutt and one in Masterton. “We cover a big geographical area and we’ve got approximately 36 staff.” While Craig attributes the growth and success of the business partly to there being a place for another significant presence in the region, it was his desire to do things differently that really mattered to him. “It was about focusing on the growth of people and the strength of positive relationships and communication with clients and thinking about things a little more laterally as opposed to just making a buck. “If you grow something that people are proud of and want to be a part of then the financial gain comes naturally. Most people are happy to pay a little more for extra value and quality.” The company has a strong training focus and employs eight apprentices. This provides for trainees to achieve an NZQA level four qualification as an arborist with the support of in-house training assessors. Craig is a board member of The New Zealand Arboriculture Association (NZ Arb). One of its aims is to achieve more public engagement and understanding that being an arborist is actually a professional career. While working outdoors, caring for trees, climbing them and working with some large equipment are all part of the job, there are multiple career pathways available outside of this core work. With further training and education careers are available such as a consultant arborist, a municipal arborist managing large assets of trees, a risk assessor, working for a Government agency focusing on ecological aspects of trees among others. “I just want to be able to show people that arboriculture is a career path and that trees are important.” “There’s a significant skill shortage across the board with arborists in New Zealand and trees are becoming more and more important and people are understanding the importance of trees more, but it takes three years on the job to become an arborist or a year and a half at polytech. “Recruitment is very difficult and that’s why we’ve got such a strong training programme because it’s important that we train new people into the industry. At Arb Innovations we definitely have a large pool of great upand-coming apprentices and we think that’s important.” A stellar teame ort coupledwith an unswerving customer service focus has clinched a top award for the STIHL SHOP Petone dealership. Its franchise area includes the Petone, Porirua and Upper Hutt stores with Porirua opening as a new store in April this year. The dealership was the winner of the National STIHL SHOP Outstanding Dealer of the Year award for 2021, while nationally STIHL SHOP has been the Consumer Peoples Choice and Readers Digest Most Trusted brand awards winner for the past six consecutive years. STIHL SHOP Petone has been owned and operated by Alastair and Louise Thomson since 2016. The couple have two primary aged children and previously both worked in the inance sector as well as farming. “Having grown up on farms, we both had a good understanding of the quality of the Stihl brand,” Alastair says. “Our favourite part of being in business is dealing with such a renowned brand. The German design and qualitymeans we can sell the products knowing the customer's going to be happy with what they've got.” To be a Stihl dealer anywhere in the world it is a requirement to be able to service the equipment with trained technicians. Owning the three stores means the teams is able to serve their commercial customers consistently, with convenient locations for servicingmachines and buying consumables. “We have a fully equipped workshop in our Upper Hutt store, meaning we are able to service and repair what we sell plus other quality brands. This is an environmentally positive attribute that greatly extends the usable life, regardless of where a product is purchased.” Powering ahead with Stihl The dealerships workshop teamhavemore than 100 years combined experience with small engines, and all enjoy a 4 day work week roster. As most of its clientele are domestic, the dealership has gone the extramile to provide a range of alternative services in the various locations including in-store co ee, key cutting, knife sharpening, a range of merchandise, and even dog washing. As well as Stihl products there are supply arrangements with other quality brands including: Masport, Honda, Cub Cadet, Walker, and Hansa Chippers. The fastest grown sector is battery-powered products, particularly lawnmowers and chainsaws, which havemade signi icant advances in recent years, to a point where commercial operators are starting to use these as well. These have the advantage of low noise, easy starting, lowmaintenance and not having to deal with petrol and oil. Alastair is amember of the STIHL SHOP national advisory board which assists with developing the brand. Stihl globallyhasmore then45,000approved dealers in90countries and remains familyowned. Above: Owner-operatorsAlastair&LouiseThomson
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