From a small, family-run operation established in Wagga Wagga five years ago to a key player in the Riverina’s civil construction industry, Riverina Civil & Plumbing is a solid example of a successful regional business.
The company’s foundations are built on over 20 years of experience in the industry. Founder Chris Langfield leveraged his initial background in plumbing to expand and upskill into civil construction.
His daughter, Sara, who works in the family business on a part-time basis while studying, said Chris moved the family from Cobar to Wagga Wagga about 10 years ago seeking better opportunities for his daughters. After five years of working as a sub-contractor and project manager, the family formally established Riverina Civil & Plumbing.
They’ve focused on keeping work local and maintaining a family-based approach while steadily increasing their capacity and project portfolio.
“We’ve grown quite big within the Riverina over the past five years,” Sara said. “We started with two employees, and now we’re up to 12. And we are always on the hunt for more.
“We’ve covered a lot of projects now in Wagga and within the Riverina. We have also worked in places a little further out, such as Jindabyne, Albury and Ungarie.
“We try to keep all our work local, within Wagga or the Riverina. This keeps our people happy, they can stay at home.”
With this intention to grow and thrive in the Riverina region comes the need to be aware of, and seen by, local projects. Which is where Riverina Civil & Plumbing leverages its ICN Gateway subscription, as well as ICN’s networking opportunities.
Thanks to submitting an EOI on ICN Gateway, the company won a wet hire supply contract with HumeLink, hiring out a machine and an operator as needed. It’s also doing some sub-contracting for Melbourne-based ACE Civil on the redevelopment of Riverina Defence bases.
“We’ve gone through all the ICN steps, all the meetings and everything, but we’re currently going to be subbing in the Defence project. There is some hope in the future that we will continue to work through the ICN platform.”
For Sara, the main benefits of an ICN subscription are the networking opportunities, getting first-hand information about projects and learning what is on the horizon.
“We generally like to attend all the industry briefings for the work we are interested in,” Sara said.
“The most appealing thing is showing our faces and obviously getting the up-to-date information. It is important to attend to have a better understanding of timelines and project specifications for first-hand information.
It’s putting our faces out there and showing our interest in the project to the managers and the site foremen and anyone that’s there from their companies.
We’ve made some connections with key people just by attending the events.
It’s also good to catch up with other subcontractors in town. We like to get their opinion on how they think it’s going to go for their company, and that also helps us reflect on what it’s going to look like for us.”
The benefits Sara has seen with an ICN account has led to her recommending it to other businesses, especially for Defence work.
“I called a few other businesses when I signed up for it just so they were on the same page, especially with Defence EOI, with the packages coming through,” she said.
Riverina Civil & Plumbing’s success shows how a regional, family-owned company can thrive by combining decades of expertise with a proactive approach to networking through leveraging ICN.
Go to Riverina Civil & Plumbing website for more information.