Born and raised in Tumut, Shane is passionate about his work, family life, and being active within the community.
Often referred to as the gateway to the Snowy Mountains, Tumut is unsurpassed in its natural beauty. So it’s no wonder Shane stayed put here, completing a carpentry and joinery apprenticeship at the local truss and frame business, Tumut Trusses & Frames, managed at the time by a local builder named Doug Martin.
Eventually, Shane ended up running things at the business. Today the business specialises in frames, trusses and flooring systems.
Celebrating his 10th year as Director, Shane explains that the business has been successful for so long because of its focus on customer service.
“The business has been established for well over 20 years now, but originally I got into the frame and truss side quite gradually.
“Since becoming the years have gone by pretty quick, especially the last five!” Shane laughs.
REMOTE BUSINESS
Due to its location, Shane and his team at Tumut Trusses and Frames will often hit the road for their customers, travelling to places such as Wagga Wagga, Albury, Wodonga, Canberra and Cootamundra.
As Shane explains, it’s all part of his product offering, tailored to fit the small communities he works within.
“I handle all the quoting, all the detailing, and I do all my own deliveries – as the sole Director I’m always out on the road,” he says.
While being more ‘hands on’ means Shane can shape his business to suit his customers quickly, it does take up a lot more of his time.
“It’s great because you can talk on site with the builders and find out right there and then if there are any issues, which helps me out as the owner, but it does mean it can get pretty hectic!” he says.
WHAT’S IMPORTANT
Shane’s certainly a man of many hats. While his primary role is Director of Tumut Trusses & Frames, his list of additional pursuits is, quite honestly, impressive.
Shane lives on and runs a 100-acre sheep and cattle farm with his wife Jessica and twin daughters, Ella and Lily, with another child on the way in October.
“I’m also president of the local fishing club, captain of the local fire brigade, and I have a segment on the local radio every Wednesday!” Shane says.
It’s a lot to handle, Shane adds that he is grateful for the advances in the industry which assist the business to maintain efficient processes across a small team.
“Being a small business in a remote location everything in the workshop has to be fairly automated.
“Obviously it can’t be to the same scale of the bigger businesses in metropolitan areas, so it can be good from time to time to look through capital city factories – but people that visit our workshop will remark that they are pretty impressed with the way we have it set up,” he says.
THE NEXT TEN
Having just celebrated his 10th year with the business, does Shane believe he will still be around for another decade?
“I haven’t thought about it too much, I guess my goals when I took over was to get to 10 years and reassess from there,” Shane explains.
“We have loyal customers, but ideally I would like to get out of my truck a bit more and have someone else take on some of the deliveries, allowing me to be a lot more hands on in the workshop,” he says.
One thing is clear, Shane loves Tumut and his role at Tumut Trusses & Frames and in the local community.
“I enjoy what I do. As an old accountant once told me: ‘The morning you wake up and you don’t feel like you want to go to work, is the morning you should give it away’.”
