Gemcell Australia

If you are growing produce of any kind, the Murrumbidgee Irrigation Area includes some of the most fertile land in Australia. But farming is not the only industry thriving in the MIA. According to PowerPlus Griffith the electrical trade is strong in all fields.

When you start out in business you have to start somewhere, and where you choose to set up shop can make or break you! Adam Truscott and Anthony Martinello knew this as well as anyone. So when Adam and Anthony kicked off their PowerPlus Griffith outlet in February 2004, they were hoping their choice of premises would be a good one.

They chose to lease and convert an old tyre shop because of its location, not on the main drag but in the street parallel to the main street of Griffith. The locals use this street more than the main road to get from A to B, so they knew that the volume of passing traffic would be high. Location, location, location, or so they hoped!

So in went the shelving, out came the paintbrushes and up went the signage. The tradespeople of Griffith came in the door and the rest (as they say) is history. Since then, PowerPlus Griffith has gone from strength to strength. “The other wholesalers have all moved since, the days of being in the industrial area with floor to ceiling shelves has gone” mused Adam “and that’s all good!”

Griffith is located in the heart of the Riverina in southern central NSW, in the Murrumbidgee Irrigation Area to the north of the Murrumbidgee River. Home to 25,000 people, many of whom are farmers and businesspeople alike, Griffith was designed by the American Walter Burley Griffin, the architect of Canberra and was proclaimed in 1916, the same year Griffith was connected by rail. The town was named after Sir Arthur Griffith, the state’s first Minister for Public Works.

Although the Riverina’s commercial demographic is primarily rural there are also a few businesses whose primary sales are international. This sector includes PowerPlus, one independent electrical wholesaler that can truly claim to have raised the bar on service. The mix of farmers and local business people all helps to make Griffith a happy place to do business. “The drought breaking would make a big difference, of course, but life must go on” said Anthony.

The market is quite diverse in the Riverina. There are quite a few electricians that work in all facets of the electrical industry, but there are several that specialise. “It’s easy to get caught up in the commercial jobs” said Adam. "There’s always something commercial being built in the townships. Industrial electricians are always busy with the wineries, chicken industry, engineering workshops etc. Domestic electricians also get little chance to rest, with an annual growth rate of over 2% there are plenty of new homes to be wired” he added.

PowerPlus Griffith is a separate business from their “business cousins” in Wagga Wagga. PowerPlus Griffith was conceived when Adam and Anthony decided that it was time to spread their wings and make the jump. The two Chris’s at PowerPlus Wagga gave a helping hand and it was decided to share the name. And that’s how the business started.

They began with 4 staff to see how that worked out, and soon after that the young fathers realised they needed some time for the kids, so they employed an office person to sort the accounts and to save Adam and Anthony from doing 5am starts every day. Later they employed the services of their local multi-national branch manager to ease the load.

After five years of business, PowerPlus Griffith has opened a branch in Leeton - a town just 55km to the south east of Griffith - managed by Matt Piper. Matt was born in Leeton and has many years experience in the game. Matt’s father, Bob, used to manage the Foy Electrical branch in Leeton years ago, while Matt was learning the ropes. The Leeton branch is only 6 months old but is working out nicely. Being so close to Griffith makes it easy to swap stock (and occasionally even staff) between the Griffith and Leeton outlets.

Following two years it took the company to meet the criteria, PowerPlus Griffith was granted membership into Gemcell and there hasn’t been a backwards step since. “Joining Gemcell was the easiest business decision we have made to date” said Adam “and for us there has been no downside to it. Along with many advantages, Gemcell membership allows us to compete with the multi nationals in a competitive marketplace.” Lucky PowerPlus has plenty of quality electrical gear on the shelves to meet steadily increasing demand.