✦ Bennetts Steel was founded by Gordon Bennett and Peta Simmons in 1991 and now have over 30 years’ experience in steel under the same family.
Keeping the family legacy alight, the Bennetts Steel team currently has Shiree Bennett, Gordon’s daughter, at the helm who is supported by a team of talented men and women.
From new steel to downgrade and factory seconds steel, Bennetts Steel stock a large assortment of products and provide a massive range of services under one roof, including steel cutting - plasma CNC cutting, folding, bending, rolling, fabrication and machining.
Something for everyone
The team cater for a variety of customers; from the DIY handyman building a rabbit cage, to the landscaper building a retaining wall or needing steel garden edging. From the local Council and Forestry requiring drain grates, fish cleaning tables or handrails, to builders and tradespeople in the construction industry building new homes and commercial buildings, even to someone wanting a personalised fire pit or property sign, everything steel is catered for.
Outstanding customer experience
Good old fashion service has built the Bennetts Steel reputation to one that is much more than just your average steel yard.
"Some customers have even commented that we appear to be a 'boutique' style steel supplier," Shiree told us. "Our culture has always been to strive to provide the best experience for our customers, where they can walk in and be greeted at reception, walk through our steel sheds with the assistance of one of our 'Bennetts Boys' where you can hand select steel products and have steel cut to size on the spot."
In addition to their regular steel supplies and services, Bennetts Steel specialise in custom and personalised steel items and absolutely love collaborating with people to create unique bespoke projects.
The talented onsite design team work with clients to create decorative screens, steel sculptures, one-of-a-kind steel art, fire pits, decorative firewood storage, unique letterboxes, property signage, landscaping products and so much more.
Garden Gallery
"Over the past 2 years, we have built the ‘Garden Gallery’, our on-site garden display which showcases our home and garden products, allowing our customers to walk through and be inspired by what we can create from steel," Shiree explained. "No matter how different or unique the request, our customers are given the opportunity to have their custom steel ideas come to life."
The business attracts many visitors from outside the region frequently, due to their extensive marketing and broad range of steel services on offer. Renowned for excellent customer service, having a broad and high stock levels and the brilliant workmanship provided by all areas of the business, Bennetts Steel are a leader in their field.
Many of their distant clientele engage with the team about their unique home and garden products, such as custom fire pits, decorative wood racks, personalised steel signage and many other bespoke steel projects. "We work closely with freight and courier companies to offer delivery of steel orders to our distant customers," said Shiree.
Creating a Welcoming Workplace
The structure and management of the business is something that the Bennett family have; an open and transparent ideology of which creates a harmonious and enjoyable workplace. Bennetts Steel have built its success on focussing on four priorities:
#1 - happy staff
#2 - expertise
#3 - outstanding customer service
#4 - quality products.
The Bennett family have created a very welcoming business for both their customers and staff where everyone is treated like family and customer service is priority.
Some customers even call in for a cuppa whilst waiting for their order. They employ locals who are passionate within their roles and are masters in their field; no matter what their previous trade, it is passion that drives all staff to succeed.
“Being able to work alongside my Dad every day and carry on the business he and my Step-Mum built from the ground up, is something that inspires me each and every day," Shiree told us. "I have learnt so much from Dad and the people who work at Bennetts and it is so rewarding to see everybody happy to teach and pass on their knowledge. I've maintained a culture in which my Dad and Step-Mum have always had here at Bennetts Steel and that is to treat the staff as family and create a welcoming place where everyone feels valued.”
As General Manager, Shiree hosts a weekly team meeting every Thursday, which is a good chance to come together as a team to discuss work direction, tweaking processes and procedures, discuss jobs in progress as well as upcoming jobs, and offer feedback, questions and concerns.
Shiree also initiates one-on-one meetings with staff to discuss ideas and concerns to ensure a happy environment, plus this also gives staff a chance to voice suggestions to better themselves and the business.
Photos: Lindsay Moller Photography
"I have an open-door policy, in which the staff feel comfortable coming to me at any time of the day to discuss queries. We also offer a team lunch every Thursday with my entire staff, where I either cook a home-made meal (cooked right here in the Bennetts Steel kitchen) or offer a takeaway option to support other local businesses, which brings our team together in a much more social environment to help build team bonding,” Shiree told us.
Supporting their community
The Bennett family have lived in the Port Macquarie-Hastings region for many generations with a strong affiliation with the timber and transport industry. Bennetts Steel's strong connection with the local community has spanned 30 years of being involved in numerous small and major community projects for private, sporting and government organisations.
They have shown strong support for their local farming community, who are some of their most loyal clientele. After the major flood in March 2021, Bennetts Steel provided staff members as 'labourers' to help with the clean-up of some local rural properties and offered discounted fencing products to affected farmers to assist them with getting their livestock securely contained.
"We are also very proud to have been a major supporter of Tertiary Scholarships with the Hastings Education Fund, providing opportunities for local students to further their education," Shiree explained.
Bennetts Steel have also donated to many charitable events for community members, local schools, sporting events, the Rural Fire Service and the Hastings Council community projects. The business also regularly sponsors the Hastings Business Women’s Network charitable events for Liberty and the Boots & Beach Country Music Festival.
They work and collaborate extensively with the Port Macquarie Hastings Council, Forestry, National Parks and other organisations in designing and fabricating a variety of steel structures, sculptural projects and smaller community initiatives to continually improve and beautify their local area.
Their community projects reflect the regions natural and cultural heritage, engage with the community and add value to the infrastructure, attractions and public amenity.
"We now have councils, schools, tourist attractions, caravan parks and other organisations from outside our region enquiring with us to replicate steel projects which they have seen locally for their areas, which gives us the opportunity to broaden our clientele," said Shiree. "We look forward to further collaborations to assist these organisations in the design and fabrication of community projects."
Family Business Association Member
Bennetts Steel is part of the Family Business Association; a supportive network throughout Australia and New Zealand who provide access to education and training for family-specific business development. This helps generate opportunities for families in business to learn and grow by networking.
Last year, Bennetts Steel were awarded the State NSW/ACT Small Business Excellence Award, an incredible achievement.
Earlier this year, the Family Business Association invited Bennetts Steel's General Manager, Shiree Bennett, to an exclusive Business Leaders Luncheon in Sydney hosted by one of the world’s greatest leaders, Barack Obama.
Mr Obama discussed the topic of “strength in leadership”, offering insights into his time as president and the lessons he learned that can be applied to challenges in leadership today. This was an incredible, once in a lifetime opportunity, for Shiree to have the privilege to attend and experience.
Popular ‘EASY BURN’ flat-pack Firepits
In 2011, Bennetts Steel created one of their most popular products, The Easy Burn. Possibly one of the very first ‘flat pack’ portable fire pits, designed for camping and travelling to see the Australian market. The idea was sparked from a Bennett-family camping trip and the inspiration created around good old campfire banter.
Since then, the Easy Burn was born and has created a ‘cult-like’ following, with the fire pits popping up all over the country and now with a number of retailers along the Mid North Coast. They even are available to buy at the Mutitjulu community of Uluru!
Unique marketing
Since commencing their TV advertising in 2019 they have continued to increase their marketing and drive business growth.
"We will continue to develop new ideas, broaden our brand coverage and expand our customer base to a wider economy, with the wider use of social media, use YouTube to show what we do, and of course continue our sponsorship programs," said Shiree.
As a result of their marketing strategies, they receive numerous enquiries from outside the Port Macquarie/Hastings region, with many customers travelling from a vast distance to come and visit the team. After launching their well-known local TV commercial, which included taking on a supporting sponsorship package with TV renovating show 'The Block', their enquiry for home and garden products has increased dramatically, with many customers lured from out of our region.
This is a win-win for not only Bennetts Steel, but the entire Port Macquarie/Hastings region.
YouTube Links
Take A Look Around The Yard - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qweddeVKxC8&t=16s
Take A Look Around The Yard - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I1ltelyf0EQ
Take A Look Around The Yard - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n4Ol8kwkhdQ
Historic Video 30 Year Anniversary -https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lJUz8-Irga8
Social Media Links
Facebook – https://www.facebook.com/BennettsSteel
Instagram – https://www.instagram.com/bennettsteel/
Linked In – https://www.linkedin.com/company/bennetts-steel
Contact
Bennett's Steel
6 Industry St, Wauchope NSW 2446
Ph: (02) 6585 2851
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