look how far we have come

TRIPODI GROUP IS A FAMILY AFFAIR

Written by Anthony O'Brien

Based in Cavan in Adelaide's north, Tripodi Group is a civil construction and earthmoving company that's operated for 50 years and counting. A member of the Civil Contractors Federation SA for 47 years, the business was founded by Joe Tripodi OAM in 1972 with about 25 employees. He also recruited his brothers Dominic, Steve, Peter, brothers-in-law Brian Coombs, and Reggio Martini.

A HALF CENTURY OF CIVIL CONSTRUCTION MILESTONES

Some large projects Tripodi Group has supported since launching include the Leigh Creek Retention Dam, the West Lakes Scheme, Devil's Elbow preliminary bulk earthworks and Port Augusta Power Station. The firm was also involved in Golden Grove, Walkley Heights, and Seaford Meadows Bio-Retention Basins.

Moreover, in the past five years the Tripodi Group has continued to clock up major project work including an involvement in the Enfield Stages 1-5 redevelopment of former Enfield High School into 170 lot medium density residential development. There was also the Seaford Vista Residential development, which involved converting a greenfield site into 1200 allotments. Another noteworthy development, The Entrance at Angle Vale, involved a 340-allotment residential subdivision constructed over six stages. Long term employee Phil Hendy, Project Manager, Tripodi Group, said, "We have created communities in Seaford Meadows and Seaford Heights. In addition, there are developments in Enfield, Almond Grove Munno Para and now The Entrance at Angle Vale."

THE TRIPODI GROUP MOTTO

The thriving company operates on the principle that only construction professionals can deliver peace of mind when dealing with building issues or purchasing construction products. Asked what motivates him to achieve, Joe Tripodi responds: "Honesty and decency. We can do it better – nothing will stop me from achieving." Tripodi was born in Kalgoorlie, WA, in 1940 but grew up in Campbelltown, where he and five brothers and two sisters helped their father, a market gardener. Told by his father at 15 to get a job, Joe approached the Campbelltown council office and was soon hired as a labourer. Around this time, Tripodi met a fellow named Rodney, a surveyor who offered him a job as a chainman. Joe recalls, "I didn't know what a bloody chainman was, but I said yes. Rodney taught me a great deal and gave me the confidence and ability to progress within the civil construction earthmoving industry." As Campbelltown Council grew, an engineer was hired who took on Rodney's role, and Tripodi returned to the field with a gang to manage stormwater projects. He was 17 at the time and was working with a crew ranging in age up to 50. At 19, Tripodi left the council after winning his first tender to complete the Sturt Road stormwater project. He landed a permanent position with a Dutchmen named Dan Struik. This employment opportunity launched the next chapter of Joe Tripodi's stellar career, taking on work within stormwater, roadworks, and general civil construction.

In 1961, at the spritely age of 21, a concreting company offered the energetic Joe Tripodi a subcontracting role which consisted of sourcing work and submitting tenders. In addition, he surveyed all their projects and learnt about kerbing. Then he caught the eye of Rocla – the leading concrete solutions supplier was impressed by the young Tripodi's gang's speed and efficiency. He recalls, "They provided me with details of a large project commencing in Whyalla through a company named Beltrame. The work in Whyalla kept me busy for a year. At 23, I married Patricia and purchased a fruit and veg store at my father's insistence."

Joe Tripodi

After a trip to Kalgoorlie, Joe Tripodi returned to South Australia for another civil construction job offer, this time within the new estate of West Lakes. "What a money pit that was," he said. "A private developer from Sydney was making a hell of a mess. I became the works manager and had 120 people working under me, including several of my brothers. After a change of developer, Tripodi took over the civil construction side completely. One of the first things he did was to get hold of as many scrapers as possible, and he quickly got the job back on track.

After West Lakes, Tripodi did surveying for McMahon in Alice Springs. However, inexperienced crews landed him managing the entire civil construction side of works. Ten weeks later, McMahon's moved him to Ceduna to complete surveying work there. He was with McMahon for three years in total.

DEVILS ELBOWS, CONVEYOR BELTS AND DYNAMITE

Straightening Devil's Elbow on Mount Barker Road was memorable because it attracted massive publicity. "We got that job because of our innovative approach. We installed a conveyor belt over the road and used large volumes of dynamite to move over 100,000 cubic metres of rock," Joe recalled. Another significant achievement was completing the construction of the Port Augusta Power Station on time in 1983 by working 24 hours, seven days a week, for 12 months. Asked if he would do things differently if he was starting his career today, Joe said: "Hindsight is a wonderful thing; maybe don't fear the big players."

INNOVATIONS AND EMBRACING NEW TECHNOLOGY

When Tripodi launched when Gough Whitlam was Prime Minister, and Don Dunstan was Premier of South Australia, the civil construction firm started with levels and string lines. "Now we have GPS-controlled machines," says Phil Hendy. "Our plant equipment has had huge advancements. "Also, materials today have far better quality control, and communication can be more direct and reactive. We now have software that can accurately track projects, costings and estimating." Apart from better project management and a sharp focus on technology, Hendy says the learnings at Tripodi have been manifold over the past 50 years. "We have learnt the importance of good working relationships with our clients, construction partners and utility services (SA Water/SAPN/APA), councils and suppliers." Employees are treated like part of the family. Possibly Tripodi Groups' proudest accomplishment to date is its ability to retain staff. Hendy confirms, "More than half our employees have worked for us for over 10 years, and 20% of our staff have worked for Tripodi Group for 20 years." These long-term staffers include Ian Crosby, who, in two significant stints from 1982 to 1990 and 1991 to now, has clocked up almost 40 years with Tripodi, which is second only to founder Joe Tripodi. Crosby commenced as a tandem truck driver and labourer. He progressed to an operator, then leading hand. Initially, Crosby supervised 2-3 workers. Then after more progression, he was appointed as a site foreman, managing staff within a single site. Today Crosby is a project/operations manager overseeing all job sites to manage their daily requirements. Adam Tustin was employed by Tripodi from 1983 to 1994, finishing up due to a slowdown in work. Adam started as a labourer before progressing to a role as an operator. He returned to Tripodi in 1995 and in 1998 was offered and declined a position as a foreman. However, within two years, Tustin ran sites independently and is still with Tripodi today. Thirty-year veteran Brenton John started with Tripodi in 1993 as a backhoe operator and is now a foreman. Tony Costanzo began in 1996 as an estimator before progressing to contracts manager. Costanzo now runs all facets of the Tripodi business as its construction manager. Another Tripodi veteran is Phil Hendy, with 23 years of employment. Commencing in 1999 as a foreman, Hendy is today the firm's Project Manager. Simone Jones, HR & Payroll Manager, Tripodi Group, who assisted with this article, said discussing staff accomplishments was the favourite part of her research. Jones started with Tripodi in 2016. “Employees spoke about personal situations where Joe, his children and his extended family had gone above and beyond to support them,” said Jones. “These stories ranged from being provided opportunities they may not have been given otherwise, to reminiscing about kindnesses they would never imagine could come from a workplace.” One employee who spoke to Jones told of his son's adoption from Thailand. The entire Tripodi family were waiting at the airport for boy’s arrival. “The Tripodi family's excitement over the employee’s new son was incredibly moving for this employee,” Jones outlined. There was another story where the Tripodi family collectively attended the funeral of a staff member's father. Jones takes it from here. “The Tripodi’s had to take care of their unwell grandmother while attending. So that none of the family missed the service, they took turns caring for their grandmother resting in a car outside. These were just two stories, and I could go on. “The family is so much more than an employer. Tripodi wants to celebrate your achievements and mourn your losses,” explained Jones. “We don’t feel like employees to Tripodi Group. We feel like extended parts of their family.” If you’re looking for an extremely well-established specialist in civil construction and earth moving, call Tripodi Group Construction on (08) 8359 1500.