DIGGING DEEP

Diggers Landscape Supplies

CONNECTS EX-DEFENCE MEMBERS WITH MEANINGFUL EMPLOYMENT

In an era when it’s difficult to find quality employees LQ member Diggers Landscape Supplies had a unique business idea that provides a direct channel of potential team members with a similar background and mindset to their own. Being a regionally based business in Mackay also had drawbacks. We recently spoke with Charlotte and Joel about their ‘crazy’ idea.

“We had a crazy idea to start our business in February last year and by April we had opened our doors and charged full steam ahead into the unknown! We joined LQ in June which has helped us add professionalism to the venture,” said Charlotte.

Both she and Joel are ex-defence force community members and they realized that the majority of exdefence members leave the military with quite a few tickets under their belt such as forklift, HR or MR licences etc., but a lot of them didn’t know where to head or have the capacity to use their skills full time due to injuries. Diggers Landscape Supplies wanted to bridge that gap somehow to give people a safe and understanding workplace and still feel useful and engaged with the community.

They currently have a team of seven, three of whom are ex-defence who have been able to reengage with the workforce initially with Diggers on a part-time basis and then move to full-time after finding their feet.

There are over 4000 veterans in the Mackay region and running alongside the employment side of things, Diggers are also engaging in community activities as well.

They recently hosted the first ‘Diggers Dinner’, where ex-defence members and their families were invited to a casual, no strings attached dinner which achieved a great turnout with over 80 people in attendance. Shout out to D.A.C Mining who jumped on board and sponsored the bar for the night. Diggers Landscape Supplies has had massive growth in such a short time coupled with a very steep learning curve. Charlotte and Joel believe they have been successful thus far for a few reasons.

“We have brought new ideas to town and have tried to capture niche markets that others had not yet ventured into. We have delved into sandstone, Pentablock, pots etc. However, we firmly believe we have succeeded because of our approach to customer service - we may spend a little longer with someone or go out of our way to help when we can. Our staff are amazing - they will all go above and beyond with customers where possible, which is awesome!" Charlotte said.

As many LQ regional members will attest, running a business outside of the SEQ area is not without challenges and Diggers is no exception. “All our products come from down south. Getting the scheduling right for orders, finding quality suppliers, starting new accounts and timing the weather ‘just right’ for deliveries are always interesting. Thankfully we have an amazing freight group and list of suppliers who have been wonderful to work with,” she went on to say.

Charlotte considers that being self-employed has pushed her to try new things, take a chance and increase self-belief in their capabilities. Meeting so many wonderful new people and helping them achieve their gardening goals is just a bonus!