Business View Oceania | February 2020

57 58 BUSINESS VIEW OCEANIA FEBRUARY 2020 BUSINESS VIEW OCEANIA FEBRUARY 2020 Ideas Realised Adelaide | Brisbane | Darwin | Melbourne | Perth Solar, Wind, Hydrogen, Biofuel, WtE gpaeng.com.au Consult Engineer Deliver Providing engineering, procurement, construction and project services to Australia’s Heavy Industries for over 30 years. 08 8299 8300 enquiries@gpaeng.com.au • Concept & Execution • Construction & Commissioning • Operations support YATES ELECTR I CAL SERV I CES (YES) Broughton: “From an employee’s point of view, I came from a city culture in Melbourne. When you’re living in a rural area, it’s a lot more of a tight-knit community and reputation for a business is so important. When you’re looking for a place to work, you’re really looking for a company with a solid reputation in the market, and Yates Electrical Services is one of the most trusted brands in this region. Mark Yates’ family has a history as respected business owners in the Riverland area, and this reputation is largely why people want to get involved and work with the company. BVO: How do you take the business to market? Broughton: “As the markets evolve, we’re constantly adapting our marketing strategies to suit. When I first started working with Mark, he didn’t have a Facebook account - he didn’t believe in it. We’ve now realized the immense power that social media channels have for us. More than anything, a large part of the success of the solar farm developments has been attributed to opening ourselves up to the social media markets. I think they were pivotal. But as the business has grown, we’ve had more opportunities to spread into other avenues - such as television, which is traditionally fairly expensive in Australia. We also now have a solid presence through our local newspapers and various other channels, but our focus at the moment - especially with our high voltage side - is pushing into Australia-wide publications to really get our message out there.” Yates: “We attend the majority of the industry conferences in Australia, and we’re a platinum sponsor for the Smart Energy Council. The Smart Energy Council is the voice that advocates for the solar industry in Australia. All the profits the Smart Energy Council make are reinvested back into their events and into further developing the industry in Australia.