Business View Oceania | February 2020

65 66 BUSINESS VIEW OCEANIA FEBRUARY 2020 BUSINESS VIEW OCEANIA FEBRUARY 2020 the ROI of commercial solar systems, to the point where systems are now paying themselves off in as little as two to three years. In that regard, the Apex Energy team designs a system and creates a tailored proposal for a business based on energy consumption, time of use, system size, location and unit energy costs. High quality solar panels and inverters with ten-year minimum product warranties offer peace of mind, and Apex Energy workmanship is also warrantied for five years. In addition, all commercial solar systems are provided with in-depth monitoring as standard so that energy consumption can be adapted to better suit solar generation. The Apex group jointly employs more than 60 people, including many talented project managers supporting all areas of the business. A unique aspect of their work force is the flexibility and cross skilling between companies, as they employ multiple people that work between the two businesses. A combined work schedule, using similar scheduling tools for both companies, maintains efficiencies and provides the ability to handle more projects. For example, during a dip in the energy side of the business last year, some workers were moved into Apex Communications and now they’re helping install fibre optic cable, and installing conduit. Then, as energy projects ramped up this year, a crew from Apex Communications helped install solar panels on roofs and install batteries. “What’s important for us is attitude and aptitude,” says Stallan. “People that just want to turn up and do the best they can for the business. At the end of the day, if they’re skilled to do that, great. If not and they’ve got the attitude, as long as you’ve got the training resources, you can get them skilled. We’re really lucky at Apex, we have a high retention rate. We continue to hire people who want to work. We are continuously investing in our work force by providing training to further knowledge and skill sets. Our people are our greatest asset and we continue to invest. Good people are sometimes hard to come by, so when you meet hard working people with the right attitude, we invest in them. My experience shows employment is a two-way street. If everyone’s communicating and both the employee and company are keeping their end of the deal, it’s a long-term vision.” At any one time, Apex may have eight to ten apprentices working through both businesses. Over the last five years, they’ve had three apprentices win the National Apprentice of the Year award. Not many businesses can say that. Stallan notes, “We generally employ an apprentice as they are completing their apprenticeship. This provides the business with a known person with a skill they have acquired from working with our people. We are keen to grow the business and provide an opportunity for the next generation. Our workforce is quite diverse as we support indigenous people within our workforce. Our splicing crew consists of men and women. Our first woman employed as a +61 3 8797 5557 | info@powerplus-energy.com.au Building 21, 885 Mountain Hwy, Bayswater VIC 3153 Safe and reliable energy storage for Residential, Commercial, Industrial and Utilities. AUSTRALIAN MADE BATTERIES APEX ENERGY AUSTRAL I A