Carole Levy
From the time Jackson McKee was born nearly two years ago, he ‘went to work’ with mum Alice and dad Drew, the young owners of Drive Safe Service Centre for the past five years.
It didn’t take long for Jackson to get his own hi-vis vest, a flag on his walker, and to be dubbed “Site Supervisor”.
The three other mechanics who are on the tools with Drew have more recently been teaching him the names of equipment and, when their own littlies come to the workshop for morning teas, manager Alice says it’s like a very happy daycare centre.
Drew and Alice happen to be finalists in this year’s Geelong Business Excellence Awards (GBEA) and, in an indirect way, Jackson’s workshop “supervision” and those morning teas are key to earning their place as finalists. It’s all about work culture, Alice explains.
“I really enjoyed the process of entering GBEA, part of which was preparing videos [due to coronavirus] for the judges that showed multiple aspects of our business,” Alice says.
“We learned a lot about how far we’ve come in five years and where we might head in the future. But it was putting together our answers about the culture of our business that had the biggest impact.
“The finished short ‘culture’ video even brought a tear to Drew as we saw with new eyes how amazing our crew is, and also how we’ve created an environment where everyone gives equal weight to our high standards of workmanship and the way we interact with our community.
“We’ve never felt in competition with other workshops because we believe each has something to offer. We’re actually known as the go-to place for other workshops in town when they might want an item we stock, or use our services such as a roadworthy.
“Kids welcome at work, helping other businesses where we can, supporting our staff, strict safety protocols, remembering our customers’ birthdays and their children’s names, providing totally professional workmanship … keeping things real – that’s our culture.”
Drew says they’re first-time entrants in GBEA, just as they were when they won a VACC industry award in 2018, then named finalists the following year.
“Unlike VACC this year, GBEA has forged ahead in spite of the obvious challenges. Credit where credit’s due – they’re giving it a red-hot go and we’re all looking forward to the virtual awards night.
“Fingers crossed, we can gather with our whole crew to watch, but whatever happens, Alice and I will go all out, dressed to the nines, balloons everywhere. It will be fun.”
Everyone is welcome to watch and celebrate the region’s business community at the free virtual event at 7pm on October 15. Register at www.gbea.com.au/virtualevent.
