Producing a range of formation materials, road construction materials, aggregates and rock, as well as natural sands, they produce up to 1 million tonne of material every year to support landscaping and construction projects across the Whitsunday region.
Expanding rapidly since 2019 under the direction of brothers Luke and Liam Hillery, the company has grown from 50 people, to nearly 130 today.
Along with the acquisition of two new quarries in Proserpine and Airlie Beach, their main growth is in civil construction – responding to the future infrastructure needs of the region. As well as disaster relief funding, regional roads, and civil construction projects, for the last two years, their focus has been on rail construction – working with Aurizon and Bowen Rail Company (BRC), which are the two largest rail companies, with Aurizon being the largest in Australia and BRC the largest in Queensland.
The decision to broaden into civil construction of roads and rail has paid off, and their growth in this market has been faster than they anticipated, based on the quality of their work.
Next on the horizon for Hillery Group is the acquisition of a civil infrastructure business specialising in subdivisions. With vast amounts of land in the Airlie Beach region available to relieve the current housing shortage, Hillery Group will be well placed to capitalise on this demand over the coming years.
It will mean a change of scope for their ISO certification, which they recently transferred to Southpac Certifications.
Kelly McDonald, Hillery Group’s Director of People, Culture and Business Development, said this was one of the reasons they have found it advantageous to move to Southpac.
As they work towards Federal Safety Commission accreditation, Southpac’s expansive national network has allowed them to find the resources they need to support this process.
In addition, having an auditor that knows and understands their business has been pivotal to their continual improvement.