By Cam Lucadou-Wells
Overall Business of the Year Award
Sponsor: NAB
Won by: KLM Spatial
Nominees: TBS Air & Energy, The Footcare Clinic, Snap Printing, ABU Engineering, Micro Precision Plastics, KLM Spatial, Polyflor, Stucchi Australia, Dandenong Club, Sandown Greyhound Racing Club, Classic Grillz
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Second-generation Dandenong company KLM Spatial moves with the times with a down-to-earth respect for its past.
The innovative land development consultancy has taken out the Overall Business of the Year at the Greater Dandenong Chamber of Commerce 2021 awards at a gala dinner at Palmyra Hall on 2 December.
Its directors Ryan Flack, Aaron Goodall and Damien Rivalland paid tribute to the 35-year-old company’s founders, who were also their mentors.
“They gave us the opportunity to step up and mentored us,” Mr Goodall said.
“We’ve introduced new technology and concepts but that’s built upon the thinking of those founding leaders had mentored.”
KLM has grown from a staff of two to more than 50, tripling in size since its merger in 2000. Its rise has mirrored the South-East growth corridor’s expanse of urban and greenfield developments.
“There’s opportunities also for the north, west and east of Melbourne. But Dandenong always will be the head office,” Mr Goodall said.
The founders Rudd Lindley, Roger Greene, Phil Dingeldei and James Caddy fostered a fun office and a family-oriented philosophy, Mr Rivalland said.
“You spend so much time in the office together. We want to retain staff, so it’s always been one of their key drivers.”
KLM also took out the awards’ Innovation & Technology trophy.
Among the innovation is virtual technology (VR) used to great effect especially during Covid lockdown, Mr Rivalland said.
“You can walk through the house design with VR and understand the product that will be built.
“It’s not just an artistic render.”
Other winners were inspiring Chisholm engineering graduate Natalie D’Rozario (Young Enterprise Award), Classic Grillz (New Business), The Footcare Clinic (Small Business), ABU Engineering (Manufacturing & Construction) and Sandown Greyhound Racing Club (Corporate Social Responsibility).
