By CASEY NEILL
“THE phoenix has already risen out of the ashes and I see nothing but a great future ahead.”
This was the message from QEP president Len Gould to workers at the flooring supplier’s Australian headquarters last Wednesday.
Fire gutted its warehouse in Dunlopillo Drive, Dandenong South, on 19 September in a spectacular plume of black smoke.
The company plans to return once the premises is rebuilt but has already found a temporary home in Keysborough and is on its way back to full strength.
“It’s remarkable what progress has been made,” Mr Gould said.
“I appreciate the tremendous, inspiring courage that you’ve shown in rebuilding this business.
“I realise that conditions have not been great.
“Hours are messed up, days are messed up, conditions are cramped.
“I want you to know that there’s a lot of people who care about you guys, and I’m one of them.”
Mr Gould’s father Lewis started the company in his garage in 1979 and remains the CEO today.
“It took two years to get out of the garage and hire one person,” he said.
“Today there’s over 900 of us at 33 locations around the world.
“It’s important to me that you realise that you’re part of a larger entity.
“When this terrible fire took place, those people were reaching out.
“A warehouse worker in the south of France offered to forgo his pay so that that money could come here to help fund this new office.”
Mr Gould said his father loved to push his buttons.
“After we had the monthly numbers come in for October his comment to me was ‘are you sure there was a fire in Australia?’,” he said.
“It’s remarkable what you guys have put out the door, it really is.”
He led a raucous “give me a Q, give me an E, give me a P” chant and gifted a “small financial token of appreciation” from the USA to each worker.
The afternoon tea also featured a video package, dubbed Out of the Ashes, with images and footage of billowing smoke and flames, the rubble, clean-up and fitting out the new warehouse and office.
QEP Australia managing director Bruce Maclaren was at the factory when the fire took hold.
“We’ve been through a fairly traumatic event over the last five or six weeks,” he said.
“It’s been a challenge but we’ve all come out the other side bigger and better.
“We’re not necessarily over the hump entirely yet but we’re certainly well on the way.
“About mid-January we should be back to normal trading.”
