From an early age I was always building things — woodwork, electronics, anything that gave me the satisfaction of finishing a project and wanting to make the next one better.

In hindsight, it is no surprise that engineering appealed to me and it has certainly laid the foundations for my career.

But I soon learned that technical skills and a passion for making things can only take you so far.

And in the years since, I have come to understand that success in business comes down to this: respect where you have come from, adapt to what is changing, and do not wait for someone else to create your future.

Even as I was completing my university degree, my father Lino made sure I never forgot the importance of our family’s values: a strong work ethic, respect for others, and an understanding that success is built on how you treat people as much as on what you know.

And nothing beats experience – especially if you are prepared to learn from it.

When I started in the family business 29 years ago, I quickly realised my education had only just begun. My engineering background helped, but construction knowledge came from people willing to teach me — my father Lino, my uncle Carlo, and many experienced Geelong trades and suppliers.

Over the ensuing years, I have drawn great inspiration from my father’s experience in business and in life, and I have tried to carry forward the values and principles he taught me.

Thirty years on, the world has changed, but those values have not. Our success has come from bringing the old and the new together.

For us, values are not slogans. They mean loyalty, trust and respect in the relationships you build with staff, contractors, partners and suppliers.

They also mean sharing the problems, the opportunities and the outcomes — especially when a partner’s business grows because of work you created together.

It is remarkable how many local trades, suppliers and consultants we have worked with for more than 25 years.

Around Geelong, that loyalty still matters.

We have helped each other through hard times and shared the opportunities when the market is strong. To me, that is real success.

Businesses are facing real uncertainty — rising costs, changing rules and pressure on confidence. Much of it sits outside our control.

But ultimately, your fate is in your own hands. You have to make opportunities, not wait for them to be delivered by the market or by government.

Regulation, taxes and red tape will keep coming. The answer is to own the problem, control what you can control, and keep moving.

For Geelong, prosperity will come from local businesses backing themselves — from trades on building sites to suppliers, manufacturers, consultants and family businesses that keep the city moving.

Our philosophy is to focus on what is ours to control: our people, our partnerships, our products, our processes and the community that supports us.

Politicians often tell us to “buy Australian”. For our business, that has never been a slogan. It is what we have done for 60 years.

Investing locally is simply good business. Loyalty is not forgotten. As my father says, support the local trader because one day they may be the major supplier.

My father often says it would be harder to start a business now than it was in the sixties and seventies. Maybe every generation says that. But Geelong has always had to adapt, back itself and find a way forward.

We should advocate for a better business environment, but hope is not a business plan. Be ready to be pleasantly surprised, but do not rely on government to solve your challenges.

That does not mean staying silent. It means putting most of your energy into the things you can actually change.

A successful modern business does not survive by looking back. It survives by looking forward, staying resilient and trusting the people beside you.

That is the Geelong way at its best: practical, loyal and prepared to get on with the job. Like the nine-year-old me, stay curious and excited. Take satisfaction from successful projects, take pride in how you delivered them, and remember to share the success with the people who helped make it possible.