Owner Insights

What really caused South Australia’s devastating algal bloom? In this episode of Owner Insights , Lester Marshall, founder of Coffin Bay Oyster Farm, shares his personal view that the toxic algae affecting South Australia’s coastal waters in 2025 was likely introduced by two cargo ships. Drawing on more than 30 years of experience farming the state’s waters, Lester explains why he believes these v...

Libby Prell grew up in rural NSW and first became aware of the gap between the “haves and have-nots” while at boarding school - a realisation that has shaped much of her life since. After moving to Central Australia in the 1980s, she met her now husband Tony Smith. Together they built NT Link, a transportable modular building company based in Alice Springs and Darwin, with a fleet of more than 800...

Nick Addison doesn’t run a typical business - and Adelaide Oval isn’t a typical organisation. In this episode of Owner Insights, James Orchard goes behind the scenes with Nick Addison, CEO of the Adelaide Oval Stadium Management Authority, to explore what it really takes to operate a world-class stadium and the collection of businesses that sit behind it. Originally from Melbourne, Nick relocated...

In episode 13 of Owner Insights, James Orchard speaks with Ben Lumbers about the remarkable story of Gliderol - a South Australian manufacturing success founded by his father in the 1970s. The company pioneered roller garage doors and was known for a culture that was anything but ordinary, including long lunches and footy trips on the infamous “Gliderol Bus”. Gliderol grew into a truly global oper...

Imagine combining the systems and efficiency of Amazon with the design flair of IKEA - and applying it all to kitchens. That’s the business Steven Bosley has built with his two sons at Amorini Australia. In this episode of Owner Insights , Steven modestly describes the company he founded as “purveyors of chipboard,” despite employing more than 65 people and generating around $30 million in turnove...

Episode 11 of Owner Insights features Danny Di Iorio from Aquamate - a business whose journey has been far from linear. A believer in the ‘seven-year itch’ and regularly shaking things up, Danny had a strong first chapter with Aquamate, helped by a large-scale drought in Australia that boosted demand for their steel water tanks. But when the drought broke and the GFC hit, turnover declined for alm...

At 17, Matt MacMahon left school to chase a professional tennis career across Europe. Those years on the tennis circuit gave him the resilience and mental toughness that would later define his approach to business. After returning home due to his father’s terminal illness, Matt took over the family’s small road maintenance company, PMP, and together with his business partner grew it from four staf...

Imagine being 30 years old, leaving a secure career in investment banking, and with no job trying to raise $40 million to build a business from the ground up. Fast forward a few years, now with a young family and in the middle of the GFC, feeling like you’re on a treadmill you can’t get off, with your house and everything else on the line. That was the reality for Grant Wilckens in the early days...

In this episode of Owner Insights , we sit down with Meg Paech – founder of Yellow Door Care – whose quiet determination has built one of Adelaide’s most trusted in-home care providers. Ten years ago, after 25 years as a nurse, Meg saw a gap in the market when her father-in-law needed care. What began as a deeply personal mission has grown into a business employing over 150 casual staff and delive...

This episode features one of the most driven person you’ll ever meet. Trudy MacDonald is a multi-time CEO, award-winning global speaker, former elite ballet performer, and founder of TalentCode HR - an HR consulting firm working across Australia with no offices and a fully remote team. She’s built and sold numerous businesses, and at just 25, moved to the US in search of opportunity, eventually le...

In this episode of Owner Insights , James Orchard sits down with Andrew Downs, founder of SAGE Group, to unpack one of Australia’s most compelling business success stories. What began in a back shed with humble aspirations became an international company with 750 employees and $230 million in turnover - and has now been acquired by a US-based Nasdaq-listed company for $150 million, with the potent...

In episode 5 of Owner Insights, James Orchard speaks to Matthew McArthur, Executive Director of McArthur – one of Australia’s most respected recruitment and temporary staffing firms. What began in 1969 as a homegrown business founded by Matthew’s father, John, has grown into a national enterprise with six offices, over 200 internal staff, and more than 6,500 people employed each year. This is a st...

In this episode of Owner Insights, James Orchard speaks to Stephen Evans, founder of Footsteps Dance Company, a global business teaching dance and drama in schools. From a competitive ballroom dancer with an Economics degree to running a thriving international enterprise, Stephen’s story is one of passion, timing, and entrepreneurial energy. Footsteps began over 30 years ago, rapidly expanding to...

In this episode of Owner Insights, James Orchard speaks with Angus Sobels, a business owner whose journey embodies resilience, risk-taking, and purpose-driven wealth creation. From a childhood marked by his father’s sudden departure and his family’s loss of 100 years of generational wealth in the wine industry, Angus shares how these experiences shaped his philosophy on financial security and life...

Welcome to episode 2 of Owner Insights , where James Orchard sits down with a true South Australian icon - Scott Salisbury. Known for his remarkable journey from a young carpenter and semi-professional footballer to creating South Australia’s most awarded custom home builder, Scott’s story is one of resilience, hard work, and staying true to a core principle his father instilled in him at 17: “jus...

In the first episode of Owner Insights , James Orchard sits down with Jim Whiting, Executive Chairman of BADGE Constructions, to explore the story behind one of Australia’s largest privately owned building companies. Jim shares his unique experience of growing up with seven brothers and founding BADGE with them - taking the helm as Managing Director with a 50% ownership, with his brothers owning t...