As a new co-owner of Auswaste FNQ, Dylan Miller is learning all the ropes from Kenny Reid, who continues to expand his business empire.
A CAPE York waste company has also expanded in ownership after Cooktown born and bred couple Dylan Miller and Jenny Bradley became proud half-owners of local business Auswaste FNQ, alongside Kenny and Stef Reid.
The couple have stepped into management of Auswaste and its affiliated businesses, including Cooktown Concrete and Landscaping Supplies, as well as freight and traffic control businesses.
“They’ve been trying to talk me into it for a few years, so I thought I’d give it a go,” Mr Miller said.
“It’s definitely a big change for me. I’m not on the tools, it’s much more of a business management role.”
The couple will be involved in business management and operations, as well as hands on work, with Mr Miller currently being mentored by Mr Reid across various functions of the businesses while Ms Bradley is on maternity leave.
“I’ve been concrete batching, doing one stage at a time then I’ll move on to something else and get my head around how it all works,” Mr Miller said.
The Reids’ business started out in the environment and waste sector, but has grown along with the dreams of its employees.
“When we started to expand and get people working for us, we asked them what do you want to do, and then we worked in that direction, bought a business that would suit them or created a role, rather than expanding and trying to find people to fit what we wanted,” Mr Reid said.
“I’ve got my dream and passion around recycling and that sort of stuff, but as we’ve grown we’ve tried to accommodate the people who work for us and hopefully we can keep creating more jobs.”
The unorthodox business model seems to be working, with the business expanding from one-and-a-half employees several years ago to a workforce of about 50 locals across the Cape.
