Celebrating 40 years in business

COMMERCE Ballarat’s June Biznet Breakfast doubled as a milestone birthday party for two member businesses.

Both the Ballarat Wildlife Park and Springhill Farm are in their 40th anniversary years, and respective general managers Jared Mulholland and Fiona Whatley took part in a Q&A led by Sarah Myers, reflecting on the past while looking to the future.

“Sometimes milestones like this can be missed in the day-to-day, so it was great for us to be able to share the anniversary with the Ballarat community,” Mrs Whatley said.

“It was an opportunity to stop and reflect on what an achievement 40 years is, and it was nice to do that with another family business at the same time.

“What is clear when I think about our business, and what Jared said about the wildlife park, is that we’re all about people and relationships, employees, customers, and suppliers within the community.

“That’s key to our success.”

Mr Mulholland said the park’s staff are a big source of pride.

“We’ve put a lot of work into building a fantastic team of close-to 50 staff,” he said.

“They come to work for, and with, eachother. We’re really proud of the culture we have, and how our staff present themselves along the way.

“They’re genuine people who provide a really good experience to everyone who visits.”

One of Springhill Farm’s major highlights over the years is becoming a supplier to Qantas, while some of the park’s key achievements include species conservation and breeding efforts, and Victorian Tourism Awards.