Australia and New Zealand’s Leading Family Business Advisers
Align the family and the business will follow
Family Business Central is excited to announce Garry Beard, from A.H. Beard, as one of the keynote speakers at the upcoming inaugural New Zealand Family Business Conference.
Garry will draw on his extensive experience in the family business when discussing successes, challenges and the intricacies involved in the A.H. Beard legacy.
“I joined my father in the business 43 years ago. We were making $3 million annually with one factory.
Today we will close out the year at around $150 million, with seven factories and significant growth opportunities in China, South Korea and Thailand … where the recognition of Australian-Made is paying incredible dividends.”
Garry believes that the company’s success is due to the strength of its people – the unified belief in the business and working together as a family.
This strength has created formidable customer relationships, where supplier and customer stand by each other through tough financial times. The longevity of these relationships means the customer is embraced as an extension of the family business.
There is also continuity offered by a family business that cannot be matched by commercial public companies. Garry explains …
“We aren’t in a fluid management situation; the integrity of what we say and do is maintained … we don’t have a passing parade of people changing the story or the focus of the business.
One of our biggest competitors in the market was a public company and had 13 different general managers during the time that I held the GM position. That turnover of high-level management can cause instability. For us, our continuity of relationships, continuity of the company message … the family underlines that, so it has been a great advantage.”
The emotions that coincide with family business are unavoidable but by always remembering that you love the people around you, you can make the business succeed.
Garry loves watching the family evolve around him …
“I love my family. I love to see the way my children are growing up … some involved in the business and others not involved … making their own way.
I love the partnership that I’ve had with my wife. She’s been my right hand through some very tough times. Her support has been so important to me.”
Don’t miss more from Garry Beard at the New Zealand Family Business Conference. Register online today.
