for their project. A lot of the shopfitters who have used Empire Brick’s products are repeat customers. “We’ve worked with the same builder or developer on many commercial jobs,” says Coralee. “The developer talks directly to us. We’re a small private company so they talk to me or Pat, or our plant managers. When they ask a question, they’re talking to the people who can get them the right answer to that question.” The company’s staff of 12 are important to the success of Empire Brick. “It is a family-owned business so everyone’s family,” says Coralee. “We’re flexible. I can take my grandkids to school or go to an Easter parade with them. The workers in the plant are much the same. If a family need comes up, they can go do what they need to do.” This relationship extends to their installers as well. “Empire Brick has recommended installers who work with us. We’ve established those relationships over the years that we’ve taught people how to install our system and they’ve become proficient in it and we recommend them to be the installers,” says Coralee. The quality of Empire Brick’s materials and installation has been noticed by their peers, says Coralee. The IGLU residential student prefab building project in Melbourne was nominated for an award recently at the 2024 Think Brick Awards. This 27-story student accommodation is located in the centre of Melbourne. “That’s the thing about our product. Once the brickwork is up, you can’t tell it’s been done by us. It just looks like brickwork. That’s what we want it to do. You can’t tell if it’s thin brick or regular full brickwork.” SEPTEMBER 2024
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