31. Coastal Transport Services
Stand aside Tesla, because if Coastal Transport Services gets its way, it’ll have autonomous trucks on Australian roads in no time
Revenue: $25.6 million
Growth: 116.65%
Founder: Ray Graetz (71)
Head Office: Warnervale, NSW
Employees: 90
Industry: Transport, storage and logistics
Website: coastaltransport.com.au
Headed up by 71-year-old founder Ray Graetz, Coastal Transport Services is a transport business based in Warnervale, New South Wales, which last year saw revenue of more than $25.6 million.
Graetz has been hiring in the region for almost 32 years, he says, and currently has 90 employees. However, he also contributes to the local economy through purchasing locally and bringing in clients from Sydney and the rest of the state.
“Many of our clients are in the Greater Sydney area, and the City of Newcastle, but by providing services to and from these centres, to the Central Coast region, we are expending the majority of our cash within the local area,” he says.
Logistics and transport is a traditional industry, and one that’s facing myriad challenges in the modern world.
Coastal Transport Services is striving to achieve maximum fuel efficiency, and trying to minimise its impact on the environment.
The business is “closely following developments in the use of alternative energy to power heavy vehicles”, Graetz says.
He’s also starting to look into the possibility of driverless trucks in the future, although he accepts this is still some way off.
“We are closely monitoring developments in this area for a time when limited automated vehicles may be a possibility in some areas of business.”
This business is also focusing more and more on the safety of employees — including taking care of their mental health.
The business is partnering with Flourish Australia and iCare NSW to train up ‘internal peers’ who can help their colleagues manage mental fitness.
“We believe we have a system that is both realistic and business sensitive,” Graetz says.
His advice to other founders is to give creative managers plenty of space to innovate “and move the business forward using new technologies”, while also “thinking to take advantage of new and modern opportunities”.
Equally, he stresses the value of openness and clarity in the workplace.
“Ensure that the free flow of information is a two-way street. No surprises,” he says.
