Two small Brisbane businesses have revealed how they are driving innovation across their home state of Queensland, following the unveiling of a new report that Brisbane’s economy is forecast to grow 68% in the next 20 years.
Brisbane’s economy will increase to $275 billion by 2041 according to the inaugural State of the City report, which examines the 10-year forecast to 2031 in priority sectors in Brisbane.
The report was developed by the Brisbane Economic Development Agency (BEDA) in partnership with Deloitte Access Economics.
SmartCompany spoke with two Brisbane businesses, Urban Metal and Airgarden, about how they are driving innovation now and into the future.
Female-owned and Brisbane-based design firm Urban Metal, which was established in 2008, describes itself as a small and lean business with three employees.
The firm reports that its turnover for the last financial year was $650,000 and takes on approximately 60 new customers each year in Australia alone, with hundreds of customers already on board across the country.
Speaking to SmartCompany, Urban Metal founder and head designer Deborah Bauer said the company was originally started to fill a gap in the market for architectural screening products.
“What initially started in 2008 as an importation business of perforated metal sheeting, quickly evolved,” she says.
“Today, Urban Metal is where art meets architecture.
“We custom-design artwork for buildings in the form of laser cut panels, public artworks, and creative place-making with the aim of connecting people not only to their surroundings but with each other.
“Being a small and lean business has allowed us to innovate and pivot as the market changes.”
From humble beginnings supplying to the Brisbane residential market, Urban Metal now has manufacturing capabilities in three states across Australia, the US and New Zealand.
In 2021 Urban Metal signed its first international contract, with the USA now its most profitable market.
Bauer says The State Of The City report confirms Brisbane is the place to be.
“The economic figures are a testament to the Brisbane business community which continues to thrive,” she says.
“Similar in many respects to QLD sporting success on the fields, the Brisbane small business community has all the elements of a winning team.
“Driven by common goals, collaboration and innovation at the core, thriving in a well-cultivated supportive environment. We are boldly ambitious and relentless. Our contribution can’t be underestimated.”
Bauer says Urban Metal is driving innovation through collaboration and by being hyper-focused on its goals of using its products to foster connections.
“We seek out projects that require out-of-the-box thinking. It’s not unusual for us to engage with two to four artists, stakeholders and up to four different manufacturers on some of our most complex projects,” she says.
“The best advice I could give would be to think flexibly so that you can pivot easily to suit the ever-changing landscape of small business.
“Spend time developing strong relationships not only within your industry but the broader Brisbane business community as a whole.”
Urban Metal’s goals are ambitious, according to Bauer.
“With the success of the USA model we have now restructured our Australian setup to follow suit, with the aim to have manufacturing capabilities in every state,” she says.
“By redefining the manufacturing landscape, it will not only mean supporting local businesses across the country by fabricating in the areas of local development, it also means we’ll be doing good for the planet.
“By manufacturing locally, we will be drastically reducing unnecessary transportation costs and global emissions.”
Bauer adds that Urban Metal is also continuing to evolve and innovate.
“We are starting to see First Nations designs take a foothold in commercial architectural projects and we look forward to continued work in this space supporting and promoting artists to share their stories through their artwork,” she says.
“We have a greater focus on creative place-making and how we can play our small part in driving community connections. With the Olympics and the legacy of Brisbane in our sights, we are excited to see where we can go.
“We are also continuing our international expansion taking Australian designs to a global audience and creating cross-cultural connections through design. We have Spain, Canada and South Korea in our sights.”
Brisbane-based company Airgarden, which specialises in crafting innovative aeroponic vertical gardens, was founded by Prue Bauer and her brother Tom in 2017 after they discovered an emerging technology developed by NASA — aeroponics.
Today, Airgarden has an annual revenue of approximately $1 million and four employees, selling 2000 of its Airgarden 2.0 units since its launch in July 2022.
The company was ranked 41st in the 2023 Smart50 Awards.
Airgarden co-founder and CEO Prue Bauer told SmartCompany that small businesses are the lifeblood of much of the economy.
“They certainly contribute to a lot of employment, and afford a lot of opportunities. A lot are family-based businesses that are well rooted in the suburbs,” she says.
“The other thing we’ve noticed about Brisbane over the past few years is there are a lot of people who wouldn’t ordinarily have thought about starting businesses have done so, maybe because it’s such a liveable city.
“The large number of people who moved here during that COVID period also probably had a lot to do with it. Everywhere you look in Brisbane now there are new restauranteurs and new café owners.
“I think Brisbane wasn’t really noticed before but now people are discovering it’s a great place to be.”
Prue says that right now, Airgarden is in the middle of raising private capital to take the business to the next level.
“We’ve only been in the market properly since 2022 and we have been completely self-funded to date,” she says.
“The money we’re raising will be put towards building resources for the business and building a bigger team to take advantage of international and export opportunities.
“We are also working on the profit-with-a-purpose side of the business. The big purpose is to make sure we’re doing our part on food insecurity and accessibility.
“We’ve started a ‘Grow it Forward’ initiative this year, which has always been on the cards since we started.”
Prue says her, and Tom’s, mother was very philanthropic and their parents were in small business too.
“So we want to make sure Airgarden’s growth helps people in low socio-economic groups who are experiencing food inequality, through schools and churches,” she says.
“There are 47,000 people in Logan City, south of Brisbane, alone, who have food security issues.
“Nationally, 14% of our population is experiencing that, and it’s on the rise. We can do something about it, so with Airgarden, we are.
“Grow it Forward will be its own separate not-for-profit working with corporates to provide them with an opportunity to meet some of their ESG requirements by sponsoring urban farms in the community.
“We feel it’s a good offering on both environmental and social fronts. The better we do the more we can do to help people.”
BEDA CEO Anthony Ryan told SmartCompany The State of the City report shows Brisbane is a great place to start a new business.
“We have top universities pumping out next-generation talent and the highest density of innovation hubs anywhere in Australia, to support start-ups and small businesses to grow,” he says.
“As the city’s economic development agency, BEDA supports businesses to grow by promoting the opportunities in the city globally, connecting global investors and partners with like-minded local Brisbane businesses, and attracting visitors and investment to the city.
“The camaraderie in our business community is also unmatched, and at the heart of our work at BEDA is connecting businesses, industry and government, to get the best outcomes for the city.”
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