eKourier April 2013 -

Kennards Kourier

April 2013

Introducing Blaine and Amber 12 Part Series of the “Young and the Cluttered” I n 2012 we embarked on what became a journey, to develop a national marketing campaign to grow and strengthen our Brand. appeal. Radio was our choice of media to deliver our message. Radio provides reach, but more importantly greater frequency for our dollar. Frequency creates the memory that will keep Kennards top of mind when considering the need for storage.

life’s experiences in a funny and ridiculous manner. Self Storage is driven by life experience - from leaving home, purchasing a home, renovating and growing the family, and Blaine and Amber provide the perfect channel to deliver those experiences through radio. Twelve radio ads have been produced and will go on radio in April, the ads will run throughout the year. Each story will feature consecutively to build on the life of Blaine and Amber. The adverts are designed to capture the interest of the audience, by using a Soap Opera style of delivery. We all know everyone loves a Soap Opera, when after one episode we can’t wait for the next, as we are invited into the interesting and very funny lives of Blaine and Amber. The ads will deliver the moments in life when people need storage, while highlighting the specific

It’s believed the more you advertise a brand the more people become conscious of it and will want to try it, whether it’s a product or a service. When people need storage we want them to immediately think of Kennards. Previously our chosen marketing medium has been television, promoting our “Keep it at Kennards” jingle.

Inspired by the clever and comical marketing banners and slogans created by Manhattan Mini Storage in the US. We wanted to create something that was fun and engaging yet still delivered a clear message about Kennards Self Storage.

“We wanted to create something that was fun and engaging yet still delivered a clear message about Kennards Self Storage.”

It was time to take a new direction that would build on our previous campaign by retaining our jingle but expand our

In partnership with Circus Media marketing agency, an idea was born around two characters Blaine and Amber. They represent a couple, modelled on an American Soap Opera going through

Con’t pg 3

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Kennards Kourier April 2013

Team Member Profiles

In this issue Introducing Blaine and Amber

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Owen Grasby Assistant Manager - Klemzig

Team Member Profiles

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Introducing Blaine and Amber Con’t...

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Career background: Previously with Kathmandu outdoor travel clothing and equipment. Also worked with Flight Centre and a Real Estate Agent. Marital status: Divorced. Any children? A boy, Jordan Hobbies/interests: Spending time with my son, playing Touch Football, Martial Arts and Japanese Swordsmanship. Do you play any sport or have any special talents? Touch Football. Played Cricket and Golf for many years as well. Favourite book: Sharpes’ series of books.

Customer Feedback

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Website Development 4 KSS Flat Bed Trolley... 4 Delivering Value Add Information... 5 Save the Date 5 Great Satisfaction From the Team... 6-7 A Better View for Wine Lovers 8-9 40K Customers in 40 Years 9 Feedback, the Breakfast of Champions 10-11 Why There are Two Kennards 12-13 Heart2Heart 13 Business is Relationships... 14 NZ Website Now live 14 KSS Library Book Review 14 EMU Takes a Road Trip... 15 The Doors Are Finally Open 16 Development and Construction 17 Spotlight on West End 18 10 Questions With... 19 Congratulations 20 Next issue Deadline: July 1, 2013 Please send contributions to the editor Editor: Sharon Dux Email: sharon@kss.com.au Distribution: July 19, 2013 Upcoming events 22-23/4 - Skillbuilder (Newcastle) 25/4 - ANZAC Day KSS Closed 26/4 - Skillbuilder (NSW) 30/4 - Skillbuilder (QLD) 1/5 - Skillbuilder (QLD) 6/5 - Labour Day (QLD) (PH Hours) 6-10/5 - Skillbuilder (NZ) 14-15/5 - Skillbuilder (SA) 3/6 - Queens Birthday (NZ) (Closed) 10/6 - Queens Birthday (NSW,VIC,QLD,ACT,SA) (PH Hours) 12/7 - Adding Value Nominations Close 19/7 - Christmas Party Newcastle area

Favourite movie: Monty Python Holy Grail and Life of Brian. Favourite restaurant/food: Beyond India. Where did you grow up? Country NSW. Country life was great growing up. But now love the diversity of the city. Any pets? No Favourite holiday destination: Scotland and New Zealand as favourites. Middle East and Egypt, Paris and West Coast Scotland were interesting.

Adam Weger Assistant Manager - Panorama

Career background: I am a Motor Mechanic by trade. Have worked in Customer Service and Sales for the local wine industry for 11 years. Marital status: Married 17 years. Any children? Austin, 14 yrs, Tamsyn, 11yrs and Benjamin, 7 yrs. Hobbies/interests: Horse Racing, Spear Fishing and spending time with my children. Do you play any sport or have any special talents? Previously played Aust Rules Football for Reynella Football Club - A Grade, South Adelaide. Reynella Cricket Club - Senior Cricketer of the Year

1994. Also play Golf and go Horse Riding. Favourite book: Gallipoli by Les Carylon. Favourite movie: Monty Python’s Life of Brian.

Favourite restaurant/ food: Fresh seafood. Good Life at Glenelg Where did you grow up? Born and raised in S.A., mostly Adelaide. Any pets? 6 year old Labrador named Candy and a 20 year old cat named Whoopi Favourite holiday destination: Flinders Ranges, Kangaroo Island. South Coast of Western Australia.

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Introducing Blaine and Amber

Thank you to Mike Retter, Mark and Gemma from Circus Media for master minding the creation of Blaine and Amber, “The Young and the Cluttered”. And for being patient with incorporating our ideas and changes. We are very appreciative of the end result. Our thanks also goes to Katy Donoghue at Giddyup Graphics for her tireless efforts in capturing our characters Blaine and Amber artisti- cally for our banners. And to Carmel Whitfield at Carmel’s Creative Signs for production of all our banners that will go on display at our centres throughout the year. I would like to thank one of your staff members on their outstanding customer service in which we received today whilst looking at storage units to rent in the near future. Brett showed us through a number of units and was more then helpful, he explained everything thoroughly for us and answered any questions promptly. We have chosen to go with Burleigh Junction which is well out of our way as we are in Hope Island, purely because of the outstanding customer service we received. It is not often people take the time out to thank people for the service they receive. I would like you to pass on my thanks to Brett and his outstanding customer service and love for his job, it was a very pleasurable stress free experience. Customer Feedback “To whom it may concern,

L to R - Lee Perry as Blaine, Darren Marshall from Kennards Self Storage, Mark Sharman from Circus Creative Team, Gemma McLellan from Circus Creative Team and Sarah Aubrey as Amber.

benefits of storing with Kennards.

Our aim is to create two memorable characters that could potentially gain a following similar to other memorable characters such as the recent AAMI ads that feature Ketut and Rhonda and on the old Yellow Pages ad’s that featured the memorable line “not happy Jan”. We hope that Blaine and Amber will generate fun and excitement that engages the audience and moves us closer to our goal of becoming a “Famous Household Name” . Darren Marshall General Manager Kennards have partnered with TSM Media Agency to source and buy radio advertising space for our two characters Blaine and Amber to feature. The ads will air on the Aust Stereo Network for each capital city and on the Australian Traffic Network across all radio networks commencing April 2013.

The concept of two characters offers great versatility. Blaine and Amber will ‘start’ their careers on radio. But there is scope for them to feature on Social Media with their own Twitter and Facebook accounts, print media and on TV Ads. We could also use Blaine and Amber to facilitate competitions to win a prize - the opportunities are endless. The American day time Soap Opera is recognised and watched across much of the globe which means the Blaine and Amber concept can translate easily into other markets like New Zealand. Visually Blaine and Amber will be portrayed as animated cartoon charac- ters in the style of Liechtenstein, to fit the Soap Opera style of storytelling. In addition to the radio campaign each story will be supported by a banner to be displayed at each property. Leveraging our location to give each ad greater impact, a new banner will be rolled out with each new story.

Thanks, Samantha and Kerrod.”

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Kennards Kourier April 2013

Website Development –Turning Our Attention to Mobile

A ustralian smartphone users are frustrated with lack of mobile websites. A Google study has revealed that 86% of smartphone users have researched local businesses and services on their mobile device, with almost half of these users conducting searches at least once a week.

exact, less than one in five Australian businesses have a website that is mobile optimized. And with portable web access set to exceed desktop access within the next two years, this is a huge problem. According to another Google study entitled “What Users Want Most From Mobile Sites Today”, 61% of users said that if they didn’t find what they were

“Technology is rapidly changing, and many businesses are missing out by not revolving quickly enough in accommodating ‘todays customer’. ”

With our web framework firmly in place all development efforts now shift to the mobile platform building a punchy lightweight version tailored for the growing number of mobile users that want conveni- ence and ecommerce anywhere, anytime. Stay tuned for more news, at this stage our mobile site(s) production dates are locked in for April. Jeff Xanthos Business Analyst When designing the trolley we consid- ered handle type ie: bent slightly or straight, castor types, movement capability, galvanised, zinc, stainless steel or powder coated finishes, size of the trolley to suit our storage Centre’s, wire, timber or flat bases. The trolleys will feature a galvanised platform which does not need painting and is designed to suit smaller aisle ways with specific non-greased, non-marking castor durability for better manoeuvring. The ergonomic design of the new Tente trolley allows our customers to comfort- ably use them. They are maintenance free and are suited to the outlay of our storage Centre’s. The Trolleys are no longer required to be assembled on-site as they are delivered fully assembled. An added feature of the trolley is that the handles and castors are set within the outer frame. Wayne Birch Operations Manager VIC

The question is what do they do when they can’t find the information they are looking for? Where do they go if your website is just too hard to use on their phone? Despite the high saturation of mobile devices amongst the Australian population – 16.2 million to be

looking for right away on a mobile site, they’d quickly move on to another site, resulting in a loss of potential sales. Technology is rapidly changing, and many business are missing out by not evolving quickly enough in accommo- dating ‘todays customer’.

KSS Flat Bed Trolley ‘Comes of Age’ Consideration was given to castor types, design, fit for

purpose, adaptability to suit our facilities and ease of ordering and maintaining equipment performance. Our new flat bed trolleys supplied by Tente Casters and Wheels In Australia (ex R.Moore Equipment) are designed with customers use in mind. Made to a superior standard that is strong, long lasting and reinforces our professionalism and commit- ment to the customers storage experience.

The Tente flat bed trolley is the culmination of months of

R ecently we undertook the task to improve the perfor- mance of our existing trolleys with the consist- ency and type we utilise at all our Centre’s.

trials, feedback from team members and suppliers, on-site performance and design changes, and as a result is engineered for ease of use and durability in mind.

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Save the Date!

Delivering Value Add Information and Services in a Timely Manner

• Online systems - move away from paperwork and cumbersome tasks. • Aligning Companies in both tasks and recording - currently Kennards operates two Companies being Kennards Self Storage and KVSI (Centres purchased from Millers). In most cases this is not seen by users but impacts how we process all AP invoices, how we report on data and how we record data. • Bring tasks in house - we have tasks that are done externally and by bringing them in house, we can control them, understand them better and drive the outcomes quicker and more cost effectively. • Cross skilling within Finance - ensuring we have backups and learnings across the Team to be able to support each other and our customers. These are just some of the areas we are looking to improve to deliver better quality service and support. It is interesting to see these points above would apply to all of our roles across Kennards, they are not unique to Finance. If you do see an area where we could improve our services, please contact myself or someone in Finance, and if you do come across that extra bit of support or service, please do point it out to the Team Member. This way we can see where we need to deliver more and where we are in fact delivering more. Look forward to seeing you as the Finance Team assist with the upcoming Systems Reviews.

As the year moves ahead the behind the scenes organisation for this years Achieve- ment Dinner are well underway. The venue for this years festivities has changed and we will now be celebrating the years Achievements at the Stamford Plaza Sydney Airport. After looking at a few different venues and contemplating whether to stay with last venue The Mercure, The Stamford came out in front. Having everything we asked for and more. The Achievement Dinner gives all Team Members the chance to catch up and celebrate the Achievements of the year. Its the only event each year that brings all of KSS together Australasia wide. One of the Awards given each year is the Adding Value Award. This Award is given to Team Members that excel. It may be that this person has implemented positive change or innovation, maybe they have been supportive and helpful to Team mates or have a great attitude and work ethic. Nomination Forms for this will soon be available to all Team Members. It is your chance to nominate someone you feel makes a difference. Along with Gold, Silver and Bronze Scoty Awards, Five Years of Service and the longer Service Awards of 10,15 and 20 years, the night is jam-packed with fun and activities. The Achievement Dinner this year falls on Saturday August 17th. Its a great night enjoyed by all that attend. If you are a new Team Member make sure not to miss out and if you have been with the Team for a while now, you know its a night not to be missed! Sharon Dux EA to the MD

T he Finance Team had a day off site to look towards the future and look to what we feel we should be delivering to the Team and all our customers. It was unanimously agreed we would rather be delivering Value Add information than merely processing transactions. What does this mean for the Finance Team and our customers: • We plan to go that extra mile to deliver a quality service. • We will look to provide Value Add information and not merely data that one then needs to sort through to understand or takes time to digest. • We plan to deliver the information in a time frame that is useful for our customers, not after the fact. To achieve this we will need to look at how we can improve systems and processes to deliver the benefits through: • Automation - speed up processes and reduce mistakes.

Anthony Rous Chief Financial Officer

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Great Satisfaction Fro

On the 10th to 12th of March, Team Members once again ventured to The Hunter Valley Resort to participate in the Personal Effectiveness Programme (PEP), facilitated by Tim Ferris of Living On Purpose International. One of the most satisfying aspects is not only the discovery that the group goes through but also the coming together of the Team. It was particu- larly relevant with this group as they were from varied distances, Two from Queensland, Two from New Zealand, four from Victoria, one from South Australia and four from NSW. The Team worked together extremely well and as you can see from the feedback received, they took plenty of learning with them. Bill McClean Training and Development “Best personal insight I have received ever. I went with an open mind, knots in my stomach and a lump in my throat and came away smiling, carrying a lighter load and with lots of light bulb moments. The reference material is not quite bedtime reading but certainly takes pride of place on the bedside draw. PS. the Team was great to work with.” Karina Gardiner Wanganui NZ

“I found the whole experience extremely rewarding, both on a personal and professional level. To be given the tools and ability to closely analyse your past and current behaviours, along with the framework to enhance those behaviours, I found to be an extremely powerful tool for my ongoing develop- ment within Kennards.” John Fenton Abbotsford VIC

“PEP was a fun and enlightening experi- ence for me. Tim the Trainer was very engaging and helped us navigate our way through the sessions to a place of greater acceptance of ourselves. I have a better understanding of my own strengths and weaknesses and feel well equipped for the challenges I face in my everyday life.” Cory Blake Petersham NSW “I found PEP to be very informative about myself. It provided an insight into how I act, where there is room for opportunity and growth on a personal development level. I expect my next PEP to have an increase in all Constructive Styles and a decrease in Aggressive and Passive with of course, self-discipline to be able to progress.” Feroz Brouwer Mt Eden NZ “I must say I’m so happy that I applied to go to PEP. Thank you Kennards and Bill for accepting my application. The two days were fantastic with Bill and a great group of KSS Team Members. I thought I was doing everything right, I guess I was wrong. PEP opened my eyes and it will help me on becoming a better leader. Thank you again for the wonderful opportunity.”

Mazen Trabolsi Wetherill Park

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om the Team at PEP

“Sitting at Adelaide airport with anticipa- tion about what to expect over the next two days. Checked in, boarded plane, arrive in Sydney. I met Bill at baggage, then we finally find the guys from NZ. We set off on our trip to the Hunter Valley. The mood in the car was one that I would liken to a family holiday, everyone a bit nervous on what lies ahead but excited. Bill keeps the mood very light in the car with his Dad jokes and let’s play Eye Spy. We arrive at the resort, check in and then meet up. The networking with each other about our Centres was great “what do you do when this happens? “Have you had this happen?” This showed me we are all a great resource for each other and should use each other’s knowledge more often. By 6:00 pm everyone is together ready for dinner. Sunrise the next morning over the vines was amazing, low mist and hot air balloons what more could you ask to get the mind into a clear thinking space. PEP starts and Tim outlines the journey for the next two days, Some of us are unsure of what we want out of PEP but are all prepared to work with each other and give that support. As the two days unfold we all became more open and honest with ourselves and jump into the activities, stepping outside of our comfort zone and looking from the outside in. PEP isn’t just about making you a better person in the work place it’s about challenging yourself personally too. The second day comes to an end and the difference in all of us when it came to talking about the journey and the path we went on was very forth coming with no apprehensions. We all say our goodbyes load up Bills car and head to Sydney Airport. We pull up at the departures, I jump out to get my bag from the back of Bills car and believe it or not a mouse jumps out from Bills shoe, what a trip! For me personally this was a very open and challenging experience and one that I am thankful for. I know I have come away from the two days with a more open minded look at life and prepared to challenge myself and my decisions in the work place and in life generally.” Tony Roberts Panorama

L to R - Fabiana Nunes De Assuncao, Cory Blake, Bill McClean, Melineh Avanessian, Tony Roberts, Andrew Bauman, Karina Gardiner, John Fenton, Neil Gangi,Mazen Trabolsi, Charles Shepherd, Grant Lynch, Dane Talbot, Feroz Brouwer.

“My experience at PEP was rewarding, I got great life skills and an information boost from participating.”

“I am very grateful to Kennards for this opportunity and I would highly recommend the PEP Programme to anyone. It was certainly a rewarding and eye-opening experience that helped me get to know myself better. It showed me how to be more confident and change some aspects about myself in order to help me achieve better results, not only in the workplace but also in my personal life. In addition, it was a great opportu- nity to interact with fellow Team Members in group activities as well as sitting back and relaxing whilst enjoying a meal at a beautiful location. Overall a 5 star experi- ence, thanks heaps!” Fabiana Nunes De Assuncao Milton QLD

Dane Talbot Huntingdale

“Great insight to one’s self-motiva- tion… Well-presented and great team building experience, well worth it.”

Grant Lynch Yeerongpilly

“PEP was an eye opening experience. I would recommend it to everyone, get those application forms in! A great chance to meet Team Members from interstate and N.Z.” Charles Shepherd Maribyrnong

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A better View for Wine Lovers...

Kennards now have 15 Wine Storage facili- ties within Australia and New Zealand. Six in NSW, three in Queensland, four in Victoria, one in South Australia and one in Mt Eden New Zealand. With constant marketing in wine magazines such as WineState, Gourmet Traveller Wine and James Halliday, and the occasional wine tasting at our wine cellars along with great response and recommendations from storers, this niche market continues to grow. Six months ago we started the process of placing wine graphics in all of our cellars to give a more appealing setting and make use of the wall space. We have just recently completed the Queensland cellars - Newstead, Milton and West End. Adding graphics to the front of the cellar doors and also at the ends of the corridors inside the cellars, to give the feeling you are looking out a window. This will be the theme for all of our cellars as we move forward. We are currently working through NSW and New Zealand and will then move onto Victoria and South Australia.

Sharon Dux EA to the MD

Above: Inside wall of Kennards Wine Cellar at Milton

Below: Inside wall of Kennards Wine Cellar at Newstead

Right: Front and back of the entrance door to Kennards Wine Cellar at West End

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40K Customers in 40 Years O ur goal from Momentum 12 is to achieve 40K customers by June 30, 2013. An appropriate number that coincides with our 40 year anniversary. Recently we surpassed 40,000 units rented. This result was achieved earlier than expected as a result of gaining the management responsibilities for two additional self storage properties at Cardiff and Mayfield, in the Newcastle area. Taking on the management of these two properties we acquired an additional 536 customers. These customers were inherited as a part of the management deal and therefore shouldn’t be included in our goal of 40,000 customers. We remain just 357 units shy of our goal and remain confident it will be achieved. Darren Marshall General Manager Customer Feedback “I would like to show my supreme gratitude for the service of Glenn Bosward at Warriewood Kennards. Whilst I am a young female Glenn treated me with the utmost respect and care. He made everything easy to understand and straight forward. Providing everything necessary to help me with my move, and went above and beyond to make sure I was comfortable and knowledgeable about the process. I will be recommending this storage site to others in the future and would like to commend Glenn on being a prime example of a professional. Thank you!” “I have been a long term tenant at your Guildford complex for in excess of six years. I think it should be bought to your attention that your staff at Guildford, Ben Moon and Lessa are a shining example of what great employees should be. I have found both of them always helpful and courteous to me. They cannot be praised enough, nothing was too much trouble for them. Please pass on to them my thanks, words cannot say enough.”

Above are some examples of Kennards Wine Storage adverting that has recently been published in magazines such as WineState , James Halliday and Gourmet Wine Traveller.

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Feedback is the Breakfast of Champions

The result of the self-description and the description by others is illustrated by two separate reports showing the outcomes on the Circumplex (Clock). This provides a powerful contrast to determine whether how you perceive yourself is actually how others see you. In most instances the results are very different. To help our Team understand and interpret the information, Mara Klemich from AC (Achievement Concepts) facilitates the programme and provides valuable one on one time with each member of the Leadership Team. This helps Team Members digest the results and formulate meaningful Action Plans that will help grow and build on the affective behaviours. The entire programme is an extremely rewarding experience for everyone, not just professionally but also personally. It’s important that we don’t become complacent with regards to our develop- ment, as you can run the risk of being left behind. It’s a journey that continues for us as individuals and as a company to be the best we can be. Darren Marshall General Manager Pictured below: The Team getting geared up for their caving experience and Jeff Xanthos ‘caveman himself’!

L to R - Tony Vuong, Bill McClean, Darryl Hodgson, Anthony Rous, Jeff Xanthos, Lynda Walsh and Darren Marshall at Jenolan Caves.

W hy? Because without it we never learn how our behaviour impacts on others. As a leader we may think we know ourselves, however in reality people may see us differently. Good leaders will invite feedback of any kind be it positive or negative. By embracing feedback leaders gain valuable intelli- gence on how they can develop and improve as individuals. The outcome of this can lead to better performance through increased effectiveness, productivity and a real sense of job satisfaction. At Kennards we have a deep appreci- ation on the importance of feedback, and the value it gives us to improve

Programme) and LSI2 on each individual.

The Lifestyles Inventory Program one and two are self-development tools offered by Human Synergistic. Most of us would be familiar with the OCI (Organisational Cultural Inventory, also provided by Human Synergistic) conducted each year on the company, where by results are communicated via a circumplex. A clock with 12 behavioural styles clustered in three coloured groups, blue represents effective behaviours and red and green ineffective behaviours. The LSI1 and 2 programmes provide results on an individual level, rather than a company level. Those who have attended PEP would be familiar with this after completing their own LSI1.

“The entire program is an extremely rewarding experience for everyone, not just professionally but also personally.”

LSI1 – This is a description of yourself. It measures how you see yourself by answering your own questions. LSI2 – This is a description completed by others. It measures how people see you; the questions are answered by people who interact with you in the work place.

as a company and foster a better working environment for everyone. As part of this commitment, the Leadership Team at Team Headquar- ters recently participated in a two day program that involved comple- tion of LSI1 (Lifestyles Inventory

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“This was my third time completing LSI since I started my leadership journey with Kennards. The program can be quite confronting, especially for first timers, however it offers an opportu- nity to breakdown your leadership behaviours and assess the effect they are having on your Team Members and peers. You go into this programme with an openness to accepting, learning and understanding your Teams percep- tion (LSI2), coupled with a desire to learn and grow from the 360° feedback received. When I look back to my first LSI2 in 2007, I had a sea of green and red. This time I was fortunate to see good growth in my construc- tive behaviours and a decrease in my defensive styles. Each time I return I have a new set of behaviours I want to develop and six years on I am much closer to achieving the idyllic result. I enjoyed experiencing this with a mix of new Team Mates that were completing the program for the first time and people like myself that were doing it for the third, fourth or fifth time. No matter how many times it’s completed, there is always more to learn. The experi- ence is made better by the team you share it with. There is a real feeling of trust within the group and you return re-inspired!” Lynda Walsh NSW Operations Manager

“I recently attended the PEP course and got to understand in more detail the entire LSI process and the Circumplex and how the behavioural styles are impacted by our actions. The PEP course was a terrific learning experience and highlighted areas I needed to work on to deliver more “blue” behaviour. Now Four months later I have attended the LSI2 Programme. LSI2 was the first time I was going to complete a description of myself and also receive feedback from five work colleagues – three in my Team, an Operations Manager and Darren Marshall. I was very keen to see my results and understand where I differed from where I believed I was and where my fellow colleagues saw me. Was I in for a surprise! I became aware of several “blind spots” in my behaviour. Upon reviewing how I saw myself and how colleagues saw me – it was clear there were areas I could work on. I luckily had the Easter weekend to digest all the information and am now motivated to improve some of my behaviour styles both at work and in my personal life. If only I had received the LSI2 learnings earlier in my life, I would have been able to understand what makes me “tick” and why I “tick” like I do. As they say, it’s never too late to change. As a result of LSI2 I am now able to look to improve some of my behaviours and become a better Manager, a better colleague and a better parent/husband. Thanks Kennards!” Anthony Rous Chief Financial Officer

Customer Feedback “If you have a customer feedback section, please pass on the following: KSS at Browns Plains were helpful, courteous and efficient. The site was always clean and I felt that my stuff was well looked after and secure in storage. I’d definitely recommend KSS BP to any other customer.” “Alan at Kennards Hastings was fantastic, very friendly and helpful. And I really appreciated the cold can of drink at the end of the move! I would not hesitate to recommend your facility to others. Many thanks.” “Thanks for the great service. I did not end up needing to store any of my gear, but the quote process and information delivery was excellent. I was surprised to see an e-mail asking why I didn’t use your service and as a service provider myself, I thought your interest in self-development is top-notch. Thanks!” “I just completed the feedback survey however I wanted to send a special note to you in regards to the manager of the Hoxton Park Store - James. Being an old retail store manager myself, I can tell you that James is a real asset to your organisation. He is very pleasant to deal with and takes the time to explain everything making the experience a pleasant one. He was always courteous and knew his stuff. Please ensure to give him a pat on the back for a great job.” “Keep up the great service. Your boxes are the cheapest, strongest and easiest to use. Perhaps you could do a special offer, if we buy more than a 100 you’ll come round and help us fill them? Thanks guys....” “Please convey my thanks to the staff at Ultimo for all their courteous assistance over the long period I was renting locker no. 60. If I require storage in the future I will happily choose your facility again.” “Please pass on my thanks to Debbie at Ultimo for all her help last Friday. What a lovely person! She is the epitome of great customer service and was genuinely friendly, caring and attentive.”

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Why There Are Two Kennards

tion: it all had to be done with assets. They eventually did it, and two great Australian family businesses named Kennard were created from one. And so the real patriarchs of the Kennard family business were Andy and Neville, who passed away last year aged 74. It wasn’t really Wally. Wally started hiring out cement mixers from his Bathurst machinery dealership in 1948 and moved to Artarmon as a pure equipment hire operation a few years later. Young Nev joined him in the business in the late 1950’s but it didn’t take long for them to start arguing about the direction of the business. Wally was pushing 60 and his 25-year-old son was giving him grief, so he offered to sell it to him, on terms, which Nev gladly accepted. At that point Andy was 20, but it didn’t take long for him to want in (their sister Joan did not). So Andy bought 50 per cent from Nev and the business became a partner- ship that lasted 27 years, but with Neville as Managing Director. Together they grew the business steadily, opening a string of specialty hire operations, as well as a self storage facility behind the hire outlet at Moorebank, near Liverpool in Sydney’s west. The storage business grew quickly and by 1990 they had nine storage locations. Through the 1980’s Neville stepped back and handed management over to Andy, determined to create space for the next generation (as perhaps his own father had not done). And it was in that spirit that the two men could see their own children coming up and wanting to take part, especially Neville’s son Sam. Not only was Nev five years older than Andy, he had started his own family earlier, so that by 1991 Sam was 21, had finished university with a property degree and no job. He became the first of the third generation of Kennards to join the family business. So it was largely for Sam that Neville negotiated the split with Andy, and Sam quickly became Nanaging Director of

Article written by Commentator and Journalist Alan Kohler for Business Spectator 4th April, 2013

T he best way to deal with the delicate problem of succes- sion in a family business, when there is more than one child who wants it, is to give them some each. Often it can’t be done, which is one of the main reasons family businesses get sold – because cash can always be split. The Smorgons famously divided Victor Smorgon’s great legacy nine ways, but that was unique. The usual split is into two, and the classic example of that is the Kennards. Wally Kennard started his hire business in 1948. His eldest son Neville bought him out entirely in the early 1960’s, then his younger son Andy bought 50 per cent from Neville five years later and together they expanded the business into a whole range of new things, the most successful of which was self storage.

So let’s cut to the chase: who won? Well, 22 years after the equal split, Kennards Hire has twice the revenue of Kennards Self-Storage ($235 million versus $110 million) but a third of the assets ($250 million versus $750 million). Neither side would tell me their profit, and who knows what other assets each branch of the family has managed to accumulate, so in the end the matter of whether Neville’s or Andy’s kids did best out of their fathers’ horse-trade back in 1991 remains a mystery. But not only do the Kennards provide a great example of how to successfully deal with succession, they are also a wonderful case study in family business governance. The Great Split of 1991 took several months and “a lot of tears” (says Andy) to negotiate. There were many emotional disagreements over value, with the

“But not only do the Kennards provide a great example of how to successfully deal with succession, they are also a wonderful case study in family business governance.”

And then in 1991 the two brothers split the business down the middle and went their separate ways: Andy got Kennards Hire; Neville got Kennards Self Storage plus a few other assets.

most emotional being their father’s first property at Artarmon in Sydney. But they had started the process determined to sort it out between them and to do it without any cash equalisa-

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Kennards Self Storage just a few years later, in 1995, and Nev moved to the United States to give him space (Sam says he was a control freak and he knew it). Then in 1998, Sam bought 24 per cent of the business through a salary sacrifice loan arrangement with his father, and when Neville died last year he and his two brothers, Walter and Jim, who aren’t in the business, shared a third each of Neville’s 76 per cent. So Sam now owns just under 50 per cent. Since 1995, Sam Kennard has acceler- ated the growth of the business and now has 74 storage properties, opening about two new ones a year. It’s actually a real estate business, since they own all of the properties, combined with customer service. He’s 43 now and still managing director, and has three daughters of his own. The oldest is eight. Meanwhile, over at Kennards Hire, Andy took a different route. Three years after the split he bought the Australian operations of the British business, GKN Hire, and with it came its talented Managing Director, Peter Lancken. So Andy, still just in his early 50s, made him Managing Director of the whole company

and stepped back to become chairman, while retaining 100 per cent ownership. Lancken saw an opportunity to consoli- date the equipment hire business across Australia and expanded the business aggressively, taking it from 30 locations to 140 today. He finished up as MD in 2009 and today the company is run by another non-Kennard, Alan Besling. Both Neville and Andy believed strongly in having an independent Board, although Andy perhaps went a bit further than his brother. In 2007 he left the Board entirely, so that two of his children Angus and Kirsty are the two family representatives on the board, with two independents (Peter Lancken is now chairman). Sam’s board consists of himself, his finance director, HK Tung, and two outsiders, Melinda Snowden and David vanAanholt. Each of the branches has a Family Constitution that lays down future succession arrangements, including a right of first refusal over each family member’s shareholding in the event they want/need to sell.

Heart2Heart And these days Andy Kennard is President of Family Business Australia, the associa- tion that represents family businesses, with the aim of passing on to others what he has learnt from successfully organising his own business. Both Andy and Sam Kennard say the aim is to keep each of the businesses in family hands for posterity – that they are mere custodians of the business for future generations. Andy has four children and Sam has three, and there’s no doubt that all seven have been brought up in a strong culture of family business.

Heart2heartSydney are a not for profit organisation with a goal to provide Fijian Schools with quality donated books that will essentially help them to improve their English, reading and writing skills. In August 2012 they completed the Viwa Island District Schools Project shipping 400 kgs of donated books. Their next project was assisting up to 20 Fiji Schools and making a real difference to around 2,000 Fijian school children. The books were shipped by two mothers with the support of the Fiji Ministry of Education. Kennards Brookvale supplied donated space for all the books to be stored until such time as they were then shipped to Fiji. There was special mention of Brad Hampson Assistant Manager at Brookvale for his tireless effort helping to move the pallets of donated books into storage on their arrival at the Centre.

Sharon Dux EA to the MD

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Kennards Kourier April 2013

NZ Website Now Live The New Zealand KSS website finally went live in February. Thanks to Jeff taking on board all the unique “Kiwi” aspects to New Zealandise the website to ensure its success. The momentum with online customer engagement is growing more and more and it is imperative that we have a NZ website that meets these expectations, enabling customers to enquire and be able to reserve and/or book a storage unit from their computer when it is convenient to them. An added benefit of the new website will see us become more Google relevant and place us in a better position when a customer searches us online. By now all sites are starting to receive online success / follow ups required emails, confirming online activities from customers who reserve online and have never had contact with a Team Member until day of move in. With Google now looking at us in a different light as well as other search engines, we can now start to utilise platforms such as our Blog. Any new Blog articles can help with how our website will appear in the organic search listings by linking the article back to specific areas within the website. If any Team Member comes across a unique experience or activity or even see an opportunity to promote Kennards Self Storage, your Ops Manager would love to hear from you to help create a new Blog article. Andrew Kirkham Operations Manager NZ

Business is Relationships - People Like Doing Business with People They Like!

M eaningful relationships with our National customers is a testament to our skills. Our programme has now achieved the record of 11,000 rented square metres across the company for the first time in National history! Stripping back National Accounts to its bare bones exposes the number of “relationships” we maintain in each customer. If one area of the business is not satisfied the entire relationship/account may be compromised. Centres’ working together with representatives is equally as important as Finance and Operations knowing customers’ accounts inside and out. We are all in it together! A strong relationship provides an enormous Value Add for a company and most importantly screams trust! Pat yourself on the back every time a customer calls and says “we need a Look after your customers and the investment will follow!

new unit, you know what we have so I’ll leave it with you”. Suddenly any focus on money or the need to shop around has diminished as they know we have their best interest in mind. More often I am receiving positive comments like this from our corporate customers; thrilled with the fact we have “made the problem go away”. Suddenly what used to be avoidance or burden on their to do list is now a simple phone call and a tick with no questions or concern. Combined with our passion for customer service and our clean welcoming facilities we have had great success in walking the talk and leading by example! The proof is in our outstanding results. Interacting with customers gives us better control over our destiny so thanks for helping keep the “relationship” alive!

Fiona Harding Business Development Manager

KSS Library Book Review

Lead with Luv – Ken Blanchard Colleen Barrett “A Different Way to Create Real Success” It pays to put your people first.

Together Ken Blanchard and Colleen Barrett reveal why Leading with Love is the most powerful way to lead, how you can make it work, and how it can help you achieve unprecedented business performance. Basically, this approach “upends the pyramid” by training management to be accountable to and appreciative of customers and ground level employees. They, in turn, are loyal to the company. To see what is available in the KSS library go to kosmo/learning&development/kss/ library Amy Roberts Customer Care Officer

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Kennards Kourier April 2013

EMU Takes a Road Trip to Adelaide

in the back of Mum and Dads Holden (caravan in tow of course) The EMU was a revelation! The shape of the body means the trailer is hidden in your wind shadow so at 110km’s there is little drag. Arriving at the ‘just listed’ home of my parents at 1pm we dived straight into loading. The EMU was surprisingly large inside, combined with the trailer we were actually spoilt for options when it came to packing. We were able to move things around, choose carefully where everything went and even emptied some of the overloading from Dads trailer. A quick bite and a good sleep and we were back on the road by 4am Tuesday. We had left Sydney 4pm Sunday meaning we were already 36 hours in. The sunrise over the SA river-land towns of Berri and Renmark was spectacular. Before we knew it we were through Mildura and back into NSW. The two driver combo and quick fuel fills meant we were past Wagga, onto the M5 and home to my house in Sydney by 6.30pm. a wash and had it back to the Centre the next morning. All up 2,800km in a little over 50 hours breaking no speed limits (honestly) and using approximately 15L/100km fully laden with trailer. From a cost perspective including full EMU, hire and fuel it was about $1,200, moving a full house with two vehicles across the country. Not a trip for the faint hearted and I wouldn’t recommend doing it every day, but easily do-able given the circumstances and an amusing opportu- nity to test the EMU and Kennards trailer. Darryl Hodgson Operations Manager NSW We off-loaded the gear, sent the EMU for

Darryl Hodgson (Looking like a Griswalds Trip) picking up the EMU from KSS Waterloo.

A fter writing the article “Better Out Than In” about trailers, in the last Kourier Magazine, I found myself faced with the ideal test. My retired caravanning parents, have decided to sell up in Adelaide and move to Sydney to be closer to the family. Comically, despite providing them sugges- tions on preferred removalists they

insisted in doing it the old fashioned way - car with trailer in tow! Knowing the amount of “stuff” they had and thinking about how I might save the situation from becoming ten trips back and forth I decided to hire an EMU and one of the new, lighter Kennards trailers.

“The EMU was surprisingly large inside, combined with the trailer we were actually spoilt for options when it came to packing.”

Those of you involved know there were a few mechanical hiccups with the EMU at the beginning that highlighted we need to be diligent with our servicing, but in the end we were on our way. A late start on Sunday meant the night ended in a motel at Narrandera. Not the place of dreams but to be back out in the country under those stars reminded me why we should spend more time in the bush. An early 5am start meant we were back on road and crossing the Hay Plain, definitely the best time of day to do this trip. Compared to my childhood memories in the 70’s and 80’s crossing the Hay Pain

Kennards Kourier April 2013

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The Doors Are Finally Open! Following an extensive two and a half year planning and construction period, Stage one of Kennards Self Storage at Klemzig in Adelaide’s North Eastern Suburbs, is now open for business. There is potential for a third stage to be built in the future. This is pencilled in to be another multi-level building. But we have plenty of renting to do before we can consider that option!

Fisher and Paykel Healthcare, who had used our Thebarton centre previously, are now proud to be our first customers at Klemzig. They have settled into one of our 3m x 9m ‘premium’ driveway access units. First customers for Klemzig

Stage one consists of a brand new two storey building with 368 self storage units. Varying in size from one cubic metre lockers, up to 27 square metres driveway access units, offering hassle free storage solutions to suit every individual storers needs. Stage two construction is set to start in 2015. This will see a second two storey building added to the site, almost doubling the overall units available. The slab and retaining walls for this building are already in place. In addition, the construction of the stage two concrete slab area has created a unique opportunity to rent storage spaces for cars, trucks, caravans, trailers and boats until construction commences.

The Team at Klemzig comprises of Robert Todd and Owen Grasby. We

are also assisted by our TSM Rudy. Owen is new to Kennards and is splitting his time between Klemzig and Thebarton, until we rent up enough space to enjoy his company on a full time basis.

Robert Todd Klemzig Manager

First Storers at Klemzig, Brett and Adam from Paykel Healthcare with Robert Todd in centre.

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