Later this month, Australian contractor Higgins Coatings will host a group of CPIA Executive Members and Industry Partners for an 11-day painting industry tour. The opportunity to visit the contractor’s home facilities and explore the country’s East Coast was announced at the CPIA Leadership Conference.
This event will take place from Feb. 7 through 16, 2023.
As shared by executives at Higgins Coatings, the Australian Painting Tour will feature networking, product introductions, educational segments on application techniques and other opportunities. Agenda items will include an evening spent with the Higgins team, business discussions, roundtable workshops and other optional activities.
In addition to touring where Higgins Coatings operates its own business, the team is also planning to take attending members on a tour of global coating manufacturer Dulux’s facilities.
Attendees will have opportunities to glean knowledge from fellow contractors, including representatives of the Bell Group (United Kingdom) and Heinrich Schmid (Germany)—two of Europe’s largest painting organizations.
A full list of event attendees includes:
- Steve Drew, Group Managing Director, Bell Group – U.K.;
- Mark Basterfield, Branch Manager, Bell Group – U.K.;
- Mike Neile, Regional Operations Manager, Bell Group – U.K.;
- Kevin Robinson, Head of National Sales, Bell Group – U.K.;
- Heinrich Schmid, Managing Director, Heinrich Schmid Germany;
- Danilo Rienahs, Regional Manager, Heinrich Schmid Germany;
- Soren Fuchs, Branch Manager, Heinrich Schmid Germany;
- Aaron Moore, President/Owner, PPD Painting – U.S.;
- John Yuill, President/Owner, Calgari Gerloff – U.S.;
- Alan Oates, President/Owner, DiverseWorks – U.S.;
- Dan Johnson, Global Product Marketing Manager, Graco – U.S.;
- Suzy Vargas, President, Magnum Drywall – U.S.;
- Eddie Vargas, President, Magnum Drywall – U.S.;
- Mike Stanley, Executive Director, CPIA; and
- Veronica Stanley, CPIA.
The entire experience is split across three cities on the country’s East Coast, including Melbourne, Sydney and Gold Coast.
Detailed Schedule Overview
The first four days of the Australian Painting Tour will kick off in Melbourne—the world’s most livable city and the birthplace of Higgins Coatings. After their arrival, attendees will spend the evening at a Higgins-hosted cocktail party at the Crown Metropol.
On day two (Feb. 8), CPIA members will travel to the Higgins office where they’ll receive breakfast and a safety briefing by Ben Cook and Michael O'Shaughnessy. Afterward, everyone will be taken on a tour of the Victoria Warehouse, as well as a new construction site tour with John Micallef, Richard McCarthy and Damian Wilde.
For the majority of the afternoon, CPIA members will spend their time at the Victoria Head Office, meeting with different Higgins representatives and going over topics such as estimating, sales, administration, repaint projects and marketing. That evening, the group will be treated to a “Welcome to Victoria” dinner, hosted by Higgins and Dulux at Donovans Melbourne.
On Thursday (Feb. 9), attendees will depart from the Crown Metropol and head to the Dulux Head office in Clayton. There, CPIA members will be led by Tim Jamieson on a tour highlighting the company's research and development efforts, in addition to an overview of the coating manufacturing business. The afternoon is expected to conclude with a Yarra Valley helicopter wine and lunch tour with Marcus Higgins.
The first work week comes to an end with the option to go golfing at The Royal Melbourne Golf Club with Marcus Higgins or attend an MCG Tour with O'Shaughnessy. That evening, everyone will travel to their next city destination: Sydney.
Group activities are scheduled Sunday, Feb. 12, when everyone will go to the Circular Quay for a Sydney Harbour Cruise and lunch with Robert Stenzel and Ross Watson.
On Monday (Feb. 13), attendees will join Jamieson for a Sydney Harbour Bridge Paint History Tour and Climb. The evening is expected to end at Café Sydney with a “Welcome to Sydney” dinner hosted by Dulux and Higgins. Much of the following day will be spent traveling to the final locations in the weeks-long adventure: Brisbane and the Gold Coast.
On Wednesday (Feb. 15), CPIA attending members will take attend a tour of Higgins’ Brisbane Warehouse, where Cameron Steindl will provide an overview of the company, Matthew Coxall will cover its history, successes and challenges, and Danny Pope will discuss operations.
Before breaking out for optional activities at the Higgins Brisbane location, attendees will have morning tea with General Manager of Operations Nick Higgins. That evening, everyone will get together again for a dinner hosted by Higgins Coatings.
On the final day of the Australian Painting Tour, O'Shaughnessy will lead a discussion on takeaways from the trip, as well as discuss how labor shortages can be tackled in the industry. That afternoon, the teams will discuss managing and “vowing” customers more effectively, training and keeping good employees, and ideas for delivering operational excellence.
A closing dinner will be hosted by Higgins Coatings before attendees head back home on Feb. 17.
Watch the CPIA’s social media channels for updates and ongoings of the Australian Painting Tour.
