WHEN Darren and Bronwyn Hinton bought G.J. Gardner Homes Swan Hill, they were told not to expect to win many awards.
But over their 13 years with the franchise, not only have they won multiple awards, but they were recently awarded one of the top commendations they can get – International Franchise of the Year.
“We’ve won awards before, but we didn’t ever expect to win the International Franchise of the Year award,” Mrs Hinton said.
Mr and Mrs Hinton, along with their sales consultant Jo Sheldrick-Doherty, were able to travel to Fiji in April for the awards ceremony, where they won awards for Best Performance by Sales Team in Victoria and Tasmania, Best Performance by Admin Team in Victoria and Tasmania, Franchise of the Year – approvals under 500 in Victoria and Tasmania, and International Franchise of the Year – approvals under 500.
The G.J. Gardner International Franchise of the Year award is based on 10 criteria, but franchisees don’t know exactly what those criteria are, other than looking at customer feedback.
While Mr Hinton has been building homes in Swan Hill for nearly 40 years, he and his wife believe joining G.J. Gardner has opened them up to more opportunities, giving them the ability to offer more to their clients.
“It was very nerve-racking at the start because we didn’t know how it was going to go, so the first couple of years we were just sort of learning a lot, but now we feel like we have grown a lot with the business,” Mrs Hinton said.
“At the end of the day, I feel like it has given us the opportunity to be able to build people’s houses and be part of such a big event in those people’s lives – whether it’s their first home, their third home, their dream home or someone who is downsizing, it’s still exciting for them, and I think it’s very special to be a part of that.
“Some people come in with a sketch on a napkin, and then 12 months later you walk them through their house – that’s always pretty cool.”
The team at G.J. Gardner Swan Hill includes construction supervisor Jarrad Rogers, two qualified carpenters, two apprentice carpenters, and a labourer.
“It’s a journey that you go on with the client, and it’s probably the service that we can offer to make that memorable or to make that special and enjoyable,” Mrs Hinton said.
