AWN It’s AWN’s 25th anniversary and we have many reasons to celebrate – the main one being you, our clients, as without you our business wouldn’t have grown its national footprint to be the success it is.
From humble beginnings, to now , we are the nation’s largest Australian-owned wool broker and have expanded successfully into livestock and real estate.
Founded in 1999 by a group of wool specialists with a vision to unite each stage of the wool pipeline from grower to consumer, our success is a sign of what our innovative, client-focused operation can bring to rural Australia in the future.
Managing Director, John Colley attributes this success not to any one person, but the input and hard work of many.
“The success of AWN today, and how we operate, is a combination of ideas which have been morphed together with a singular vision to bring competition and innovation to rural Australia. Our business is different in every state it operates, which is important, and many people have played a role in making it a success,’’ he said.
One of those who came on board in 1999 is Central and Western NSW Regional Manager Brett Cooper, who said AWN’s growth had surpassed anything he had imagined.
“I think back to 1999 when we sat in an office with no pens or pencils. It was a huge step but a very calculated one. We had done our homework, and we had the support of our clientele, many of whom are still with us today,’’ he said.
“John led the charge, and I was happy to get behind him and play my part. Our expansion into livestock has been a highlight for me as was our first wool sale back in 1999. We have built great relationships with clients who have become friends over the years.’’
NSW and Queensland State Manager Mark Hedley, also a founding member, attributed success to good staff and clientele.
“The company is a credit not just to the initial team but the staff we’ve employed who have put in a lot of hard work. If we don’t have good staff, we don’t have clients. It’s about attracting the right people who have the same values as those of us who started the company,’’ he said.
“We positioned ourselves well as wool brokers and our expansion into livestock and property is certainly a good fit. The number of people who generate an income out of what we do is astounding.’’
John said one of the highlights of the company’s rich 25-year history was delivering the group’s plan after just three years of operation.
“In 2001 we sat down with shareholders and directors knowing we had a viable and financially sound option for which there was a market. We proved to ourselves we could operate it and proved to shareholders and clients we were worthy of their support,’’ he said.
“In 1999 we saw an opportunity for rationalisation in the wool and sheep industry and we formed a partnership with overseas processors, manufacturers and retailers in order to align everyone right through the chain and make a change in how we market wool.’’
“In the early days the partnerships with the Italian processors worked well. We established the company and grew market share and secured long-term sustainable contracts however the landscape changed in 2002 with the rise and rise of China and that put more financial pressure on European processors and long-term contracts became difficult to sell.’’
AWN established itself as the third largest wool broker in Australia with a strong presence in NSW and Queensland and in 2002 embarked on a passage of expanding into other states by both organic means and the acquisition of companies.
Northern NSW and Queensland regional manager Harold Manttan reflected on the expansion and described the past 25 years as an ‘amazing ride’.
“I recall Mark and I setting about looking for wool stores and forklifts and speaking to clients about becoming shareholders while John flew to Italy to talk to potential shareholders. At our first sale on June 10 1999, we offered 2010 bales at the Yennora wool selling centre,” he said.
“There’s been a lot of foresight and adapting to markets and it’s hard to imagine where the 25 years has gone. John has done an amazing job with the people he has put on and the future is looking very bright.’’
Joining the company in June 1999 in wool administration, Helen Knight also believes great staff are the secret to success.
“I can’t see an end to this growth. It has been a real eye-opener. AWN has a great reputation in wool broking, livestock and property and will keep powering on. It is a great bunch of people who are being led very impressively from the top.’’
Known for innovation and adaptation, we established a strong partnership throughout Australia giving us the ability to expand and bring something different to a market that hadn’t changed for more than 50 years.
The expansion continued in 2007-2008 when a partnership with Dyson Jones in Western Australia was formed giving a presence in that state.
“We also added Queensland and Victoria and because of our point of difference in having the Italian wool processors on board, we attracted high quality staff to deliver something completely different to the marketplace,’’ John said.
“In 2007 the global financial crisis changed the world and put a lot of pressure on European manufacturing. China seized the opportunity to put themselves in a place of dominance to the point where they still take more than 85 per cent of Australia’s wool.”
“In 2011 Brendon Lunney and I formed a partnership, and we purchased the controlling interest of AWN bringing it back to being a completely Australian-owned company.”
“To continue our point of difference we invested in manufacturing and retail which we operated until the onset of COVID in 2020. Our ability to deliver the DNA program, which gave provenance to wool and marketed the geographical locations of where it came, continued to give AWN a point of difference in the wool industry.’’
COVID unfortunately saw the need for us to divest our manufacturing and retail operations, and while still owning a small part of what is now trading as Merino and Co, it is no longer a core business of AWN.
Exciting times were ahead with the rapid and successful expansion into livestock which came about post-COVID in 2022. A new strategy was adopted where 14 different livestock locations were established in two years through acquisitions and the establishment of greenfield sites.
“This made us a diverse business employing about 160 people in real estate and livestock agencies,’’ John said.
“As we sit here today in 2024, AWN employs almost 300 people in wool, livestock and real state, and this is really just the beginning of what AWN is capable of delivering to rural Australia. It is a real highlight given this vision started with just four people.’’
