The construction industry can be a difficult place for young people looking to embark on a career. Although there are great opportunities for apprenticeships and mentoring out there, it can be hard to determine where to get a good start. Empower Construction’s CEO and Founder, Ryan Steyn, set out to provide a workplace that builds young futures.
Making a difference in the construction industry
My main goal is to empower others to achieve; through providing job opportunities, training, and advancement. Our purpose is to revolutionise the industry that we’re in and prove that it’s one of integrity, honesty, and abundance
“My main goal is to empower others to achieve; through providing job opportunities, training, and advancement. Our purpose is to revolutionise the industry that we’re in and prove that it’s one of integrity, honesty, and abundance,” says Ryan.
Established in Sydney more than 9 years ago, Empower has extended its mission to enhance the lives of young people. Now a thriving mid-sized business, Empower wants to create a better world for everyone whose lives are touched by its products and services. Winning various awards — including the company’s placement in the BRW Fast 100 for two years running and the top five medium-sized businesses in last year’s Telstra Business Awards — is something Ryan sees is a result of the commitment to his mission demonstrated by staff he invests in.
Building a reputation for quality
Ryan believes the lightweight building materials used by Empower are a great innovation in the construction industry. As well as being environmentally sustainable and providing comfort for building occupants, Empower’s product range sets the standard for strength, visual appeal, thermal, acoustic and fire retardant properties, design flexibility, and cost effectiveness.
“We work with autoclaved aerated concrete, a product called Hebel,” Ryan says. “It provides good fire ratings, but the major benefit is the speed of the new panel, and how quickly it goes up. If you look at one Hebel panel, there are about 90 bricks in that one panel. If you imagine building a house of brickwork, and how long it takes to install 90 bricks. You can see the benefit of putting one panel up. Dealing with the panel, we’ve been able to reduce the time frame for building, the external façade of the house, the cladding of the house by half the time. If not one third.”
Big things grow — and grow
From small beginnings working from home, to requiring larger and larger spaces for his offices, Ryan has made sure his company achieves sustainable growth as it expands into new areas of construction.
“I think one of the key things for us, especially trying to be a company that’s growing at such a high rate — we’ve almost doubled — especially over the last four years, being able to do that was definitely helped by the choices we made to have the backing of larger brands. In our case, CSR Hebel and Dulux Acratex are two of the big brands we partnered up with in regard to products, because we could always get their support,” says Ryan.
Empower Constructions key facts
- Company name: Empower Construction
- Headquarters: Sydney, Australia
- Industry: Construction & Trades