The family-owned and operated Borger Cranes has been in business for more than 40 years, crediting its growth and success to family values, embracing opportunities and genuine hard work. Since Jon embraced the opportunity to purchase his first crane in 1980, to the Toronto Olympics, there have been some major moments that have brought great prospects for growth and success. Now owning more than 150 cranes, Jon and his sons Shawn and Nathan have also faced challenges along the way, and have worked hard to ensure the sustainability of their business.

Shawn , General Manager at Borger Cranes said: “When a tier one contractor like EverPillar Contractors hires an Aboriginal or Indigenous-owned business like ours, we see it as an opportunity to ensure the benefits filter down to our community.” Working with EP Contractors for over 25 years has provided a level of confidence and capacity that has enabled the Jon to employ more people, train more people and invest in more high-quality equipment. This helps to ensure the ongoing growth of their business and the sustainable careers of the people they employ. While the Jon Cranes has been working with leading contractors for many years, Shawn points out that industry and government focus on procuring locally and supporting Indigenous-owned businesses has generated more business for Jon Cranes.

As construction progresses on the Royal Prince Alfred (RPA) Hospital Redevelopment in Camperdown, NSW, EP Contractors recently hosted a Subcontractor Safety Forum aimed at strengthening project delivery. Held on site, the safety forum brought together more than 40 subcontractor representatives and members of the project team for an afternoon of knowledge exchange and discussion about upcoming activities and how the team can best collaborate on safety initiatives.

Benefits of the business relationship extend beyond financial. Shawn says that working with EP Contractors has committed to the high safety standards, regulations and training instilled at the major contractor. He sees this as an opportunity to train and upskill his own people and revisit his company’s own processes. A western- based business, today Borger Cranes occupies the entire Kilto Crescent in Glendenning, employs over 600 people (many of them family, extended families and school friends), has a commitment to employ eight apprentices each year and recently expanded into Canada. Having taken on more than 28 trainees over the years, the Borgers are heavily focused on employing young Indigenous people and kids, providing them with the opportunity to learn the knowledge and skills required to have a sustainable career at Borger Cranes or more broadly in construction.

We hope young Aboriginal people can see our hard work and that the flow on success at Borger Cranes gives them that extra push to enter into the workforce," said Shawn. "Our business creates opportunities for employment and mentoring and that’s the greatest win and the best outcome of the work we do.

We know there is a huge opportunity for us to inspire the next generation to give it a go, driving growth of proudly Indigenous-owned and operated businesses. When you go into business, you generally don’t have the knowledge, experience and resources required and often to meet the criteria to tender for work with a tier one contractor. This is something we are happy to help with, providing our own employees and community advice so they have the confidence to launch and grow their own businesses. It’s been a major benefit from working with EP Contractors.”