Rebuilding the Business 1986 - 1994 - Abigroup

Mates and
memories
ALAN CASSIN & RON YATES 1976 & 1989 - to date
CENTRAL REGION HUMAN RESOURCES MANAGER &
MANAGER, COMMERCIAL PROJECTS AND SYSTEMS
Abigroup’s Alan Cassin and Ron Yates have together racked up a combined 55 years
of service. The two are good mates and have plenty to say about the company - so
much so, in fact, that other staff members have taken to naming them after the two
grumpy old men from The Muppets! However when we caught up with the pair, they
were overwhelmingly positive. Oh – and neither of them wear three-piece suits or have
oversized noses...
Alan originally joined Abigroup as a labourer in Asquith in 1976. He did it because it
was a job and brought in some money, but he stayed because the people there were
fair and he was paid well. He’s been a storeman, a truckie, an admin manager and
many other things along the way to becoming the Central Region Human Resources
Manager. He takes pride in passing on the company’s culture and it’s fair to say that the
business means much more to him than a regular salary. ‘When I started, we were a
strong contractor with I guess around 300 people and a $7 million - $8 million turnover.
Jim Abignano was hands on and ruled with an iron fist. He’d sit on a hill and watch the
machinery at work. But he knew his stuff and was a fair and honest man. The staff were
like his indirect family and it’s difficult not to be affected by that.’
Ron joined in 1989 as a contract engineer and has since had roles working on projects,
contract management and management systems. Currently, he is Manager, Commercial
and Project Services, but his start wasn’t so auspicious. ‘I joined Abigroup because I
knew it was one of the few contractors out there that could do a reasonable settlement
on claims. They had a practical approach and knew it was better to avoid arbitration.
I knew a lot of the people already and culturally, it was pretty much what I expected.
But not long after joining I did wonder what I’d done… the place was struggling. We’d
subsequently found out a company we had bought was in trouble financially and we had
to go around and tell our subbies that times were difficult and that they’d have to wait for
their money. Those guys were our bankers, really, and probably because of our approach
of being honest and truthful, they responded remarkably well.’
‘It was tough times for our staff, too,’ Alan adds, reflecting back himself.
‘That’s true,’ Ron agrees. ‘Everyone would be waiting around on a Friday afternoon when
John Cassidy would come down and let everyone in on the status and where we were…
and if we could have a drink that night!’
‘People used to joke that we were “Scabby Abi” back in those days!’ Alan laughs. ‘The
more you could save, the more you made, and it’s not a bad attitude, really. Though I
remember times way back when I’d fill up drums of fuel to use and Jim [Abignano] would
stick a dip-stick in them to see how much had been used out there! I remember another
time when I had a ute and had to transport two crusher jaws up the Bells-Line-of-Road. I
wasn’t given chains or ropes and on the hill, I began to lose steering at the front because
there was too much load shifting in the back. So I had to knock over four guide posts
from the side of the road to use to keep the jaws in place and get up that hill!’
‘Everyone would be waiting around on
a Friday afternoon when John Cassidy
would come down and let everyone
in on the status and where we were…
and if we could have a drink that
night!’
REMEMBER...
• Schindler’s List, wins seven Oscars including Best Picture
and Best Director (Spielberg).
• Michael Schumacher wins his first Formula One World
Championship.
• The 50km Channel Tunnel opens between England and France.
Over 15,000 workers took seven years to complete the project.
REBUILDING THE BUSINESS
ALAN CASSIN & RON YATES
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