10th Anniversary for Oomiak as cool idea leads to national success

When Cate McGuire and Mark Holden started their own industrial refrigeration company at Dudley Park in South Australia in 2006, they dreamt of growing it into a successful national business.

Ten years on and their dreams for Oomiak have become reality.

From its humble beginnings, the company has become a shining light among South Australian businesses over the past decade, now turning over $20 million a year and employing 45 staff in customer service centres across the country.

Now widely recognised as a leader in the design and installation of industrial refrigeration in Australia and Asia, Oomiak services a broad range of clients incorporating fresh produce, food processing, supermarkets, dairy, wine, cold storage, mining and manufacturing.

Its impressive client list includes Woolworths, Aldi, Ingham, Rand Transport, Goodman Fielder, Baiada Poultry, National Foods and Teys, which have all entrusted Oomiak with major capital projects.

For example, last year the company completed an $8.5 million meat processing facility for Woolworths in Victoria, and an $8 million refrigeration system to service the new Melbourne Markets site in Epping. It also completed a $3.7 million distribution centre for Ingham in Sydney, and a $3 million distribution centre for Aldi in Perth.

Oomiak is also currently working on several other major projects, including a $4 million distribution centre for Newcold in Victoria and a $3.5 million plant room for Richmond Dairies in New South Wales.

For company co-founder and Chief Executive Cate McGuire, Oomiak’s outstanding rise has been built on attracting and engaging the best staff, and developing the best business systems.

“Starting the business 10 years ago was definitely a leap of faith, but we were also confident that with the right staff, the right systems and plenty of hard work, that we could turn Oomiak into a successful national business,” she said.

“So it’s certainly rewarding to have grown into a significant player in the market in a relatively short time. It’s also been great to have had the opportunity to work on some fantastic high-profile projects and develop innovative world-class systems that have delivered excellent results for our clients.”

From its headquarters in Adelaide and customer service centres in Brisbane, Melbourne, Perth and Rockhampton, Oomiak’s core role is to undertake major capital projects where it fully designs, fabricates and installs industrial and commercial refrigeration and air-conditioning systems for clients.

It also provides expert refrigeration advice to organisations, and extensive ongoing customer support to help clients maintain their plant and equipment in optimum condition.

“We think it’s the way we work that sets us apart,” said Ms McGuire, who is also a mother of three, Chair of the Christian Brothers College Board, and a volunteer for the St Vincent de Paul Society.

“Our mantra at Oomiak is ‘performance through understanding’ so our focus is always on interpreting our clients’ exact requirements to offer the most appropriate solution for their particular business.

“It’s a pretty straight-forward philosophy, but one that we adhere to at all costs and which has enabled us to deliver complex, high value projects for leading businesses across Australia and Asia.”

As for the company’s unusual name, Ms McGuire says it stemmed from a desire to choose something that would stand out from the crowd.

“An oomiak is a canoe used by Inuit people which is very light but very stable, and powered by a team rather than one or two people,” she said.

“They are known for their durability, strength and ability to manage tough environments, and given they are used in some of the coldest climates in the world, we felt it would be the perfect name for our refrigeration enterprise.”

For more information about Oomiak visit www.oomiak.com.au.