Kennards Self Storage April eKourier

WHO’S WHO

10 QUESTIONS... With Wayne Birch - Operations Manager Victoria

Life is about making choices. It’s those choices in life that makes a person or company what we become. Our company values are recognised and evolved in our FREEDOM to make decisions and forms part of our company culture. Sam Kennard made the very bold decision to address the highly competitive nature of our Teams in the late 90’s and early 2000’s conducting annual award winning cultural OCI surveys - a decision that has evolved Kennards as a Famous Household Name . What are some major changes you have seen within KSS business development? We owe our origins to a courageous individual in Neville Kennard and as we all know with his vision, Neville commenced our self storage business in 1973. Our further business successes, now led by Sam Kennard, have seen some significant and even more courageous decisions made coinciding with Sam’s appointment as Managing Director in 1994. When I commenced with Kennards there were 14 storage centres in Sydney and Brisbane, and to now experience our company grow to 95 centres today with a further seven sites in the future mix, is a huge development in the life of Kennards Self Storage. Having been given the opportunity to establish, work at, develop or set up directly, 37 of our existing storage facilities has been a remarkable journey and a development experience I would recommend to anyone. Over your years of service with KSS what would be the wackiest thing you have seen or heard of in the self storage world? Maribyrnong dress code standards: The male customer that enters our storage centre dressed in a well-tailored suit and then leaves wearing a frilly frock with matching makeup is certainly unusual. Ivanhoe storage: The wacky customer that stored one antique chair in the middle of a 13.5GR unit who made an official complaint against myself because after I had completed a delinquent inventory (which they eventually paid for), that I did not replace his chair exactly

back in the middle of their storage unit. He subsequently produced a measuring tape for my own benefit. Tell us a bit about your family? I have been married to Julie for 37 years. We have three beautiful daughters (all grown up and left the coup), and a female dog named Molly, a house full of females. How did they ever survive with me around. Is there a particular person who has inspired you over the years or had a major impact on your life so far? In personal life it has certainly been my father Arthur Birch. Bob’ was a tough Union Representative on the Melbourne wharves, and his life experiences as an owner driver also managing a family of six in the 60’s and 70’s was certainly difficult. I don’t know how he survived in the harsh conditions presented. His life stories are fascinating. He has always been there supporting me and taught me about the importance of good communication skills in life. Bob is still alive at 93 years of age. In business life it's definitely been the Kennard family influences. Neville developed my communication skills to listen, stop looking at how things can’t be done, don’t hold back and be upfront with your thoughts and views. I’ve learnt a lot about business acumen from Neville and now Sam. What do you like to do outside of KSS? I enjoy playing Golf, Gardening and supporting the Essendon Football Club in the AFL. I would love to write a ‘Wayno Self Storage’ book about my storage adventures with Kennards. Favourite holiday destinations? I love Rome, my first overseas city destination in 2015. Yearly family holidays to Yarrawonga on the Murray River and Port Douglas which is Julie’s favourite holiday destination, and camping in Lake Eildon in Victoria. To sum up KSS in one word would be? Family.

Above: Hayley, Wayne, Janelle, Raygan, Julie and Nicole

What year did you join KSS and what role did you initially have? I commenced with Kennards on the 25th September,1997. My principal role was to set up any new Melbourne storage centres, train the Assistant Managers, and then to move to the next new storage location when purchased and built. I spent my first 14 weeks based in different storage facilities around the Sydney area whilst living in our Wetherill Park KSS apartment above the centre. Initial training was held for five days at THQ Homebush with three days spent at a specific centre. Those three days of training on-site were with Phil Howe at Guildford, I trimmed trees and gardened. Yes, training was a little different then. Actually, not many KSS Team Members realise that before I became an Operations Manager, I was employed as a Centre Manager for the first eight years of my time with Kennards. Tell us about your position at KSS? The purpose of my role as Operations Manager is to add value to KSS by developing, coaching and mentoring teams of constructive proactive people, including but not limited to optimising occupancy and income at each Melbourne facility and handling a variety of projects. As one of KSS longest standing Team Members, tell us about how you have seen KSS evolve?

4 Kennards Kourier April 2021