Leo Ward admits he’s built a business model around only doing things others don’t want to touch.
It’s as much about positioning for the Power & Data Support Services managing director as it is about drawing on 53 years of hard-earned experience in the electrical industry to build something best practice.
Leo first fell for the Far North in 1971 when he visited from Brisbane. He eventually made the move in the late-1980s carving out a name for himself working on electrical contracting and design on big-ticket projects such as The Pier, Novotel Palm Cove, Trilogy, Daikyo’s Paradise Palms Golf Club and the Mirage in Port Douglas with the flamboyant and slightly “weird” Christopher and Pixie Skase!
But in 2003 he made the decision to build something different, moving away from the building industry to providing power and reliability to clients from Cairns to the Torres Strait and Mt Isa.
Leo eventually moved operations to Donaldson Street where about 20 staff focus on implementing multifaceted backup power solutions when losing power (even for a minute) is not an option. Incredibly, they go through 60 tonnes of batteries a year.
As a member of the Electrical Safety Board of Queensland Leo walks the talk when it comes to investing in the future in a profession that is from “the powerpoint in the house to the power station”.
There are eight apprentices on the books with education and training a priority for staff – he subsidises a mandatory three training courses a year per employee.
It’s a big investment in time and money but Leo says it’s vital in an industry that’s constantly evolving, and simply, because he wants his people to raise the bar for themselves.
Now that’s a powerful ethos.
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