Celebrating 25 years of the NJM Group
Last week, NJM Group celebrated 25 years of operation, so it seems fitting to look back to where it all began, a quarter of a century ago.
The company’s founder, Nicholas Marasco left high school unsure where life was going to take him.
“I was pushing to join the army but my father said it was forbidden, he wanted me to be a mechanic,” he said.
One day his father told him he was going to work with his brother- in-law as a brick layer and for a few years Nicholas dabbled in the construction industry.
After a stint working for Crema Camillo construction Nicholas left and thought; “I could start my own gig here.”
And that’s when it all began.
“My first office was my mum’s sewing room and my first factory was my dad’s garage,” he says.
“I used to call up 20 companies a day and ask if I could speak to the head of maintenance and offer my services. I worked closely with a woman named Glenda Allan, she would compile lists of companies for me to contact.”
“My first client was Stafford Ellison, a clothing company, then Shell Australia, then RMIT, Melbourne University, Swinburne, BOC gas, Wilson Group and so on. It grew and grew, just from making these phone calls. I’ve been working with the Wilson Group for 23 years now.”
But Nicholas says the main way the company grew is by saying yes to things. If someone asked if they could fix a table, he would say yes, can you help install a bollard…absolutely, can you do maintenance on this machinery… you get the idea.
“The next big step is delivering with great customer service and that earns trust with your customers,” he says.
“This is how you expand, you just listen to your clients and be willing to provide anything they need. We brought in the first ever Video Messaging Service (VMS) through an E-DS (Electronic- Display Solutions) screen to Australia because one of our clients wanted it. Anytime a client asks for something you don’t offer, you should see it as an opportunity, not as a complication.”
NJM Group brought the first E-DS system to Australia many years ago and the company is still considered to be an industry leader in that field.
The company has come a long way from its conception. During its formative years, the company had six employees operating out of a 32m² facility providing maintenance services to local businesses.
Today, the company has expanded to service the mining industry, railway stations, local councils, state and federal governments, shopping centres and many more industries Australia wide. NJM group now manufacture and distribute products from a 2,500m² warehouse and factory in Heidelberg West. Everything from bollards, handrails, bike racks, speed humps, wheel stops, variable rate boards, structural beams and more.
Nicholas says when he is walking down the street and he see one of his products “it puts the biggest smile on my face.”
How just the sight of a bollard or a handrail can stir up emotions in Nicholas goes to show the passion he has in what he does.
Many people have congratulated him on reaching the 25 year milestone and he just wants to say thank you.
“I would like to say thank you to all of them for having trusted us to provide them with my goods and services. I want to thank them for being part of our network and for the feedback we received from all over the world.
“Thank you for allowing us to grow with you, as you can only grow if your clients are growing.
“The journey’s been good. I’ve worked with some really good people within my own team and our contractors. We’ve been going for 25 years now and it means the world to me.”
Here’s to another 25 years.
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