Showing people the respect you want to be shown key for intergenerational firm

• Published date: 29 July 2022
• Publication title: Oamaru Mail

People and coffee

Those are two things that keep John Schultz in the groundspreading industry and, by people, he means not only those he works for, but also those he works with.

Staff are considered part of the family and some of their clients have been with them since he and his wife, Nivonne, first established Mainland Spreading in North Otago in 1999. In some cases, they are dealing with the next generation. ‘‘You can’t get much better than that,’’ he said.

That worked both ways, as the couple’s daughter Kylie Stenton and son-in-law James are now a big part of the business, which also includes a farming operation.

Both generations were recognised at the recent New Zealand Groundspread Fertilisers’ Association awards; Mrs Stenton, who is also a volunteer firefighter, won the health and safety award while her father was runner-up in the President’s Award for contribution to the industry.

It is appropriate recognition for a family that has been heavily immersed in the industry, operating a business with a simple philosophy that is all based around service.

Ask Mr Schultz what the secret to running a successful business is, and he shrugs, saying there is no secret.

‘‘Just show people the respect you want to be shown.’’

The Schultz family moved south from Mount Maunganui in 1992; it was either going to be Saudi Arabia or Oamaru, and North Otago won out due to the Gulf War conflict.

They were dairy farmers who were attracted by the herd sizes in the area. When they later sold their cows, they decided they liked the area so stayed.

The groundspread business started with two trucks — there are now nine trucks based in North Otago and another three at their Milton base.

Mr Schultz, who has always had a passion for trucks, said they always had a clear vision of the service they wanted to provide, but he never imagined what the future of the business would look like.

‘‘Just rock on out there and give it a crack, Nigel,’’ he said.

They covered an area from Rangitata to Omarama and south to Balclutha ‘‘with a few gaps in between’’ and had about 15 or 16 staff.

Staff was something they had always worked on; like many other industries, there were difficulties with recruiting, and that was not just since COVID had hit.

They had always been invested in bringing new people into the industry, whether they were young or coming from another industry, Mrs Stenton said.

A joint venture occurred with Ravensdown in 2015 but it was still run as a family business, which extended...