Rohrig celebrates 35 years of certainty
We recently gathered under the stars across two spectacular rooftop events to celebrate a major milestone — 35 years of Rohrig.
Hosted at Sydney’s Museum of Contemporary Art (MCA) on February 18th and Brisbane’s Gallery of Modern Art (GOMA) on February 25th, each event welcomed over 170 clients, partners and team members, marking three-and-a-half decades in the construction industry.
Humble beginnings
Opening the evenings, National Operations Manager David Vokes took us back to where the Rohrig story started. The date was February 21, 1991, and the office was a renovated garage at the home of Founder and Managing Director Glenn Rohrig’s parents.
“They were quite humble beginnings,” David recalled. “Glenn was our very mature 25-year-old Managing Director. Alongside him was his heavily pregnant wife Amanda as our Office Manager… Glenn’s mum Pat was our CFO, and Kenny, Glenn’s dad was our Site Foreman. Robbie Nott played a dual role as Construction Manager and CA, and I was the 21-year-old Chief Brick Counter!”
Despite a backdrop that included a looming commercial construction recession and 12% interest rates, the young team wasn’t deterred. Quite the contrary, they were eager as ever.
“I think it was just that we had youth on our side, and could only see opportunity!” David laughed.
Shaped by challenge
Taking the stage, Glenn Rohrig reflected on how those early days set the foundation for a company that today boasts more than 200 staff across offices in Brisbane, Sydney, and the Gold Coast.
“I believe it’s the challenges in business that we overcome that shape our future,” Glenn shared. “We have been the beneficiaries of many challenges that we were fortunate to overcome. The early 1990s recession, the GFC when banks wanted us to repay all our debt, and more recently COVID”.
“These guiding principles have never changed, and they never will,” Glenn said. “I’ve never been motivated by the size of our business, but instead by the quality we provide.”
This unwavering commitment to people was never more evident than during COVID, when the company made the bold decision to fully pay all staff, prioritising our long-term culture over short-term financial impact.
“That cost the company financially in the short term, but supported our long-term belief of looking after our team and building on our already great culture,” Glenn said. “We’re really proud of the team we’ve built.”
Building the future
At our Brisbane event, we were honoured to be joined by The Hon Tim Nicholls MP, Minister for Health and Ambulance Services. A former schoolmate of Glenn’s, Minister Nicholls spoke about the Crisafulli Government’s initiatives, including the $18.5 billion Hospital Rescue Plan, and the shared challenge of navigating rising construction costs to deliver world-class facilities for Queenslanders.
“The growth of Rohrig Constructions from humble beginnings in a family garage into the impressive business it is today, operating across Australia, is testament to the tenacity of Glenn and the team he built. The progress of Rohrig Constructions over its first 35 years is an example of business advancement the Crisafulli Government supports and applauds,” Mr Nicholls said.
Looking ahead, Rohrig is more prepared than ever to help clients navigate the unprecedented challenges predicted to face the construction market, from sharp price escalation to dire resource bottlenecks, as a partner you can trust.
By expanding our internal capabilities and welcoming seven new shareholders from within the business, we are ensuring our commitment, accountability, and service excellence are maintained on every project.
“Our growth is based around our ability to deliver high quality results for our clients, and not growth for growth’s sake,” Glenn said. “We truly have built our business on giving certainty to our clients, while being inspired to achieve what might be possible. We now have shareholders working hands-on in the business, dedicated to serving our clients, ensuring the quality we provide is maintained as we grow.”
To everyone who has been part of our journey – our clients, partners, consultants, subcontractors, and our incredible team – thank you for believing in us.
Here’s to the next chapter, and to building the future – together.