Wayne Kruger believes that success doesn’t happen overnight and that putting the time and effort into laying the foundations for good business relationships is what will pay dividends in the future.
“To grow your business, you need to be actively out there engaging with people like Dusko who are there to help you, registering your business and using the ICN Gateway tool regularly, as well as doing your own research and networking,” said Wayne.
Hunter Cargo & Customs is a Newcastle-based Australian International Logistics company that has more than 35 years’ experience in Australian and international freight forwarding and customs brokerage and provides a door-to-door logistics solution nationally. They work with a variety of sectors, including mining, renewable energy, defence and food & beverage industries, and handle everything from motorbikes and caravans to large 250-T industrial presses.
Wayne joined the company in 2016 and is also part of HunterNet, which connects manufacturing, engineering and specialist service companies based in the Hunter and Central Coast regions of NSW.
He met Dusko, ICN NSW’s Hunter / North East Regional Manager, at a HunterNet event about 5 years ago and started working with him to get the business up on the ICN Gateway. Dusko has been able to identify companies that Hunter Cargo & Customs could work with, introduced Wayne to key contacts at those companies and supported those relationships.
“I’ve gone along to briefing events that Dusko has organised and he’s been able to facilitate introductions for me, which has turned into new work for us. I also catch up with Dusko regularly and that’s often how I find out about other opportunities in the market,” said Wayne.
“I also go through my notifications from ICN Gateway each day and submit expressions of interests for the opportunities that are suitable for our business. It’s a helpful tool that I use to support my own business development work.”
Wayne says that Dusko is passionate about the industry and this really comes across when you work with him.
“I would definitely recommend that businesses work with ICN NSW to get support, open up doors and identify opportunities. But ICN is not a magic wand that’s just going to put work in your pipeline – you really need to be actively out there engaging with the market and leveraging opportunities for yourself.”
