Who’s moving to high-profile site

This high-profile site at Kippa-Ring has been a car dealership and more recently a COVID-19 vaccination hub. We reveal which successful local business is moving in next …

The former home of Village Motors at 433 Elizabeth Avenue has been leased to Kindred which will convert it into a hub for its property group operations across the Moreton Bay Region.

Kindred CEO and Founder Josh Kindred says satellite offices will close, with the exception of the shopfront at North Lakes, in a move designed to bring his team together to enhance the customer experience.

“There’s post-COVID recognition that the working environment is really important in providing an incredible culture for our people,” he says.

“Being separated into smaller offices dilutes our ability to build that culture, which translates to the customer experience.

|“We’re looking to grow and expand our business in the next few years. We’re also conscious of importance of developing our customer experience through that growth and we believe this site can help us deliver an incredible experience to our customers.”|

He says the building, in a prominent location on Elizabeth Ave, Kippa-Ring, was more accessible with parking on site.

The former car servicing area, with drive-thru, will be used by tenants and maintenance contractors who need to collect and drop off keys.

With more than 1000 rental properties on their books, this will make a huge difference.

“We have 20-30 maintenance people per day that come to the office,” he says.

Josh has paid more than $30,000 in parking fees for his staff in the past year and says worrying about where to park is not what he wants for his staff and customers.

Building team culture

The hub will embrace an open-plan environment for the whole team.

“No one has an office, that means that every single person in the business from the receptionist to the CEO sees when a customer comes in and are part of everything that the customer experiences,” Josh explains.

He believes it will also create an environment of heightened energy and performance.

Signage will be installed on Friday and staff will begin work at the new location on Monday. Josh says there will be an official launch event in October or November.

He says they have aspirations to work with the community, Moreton Bay Regional Council and Moreton Bay Region Industry and Tourism on initiatives to engage with the community. The new location will make this easier.

“Things like education seminars for kids in Year 11 and 12 on how to move into houses and first home buyers, investors and bringing local businesses together. They are the backbone of the community,” Josh explains.

|“We’ve got a good opportunity to do that in that space. We’ve done education nights and investor nights and spoken at schools before, but this will be taking it to the next level.”|

Kindred has about 60 staff presently but Josh is expecting the team to grow to 80 by this time next year.

“This is about servicing all of the Moreton Bay Region,” he says.

The fit-out will be done in two stages.

“It will be designed to make sure that our staff have a great place to come to work and they want to come to work, so they can perform for our customers,” Josh says.

Kindred offers yoga and K-Fit sessions for their team, which will be easier to facilitate in the bigger space.

There will also be a café, acting as a concierge hub for customers, which Josh would eventually like to resemble a Virgin or Qantas Lounge.

“I’m excited about the move. It’s a great space for us,” he says.