Mike O'Hagan - Media Releases

Business defends sign writing
Monday, March 31st, 2008

MiniMovers Owner Mike O'Hagan today said there is nothing wrong with its sign writing despite comments by several people on Brisbane’s ABC radio station.

"If my signage is an issue then all those electronic billboards on the freeways and the constantly varying speed zones, are also distracting drivers".

Comments and photos of the trucks in question can be found at: http://blogs.abc.net.au

About MiniMovers
Mike O’Hagan founded MiniMovers as a short distance removalist company with a single Ute and $200 in 1985. The company now has a turnover of over $30 million, over 400 employees in three states and moves over 1200 customers a week. MiniMovers has won over a dozen state and national awards including Medium Employer of the Year and Telstra Small Business of the Year.

Media Contact
Jade Frazer - MiniMovers Pty Ltd
Phone: 0439 11 11 68
Email: press [at] minimovers.com.au
For more information go to: www.minimovers.com.au

Local Company brings in CEO to grow across Australia
Tuesday, January 8th, 2008

Brisbane based, short distance removalist MiniMovers has appointed its first CEO, former Chubb Electronic Security MD Paul Beavon, as the company begins its move into the potentially huge new market of Sydney. Sydney is the next stage in what has so far been a phenomenal success story.

Mr Beavon steps into the shoes of founder and business owner Mike O’Hagan who, in turn takes up the position of Chairman of the board. Mike O’Hagan said, “Paul has been engaged by the Board to develop MiniMovers into a bigger, better company. He was chosen because of his track record in larger businesses and his skill set.”

Mr Beavon, has a Master of Business and Technology from University of NSW and joins MiniMovers after 5 years with Chubb as Managing Director. Prior to this Paul held senior management roles with Visy Recycling, Boral and BOC. “I look forward to becoming part of the MiniMovers team and building on the success story to date, the immediate focus is to drive the current expansion into Sydney and realise the next phase of the organisations growth plans.” said Paul.

MiniMovers Sydney operations opened in December, after great successes in Brisbane, the Gold Coast and Melbourne and for the first time using a ‘removalist school’. What was a 6 week part-time process of learning the removalist trade is compressed into five full days of paid classroom and practical training. Participants emerge trained and ready to work fully capable of maintaining the company’s award winning service standards. The removalist school is unique to the industry and offers great opportunities for employees regardless of previous work experience whilst reinforcing the company’s position as an Employer of Choice.

MiniMovers Owner Mike O’Hagan named Finalist in the 2007 Entrepreneur Of The Year Awards
Friday, April 13th, 2007

MiniMovers is pleased to announce that Mike O’Hagan has been named a Regional Finalist in the 2007 Entrepreneur of the Year awards. Mike joins 14 other leading entrepreneurs from across Australia who will compete for this prestigious title.

Mike O’Hagan is a respected business man. Before establishing his own company, he spent eight years working for 35 different employers while he backpacked his way around Australia. This experience has assisted Mike to maintain a 45% growth of MiniMovers per year. Mike’s out of the box thinking with innovative employment strategies has assisted with his company’s increasing success in finding, employing & training employees during the current labour shortage.

MiniMovers’ highly effective recruitment and retention policies include:

Paid training
Insistence on no previous experience / skills as all training is provided
Hot breakfast each morning
Supportive, fun work environment
Ability to work and study
Flexible working week with a choice of working days
Fast recruitment: three days from application to start for 90% of suitable applicants
Saturday job interviews for convenience (in addition to standard week days)
Ability to trial job whilst working for current employer

Quote from Finalist ‘‘To be successful in business, you have to do two things: you have to have a solution for customers and a solution for the people in the business, your employees.’’

Mike O’Hagan will join his fellow finalists representing QLD at the regional awards ceremony on Thursday 19th July in Brisbane where the names of those progressing to the national competition will be announced.

Contact for interviews
Jade Frazer - 0439 11 11 68
Email: jfrazer [at] minimovers.com.au
Website: www.ohagan.com.au
Notes to Editors: Northern Region award ceremony, Brisbane – Thursday 19th July National award ceremony, Melbourne – November 29, 2007
Launched in the United States in 1986 and in Australia in 2001, Entrepreneur of the Year is the first and only truly global award of its kind that celebrates Entrepreneurs who build and lead successful businesses. In Australia the program is co-sponsored by Westpac and Qantas, and is supported by AusIndustry and Austrade. For further information, or to access the online EOY press pack, please visit the EOY web site at: www.ey.com/au/entrepreneur_of_the_year

Brisbane Mover and Shaker Appointed to AIM Board
Monday, March 5th, 2007

Mike O’Hagan FAIM, founder of Brisbane based success story MiniMovers, has been appointed to the Board of the Australian Institute of Management.

Mr O’Hagan is well-known as one of Queensland’s most innovative businessmen having pioneered a unique business for short distance residential removals.

Mr O’Hagan’s business career started with buying and selling goods within the secondhand sector. Four years later, the entrepreneur in Mr O’Hagan surfaced as he launched MiniMovers.

John Hoey FAIM, Chairman of the AIM Board, said Mr O’Hagan’s appointment further enhanced the skills mix on the Institute’s Board.

“We seek to ensure that our Board consists of men and women who can draw on their spheres of influence in business, industry and government,” Mr Hoey said.

“We have an aggressive growth strategy which will see our interrelated cluster of businesses in education, publishing, online learning and human capital development expand significantly over the next two years.”

“Mr O’Hagan has developed some original concepts around success factors for people and business and we hope to draw on that experience.”

Mr O’Hagan sees his strengths in offering a commonsense perspective on leadership, marketing, people management, workplace culture, innovative products and creative customer service strategies.

“I was honoured to be approached by AIM and to see the caliber of the other Board members,” Mr O’Hagan said.

“I was particularly impressed with the significant projects undertaken by the Queensland and Northern Territory division in commercial publishing and the creation of an AIM coaching methodology.”

Over the past three years Mr O’Hagan has helped hundreds of businesses through his “down to earth” approach by way of various Government sponsored assistance and mentoring programs.

Mr O’Hagan is a Commissioner for the Australian Fair Pay Commission, a Fellow of the Australian Institute of Management (AIM), a Fellow of the Australian Institute of Company Directors (AICD) and a member of the Small Business Advisory Panel to the Reserve Bank of Australia.

Mr O’Hagan’s business has been the recipient of a number of high profile awards including 2000 Queensland Medium Employer of the year, 2000 ANTA (Australian National Training Authority) “Australian Excellence in Training”, 2003 Telstra and Queensland Government “Small Business of the year”, 2004 Ernst & Young Australia Northern region Finalist “Entrepreneur of the Year” and 2005 Queensland Government Office of Fair Trading – Inaugural “TradeSmart Consumer Award”.

For further information or to arrange interviews, please contact David Hoey on 3227 4837 or 0438 167 434.

Mike O'Hagan Accepts Appointment as Commissioner for the Australian Fair Pay Commission
Monday, March 27th, 2006

This Statement is released by Mike O'Hagan, following the announcement of his appointment as a Commissioner to the newly formed Australian Fair Pay Commission (AFPC) by The Hon Kevin Andrews, MP Minister for Employment & Workplace Relations.

Mike in accepting the position of AFPC Commissioner stated:

“I see this as a great opportunity to add my worker and small business knowledge to the decisions that affect the lowest paid in Australia.

I enter the role with an open mind. I see that my initial role will be to listen and inquire.

I acknowledge the leadership of Professor Ian Harper the Chair of the Australian Fair Pay Commission and look forward to working with my fellow Commissioners”.