Story: Philip O’Brien award-winning skills Business manager I t seems an unlikely career change. Susie physiotherapy as a profession where she could help Susie Martin works with Martin originally trained and worked as a people achieve change in their lives, and be her physiotherapist but is now business manager with own boss. husband Aaron to make a the family design and building firm, Aaron Martin She began that career in a hospital setting, also dierence in people’s lives, Construction in Strathalbyn, South Australia. Yet completing a doctorate in aged care and a post- as they build or extend many of the skills she developed in her previous graduate fellowship. career are now crucial in her new role. ‘To leave this wasn’t a decision taken lightly,’ she their dream home. Susie’s accomplishments were recognised says. ‘I had started to cement a fairly clear career earlier this year when she won 2018 HIA Australian path in clinical and research physiotherapy when I Business Partner of the Year. It’s a significant went on my first period of maternity leave.’ award, acknowledging not only her achievements But, gradually, the focus of the family business in the business but also the importance of similar changed. ‘At first, my role was limited to positions, so often under-estimated, within the bookkeeping and a bit of marketing,’ she recalls. wider building industry. ‘Sometimes there’s a perception that wives When we built our own house in 2010, we who take on the business partner role just do the realised we worked really well as a team books,’ she says, ‘but there’s so much that goes into running a business, in particular a building business, that the skill set required is extensive.’ ‘Then, when we built our own house in 2010, we Aaron Martin Construction is located in the realised we worked really well as a team. So, during picturesque town of Strathalbyn, on the Fleurieu my second period of maternity leave in 2015, we Peninsula, some 50 kilometres south-east of decided to rebrand with a focus on custom-built Adelaide. Her husband Aaron has worked in the new homes and I became business manager.’ building industry for 20 years, first as a carpenter Susie is responsible for the pre-construction and now as a builder. Susie, meanwhile, chose phase of the building process. 12 HOUSING NOVEMBER 2018