Carpenter Michael Ferguson swapped sides of the bar from pouring knock-offs to sinking them. The owner of Ninety Three Group shares his tradie journey
Michael was an assistant manager at the Chase Hotel in Forest Hill, Melbourne when he decided to swap careers and become a carpenter.
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He said his experience at the pub helped build his experience before heading into the wide world of the trades.
“The skillset I learned from that has helped me set up where I am now with this business,” Michael said.
After finishing his apprenticeship, Michael went out on his own as a sole trader.
The work came in thick and fast; Michael knew he needed to get more hands on deck.
“Putting on your first coupla apprentices was a bit daunting, but also it was the natural next step,” he added.
“It meant I could move into more work, bigger jobs.”
The 90s
From there, Ninety Three Group was born.
Why Ninety Three Group?
“I wanted it to be personal, but not just ‘Michael Ferguson Carpentry’ … you see a lot of that,” Michael answered.
“I went with the year I was born that stands out a bit – adding the ‘group’ means I’m working to a bigger goal.”
Now a collection of apprentices and subbies, Ninety Three Group works around residential projects in Melbourne’s east.
“We mostly of it renos and extensions – we don’t really limit ourselves though,” he said.
“Frame, lock up, fit-up, cladding, fit-off, fix, decking … all of it.
“I did just about everything through my apprenticeship, so that carried on to my business as well..”
Champions
Michael made the smart decision to take advantage of Carpentry Australia’s free apprentice membership when he was learning the trade.
“But when I went out on my own, I didn’t really think about it to start with,” he added.
“Then – as I started putting on my own apprentices – I realised it would be great to have that network of people I can bounce ideas off.
“So I signed back up once I got the business going.”
Since then, he’s been named a Carpentry Australia Champion of Industry – helping to grow the trade and it’s standing through the network.
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