In Episode 15 of Behind the Facade, Jake from Proline Group and Daniel from Complex Facade Install go back to where it all started. Each of them brought a stack of old photos on an iPad, picked one of the other's, and asked for the story behind it. What comes out is an honest look at the early years and what it actually took to get to tier one.

Jake opens with his original red induction card from February 2006 and a message for everyone asking for the quick way to the top. There isn't one. It takes time and reps. Daniel's first photo is from September 2012, sitting on a roof with a bucket, and it turns out that was the day he nearly walked away from Complex to become a PT until Matty talked him round. Jake's photo from January 2017 takes him back to being 22 with a nine month old daughter, a house he couldn't afford, moving into his factory in East Keilor and losing money just to go to work.

From there, Jake tells the story of the van he bought off his old man for $1,000, driving to Ballarat in winter with the window stuck down, and Ryan, who worked six weeks without pay and is now his construction manager running a $1 billion hospital job. A question from Jace leads into the day they met, a Friday invoice that went in at 3:30 PM and was paid by 5 PM, and the phone call where Jake told him he was going to build the biggest cladding company he'd ever seen. That leads into a real conversation about cash flow and how payment terms can strangle good businesses.

Daniel takes us through writing "you will not outwork me" in his notebook after moving to Queensland at 26 to set up Complex's interstate division, Complex's first hospital at Waurn Ponds and a skylight that leaked like a sieve, putting in the first of around 15,000 panels at Australia 108, a 500kg glass panel near miss, a CLT curtain wall job where the building grew 30mm, and lifting nine metre sheets of glass 70 levels up at Swanston Central. Jake also covers landing next to a three metre tiger snake on site, how he awarded himself Melbourne's number one cladder, and the shed in East Keilor that was his office, bedroom and showroom all at once.

If you work in construction, facades, cladding, glazing, subcontracting, trades, estimating, project management, operations or business ownership, and you've ever wondered how to get there faster, this episode is two blokes who did the time telling you why you can't skip it.

Timestamps:

00:00 Fifteen episodes in seven months, Jake's 2006 red card and why there's no shortcut to tier one

08:22 The 2012 bucket photo and the day Daniel almost quit to become a PT

11:21 22 with a baby, a house he couldn't afford and losing money just to go to work

16:19 Waurn Ponds, Complex's first hospital and a skylight that leaked like a sieve

21:55 Cladding letterboxes and why the small jobs teach you everything

26:00 "You will not outwork me", coffee shop contracts and going solo in Queensland at 26

33:19 The $1,000 van, the neighbour's forklift and Ryan working six weeks unpaid

37:08 Jace's question, an invoice paid the same day, the start of Proline and why cash flow is king

47:43 Australia 108, the first of around 15,000 panels and the Starburst lift 72 levels up

57:34 Ryan's question: landing next to a three metre tiger snake

01:02:30 How Jake made himself Melbourne's number one cladder and filled a box at the MCG

01:07:30 Chompers' pick: a 500kg glass panel near miss at Waurn Ponds

01:11:44 The first CLT curtain wall job and a building that grew 30mm

01:17:16 Jake's East Keilor office, bedroom and showroom, mentors and doing your own marketing

01:23:44 Swanston Central, nine metre glass 70 levels up and why you can't skip the hard years

What does it take to earn respect as a young woman in construction?

In Episode 14 of Behind the Facade, Jake from Proline Group and Daniel from Complex Facade Install sit down with Irene Tartiris for an honest conversation about women in construction, earning respect on site, career progression, leadership and the sacrifices behind building a career in the industry.

Irene takes us back to moving from Greece to Australia at 11 without speaking English, studying architecture and messaging construction companies on Instagram to get her first opportunity. She shares how she balanced work, retail shifts and studying late into the night, then worked her way from residential projects into larger commercial builds.

We get into her time at Mirvac, where she took responsibility for around $40 million in finishes and coordinated multiple subcontractors. Irene opens up about the pressure of those first three months, questioning whether she could do it, and how a supportive project team helped her build the confidence to deliver. She also explains what project coordination actually involves, from procurement and design changes to negotiating variations, managing defects and keeping work on program.

The conversation tackles the challenges Irene has faced as a young woman in construction, including unwanted attention, inappropriate comments and learning to set boundaries. She talks about being the only woman in a room of 30 men, supporting younger women on site and why having someone you can turn to makes such a difference. Jake and Daniel share their perspective on site culture and the responsibility leaders have to build teams where people feel respected and supported.

We also explore Irene’s progression into a senior project coordinator role, knowing when a company can offer genuine growth and when it is time to move on. She shares the personal cost of long hours and ambition, her goal of becoming a project manager, and the residential client-side project management service she has started building alongside her career.

If you work in construction, facades, cladding, glazing, subcontracting, trades, architecture, estimating, project management, operations or business ownership, this episode offers a firsthand look at career progression, workplace culture and the support people need to succeed in the industry.

Timestamps:

00:00 Moving from Greece to Australia at 11 without speaking English

03:13 Studying architecture, messaging builders and getting her first opportunity

08:53 Mirvac, $40 million in finishes and learning to handle the pressure

13:54 Backing yourself, asking for opportunities and refusing to stand still

16:48 Women in construction, unwanted attention and earning respect on site

27:38 Becoming a senior project coordinator and working towards project management

35:23 Bridging architecture and construction, design details and buildability

40:51 Supporting women in construction and the importance of mentors

45:51 Managing pressure, long hours and giving graduates proper support

58:18 Knowing when to stay loyal to a company and when to move on

01:04:51 Leadership, loyalty and helping people succeed as a business grows

01:17:13 The sacrifices behind career progression and starting a business

ABOUT BEHIND THE FACADE

Behind the Facade is a construction podcast hosted by Jake Gorry, Director of Proline Group, and Daniel Alizzi from Complex Facade Install Pty Ltd. The podcast goes behind the scenes of the facade, cladding, glazing and construction industry, sharing real conversations about business, leadership, site work, project delivery, culture and the people building the industry from the ground up.

In Episode 13 of Behind the Facade, Jake from Proline Group and Daniel from Complex Facade Install sit down with Aron Little, Director of A2Z Traffic Management, for a conversation about building a business from scratch, learning through failure and what it really takes to scale quickly in the construction industry.

Aron’s story starts in Melbourne’s west. He left school at around 14 years old, lost his first carpentry job after falling asleep on site, and eventually became a qualified bricklayer. From there, his career took him through earthmoving, trucks and even a smoothie bar in Moonee Ponds before an unexpected conversation overseas introduced him to the traffic management industry.

Despite having no background in traffic management himself, Aron backed the opportunity and moved quickly. What followed was anything but straightforward. He had to learn the industry from the ground up, navigate a difficult business partnership, deal with accreditation problems, lose a major client and keep a growing team employed through some of the most difficult periods of the business.

Today, A2Z Traffic Management has grown to around 50 staff and approximately 30 vehicles on the road, with Aron describing the business as having doubled in size each year since it began.

The conversation gets into the realities of scaling that quickly, why relationships and reputation matter more than competing on price, how Aron uses systems and AI to improve accountability across the business, and why he believes business owners still need to spend time on the front line rather than disappearing completely into the office.

The boys also talk about mentorship, building culture, developing young people, knowing your numbers, dealing with difficult employees and why talented people can still become a liability if they damage the culture around them.

Timestamps:

00:00 Welcome Aron Little and the story behind Episode 13

02:35 Growing A2Z Traffic to around 50 staff and 30 vehicles in under four years

07:06 Becoming a bricklayer and growing up around old-school trades

16:31 From bricklaying to earthmoving, trucks and the opportunity that came during COVID

22:09 Starting A2Z Traffic and the business partnership that didn’t work out

32:24 Losing accreditation, losing a major client and wondering whether the business would survive

39:11 Getting through the hardest period of A2Z and learning to keep moving when everything goes wrong

45:54 Aron’s first major job goes completely wrong

46:55 Hundreds of cars are sent down the wrong detour

49:13 Owning the mistake and learning every detail of traffic management himself

51:12 Why the owner still needs to be on site

55:36 Working in the business versus working on the business

56:33 Backing young people and trusting a 24-year-old to help run the operation

58:17 Why business owners need to move between the office and the front line

01:01:50 What actually happens behind the scenes before a traffic management crew reaches site

01:04:33 Competing on price and why Aron refuses to be the cheapest

01:07:30 Using AI and systems to monitor performance, punctuality and accountability

01:09:47 Why good service is worth paying more for

01:12:27 Aron’s daily routine and why motivation no longer enters the equation

01:14:51 The next five years for A2Z Traffic and Aron’s ambition to keep expanding

01:23:07 How do you know your business is actually working rather than simply surviving through hard work?

01:27:01 What seemed important when you first started but ultimately didn’t matter?

01:32:21 Should you keep highly skilled employees who are bad for the culture?

01:41:09 Final thoughts and what comes next for A2Z Traffic