GEOVERT
For as long as there are areas of difficult terrain in the world , there will be a need for specialised businesses that maintain and construct upon and around them . Such organisations are relatively few and far between , allowing those who understand the concept of highlevel safety and skill in challenging environments to take the spotlight .
Geovert is one such business . Founder and CEO Anthony Teen saw a gap in the market and grasped at the opportunity .
“ There were no companies around specifically doing what we entered the market to do ,” he says . “ It ’ s really a niche engineering market .”
Teen has a great deal of climbing experience behind him , including a variation called ‘ big wall climbing ’, whereby climbers take on the challenge over multiple days , haul equipment with them , and sleep on the cliff face in hanging “ portaledges ” at night . As such , he understands complex safety procedures as well as the nature of the specialist engineering work Geovert undertakes on a daily basis , and is able to spread his expertise from the top down .
The business itself started small . Now , it employs around 400 people and undertakes projects in Australia , New Zealand , Southeast Asia , and the US .
Among the largest projects for Geovert is the Toowoomba Second Range Crossing Project , which is a 41km heavy vehicle route set to transform logistics in Australia . It is funded by the federal Australian government and the local Queensland government , and will ultimately create a safer journey for heavy vehicle drivers and commuters .
“ My first involvement in that area goes back to 2012 ,” says Teen . “ The original Toowoomba Range Road was threatened by a huge block that had been identified as a risk , as it was hanging above a bridge . The Department of Main Roads and really didn ’ t know whether to touch it or leave it . The risk was if they touched it , a several thousand-tonne block
108 December 2017