Walcha’s industrial heart has a fresh energy with Linmac Co, a locally owned engineering and steel fabrication business, now under new ownership.
Co-owner Deanne Baines said the decision to take on Linmac Co came from a desire to ensure Walcha continued to have access to essential mechanical and fabrication services without residents having to travel to larger centres like Tamworth or Armidale.
“Our hope for the business and for the town is to provide a service locally and keep the jobs in town,” she said. “If we weren’t to have Linmac in Walcha, it would be a real pain for a lot of people not having that service here.”
The business was officially taken over in September by Deanne and her husband, alongside local farming couple (and Farmer Wants A Wife success story/strong Walcha advocates) Charlie Norton and Dr Ali Jones. The new owners have kept the same trusted staff while introducing a few exciting changes of their own.
“All of our staff have stayed on, which is fantastic,” Deanne said.
“We’ve got two boilermakers, two shop staff, and we’ve welcomed a small engine mechanic to the team. He’s doing repairs and servicing on everything from chainsaws and lawn mowers to quad bikes and buggies, really important stuff that people rely on every day.”
Since taking the reins, the Linmac Co team has been busy giving the shop a makeover. With a new coat of paint, reorganised layout, and an expanded range of retail products, the store has a fresh new look that reflects the enthusiasm of its new owners.
“We’ve given the shop a bit of a revamp,” Deanne said. “We’re bringing in a few new products and expanding our retail side, while still continuing everything Linmac was known for.”
Taking over an existing business has different challenges to starting from scratch. The pros of having existing systems and customers are offset with the cons of having to do all the new business things of setting up accounts and supplier contracts in the new owner names at speed to ensure the customers are not put off by the normal new business bumps. You also need to sort out what to keep, and which parts of the business need refreshing or discarding.
While the changes have brought excitement, Deanne said stepping into the business world has been a steep learning curve.
“It’s definitely been a lot of work in preparation,” she said. “With a mechanic and engineering business, there are so many suppliers and different parts to manage.
“It’s been a bit of an effort to get all of those accounts up and running again and get the shop fully stocked.”
The business is a Husqvarna dealer and BOC gas agency, stocking a wide range of tools, parts and workwear accessories including Kincrome, Macnaught, Bosch batteries, JAK Max, YOWY, Safestyle and Farmher Hands. Deanne said the process of getting everything set up and changed over has been made easier thanks to the support of the existing staff, who have stayed on and helped guide the new owners through the transition.
“The staff have been great in assisting us and telling us what we need to do and who we need to contact,” she said. “They’ve been really helpful and we’ve been lucky to have them on board to get things going.”
Looking ahead, Deanne said there are plans to continue expanding the retail space and product range, as well as maintaining and growing the business’s steel fabrication work, including custom trays and farm builds.
“We want to stay competitive so people can get things done locally instead of having to go elsewhere,” Deanne said. “It’s all about being affordable and providing a service for the town that everyone can use.”
The community’s response has been overwhelmingly positive, with locals pleased to see the business remain in local hands and continue to provide the services Walcha relies on.
“Everyone seems really happy that we’ve taken it on and are still providing all the services the town needs,” Deanne said. “The local support has been great, and that’s really encouraging for us.”
In this series New England Times Investigates is unpacking some of the dynamics and forces driving our new business boom, and meeting some of the new business owners having a go. Read all the stories in this series here.
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