October is Small Business Month! And to celebrate, we’re highlighting some of the great small businesses we have throughout the region. Read all the stories here.
Today for Small Business Month, we’re celebrating three local businesses with a different approach: disability service built on a genuine relationship, cool rooms on the move, and finance solutions for business.
BAM Disability Services
Building relationships that matter
New England
For BAM Disability Services, support starts with something that can’t be measured on a checklist: a genuine relationship.
Owned and operated by friends Jen and Jacob, who have known each other for more than 15 years, BAM was created with a simple goal – to provide an inclusive, supportive environment where people living with disability can feel valued, understood and empowered to live fulfilling lives.
The pair bring strong knowledge of the NDIS and management experience to the business, but it’s their focus on people that sits at the heart of what BAM does.
Providing one-to-one and group support, NDIS application support, as well as lawn and maintenance services, BAM currently works with clients across Armidale, Uralla, Tamworth, Guyra and Inverell.
A key part of the BAM approach is carefully matching support workers with participants. Rather than taking a one-size-fits-all approach, the team considers the individual and aims to create support relationships where people feel comfortable, heard and understood.
Jen and Jacob have also built the business around their belief that family matters – not just to the people they support, but to their staff as well. They want both clients and team members to feel respected, valued and part of something bigger.
Whether someone needs regular one-to-one support, wants to take part in group activities or needs help navigating the NDIS, BAM focuses on creating supportive connections and practical assistance tailored to the individual.
For Jen and Jacob, it comes back to the relationships: supporting people in a way that recognises who they are, what matters to them and what they want from life.
Chill Mate Hire
Keeping things cool, with local expertise behind the scenes
Guyra
When you need temporary cold storage, reliability matters. For Guyra-based family business Chill Mate Hire, that reliability comes from more than simply having equipment available — the business has qualified refrigeration and electrical tradespeople behind it.
Locally owned and operated by Brody Hoffman and his family, Chill Mate Hire services Armidale and the wider New England region, providing mobile coolroom and freezer hire for events, businesses, emergency services and customers who need temporary cold storage.
The business also offers 3.5-tonne car trailer hire, along with delivery and setup of its coolrooms and freezers. For customers with more specialised needs, Chill Mate Hire can also design and build custom coolrooms and freezers.
That combination of hire services and trade expertise is a key part of what sets the business apart. Equipment is maintained and repaired in-house, meaning customers can deal directly with people who understand the machinery and can provide assistance when required.
The team also aims to make hiring as straightforward as possible, offering flexible delivery and setup and 24/7 trailer hire and collection. Equipment is kept clean and well maintained, while customers have the benefit of dealing with a local business rather than a large hire operation.
From keeping the coolrooms running to building something completely customised, Chill Mate Hire is putting practical trade knowledge behind a simple goal: making temporary refrigeration and equipment hire easier for customers across the New England.
SFE Loans
No-nonsense finance, with a local connection
Maclean, Clarence Valley
When it comes to business finance, Sarah Eifermann believes there’s no substitute for understanding what is really happening inside a business.
Sarah is the founder of SFE Loans, bringing almost 25 years of experience in finance broking, with a particular focus on business finance since 2019. Based in the Clarence Valley since 2021, she works with businesses across a range of industries, with particular experience in trade and medical businesses.
SFE Loans assists with a range of business finance needs, including overdrafts, equipment finance, commercial loans, property finance and SMSF lending.
Sarah describes her approach as “No Bull” – and that directness is something her clients appreciate. With a Bachelor of International Relations and a Diploma of Financial Services, she combines formal qualifications with decades of practical experience helping businesses work through financial challenges.
Her experience includes assisting with finance for projects such as Maclean Radiology and the internal fit-outs for Maclean Medical. Rather than simply looking at the loan a client is asking for, Sarah takes the time to understand the bigger picture and work out what may be the most appropriate pathway.
That practical approach extends into the community. Sarah is currently Vice President of the Maclean District Business Chamber and is an active volunteer, seeing strong local businesses as an important part of a thriving regional economy.
For Sarah, finance is also about relationships and trust. Business owners often need to share sensitive financial information to access the right support, and she believes that should always be handled with discretion and respect.
Based in the Clarence Valley, SFE Loans is helping local businesses navigate finance with experience, straight talking and a distinctly local perspective.
Throughout October, we’ll run stories highlighting the great local businesses we have right here in our communities. This is a free service – the businesses highlighted have not paid for this story.
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