History
Founded by Vince Ridolfo in the late fifties, the Ridolfo group of companies is the Western Australian-owned parent company of Ridcon Properties. With a rich history spanning nearly 60 years, the Group has grown from a family business to a diverse and successful service-based organisation.
In The Beginning
In 1957 the State Electricity Commission of WA (now Western Power) required significant quantities of hardwood jarrah poles to construct power lines across the State. Chosen as the utility’s main pole supplier Vince Ridolfo provided a complete pole supply service: locating suitable long straight timber; harvesting it from the forest; debarking the trees by axe; before loading and transporting the finished poles to their final destination.
Vince started out with just a single truck and a reputation for hard work, reliability and resourcefulness. The need to transport the poles was how the Ridolfo family was introduced to the challenging business of logistics, where efficient customer service was as important then as it is today.
Diversification
The Ridolfo Group also built dams and owned and operated the largest private gold mine in Australia. The Ridolfo family itself operated a sheep and cattle farm, and even opened a restaurant – called, naturally, Ridolfo’s – in Perth’s vibrant Northbridge district.
A Family Business
Very much a family business, Anthony Ridolfo – son of the late Vince Ridolfo – joined the business in 1994 after completing a business finance degree. His first major strategic influence was to attain QA certification for the company in 1996. Certification allowed the Ridolfo Group to also service public sector clients.
Daniel Ridolfo, Anthony’s younger brother, on completing his apprenticeship as a heavy duty diesel mechanic with WesTrac equipment, brought his commercial experience to the business in 2005, under the banner of DGR Diesel Services. Now a true family business, Daniel was responsible for maintaining the ever-growing fleet of equipment for the group.
Later in 2010 Vince and Domenica Ridolfo were inducted into the National Road Transport Hall of Fame – testament to their family’s lifelong commitment to the industry.
Growth and Acquisition
After steady growth in its transport services arm trading as “Ridolfo Transport”, in 2001 The Group acquired a division of Wesfarmers Transport – catapulting the then small company into the big league of WA Transport. The acquisition grew the workforce from 15 to 80 employees under the newly rebranded “Ridolfo Logistics Services”.
Continued growth in the logistics, pole supply, property development and newly created transport maintenance divisions created the need for some restructuring within The Group.
In 2005 four separate entities were created under the guidance of Managing Director Anthony Ridolfo: Intercon Logistics, Western Poles Company, Ridcon Properties and DGR Diesel Services. The restructuring allowed each division to stay focused on its strategic priorities and created opportunities for future growth.
In 2008 Intercon Logistics acquired leading container transport operator, M&J Millar to enhance its container transport offering and to service the mining and resources sector. The merged companies initially traded as “Intercon Millar Logistics” and ultimately “IML Logistics” following the company’s final rebrand in 2011. By this stage IML Logistics operated in Western Australia from depots in Jandakot, Picton, Keysbrook and Karratha and employed nearly 200 people.
New Strategic Direction
Following impressive growth the Western Poles Company was sold in 2012 to USA based multinational Koppers, followed a year later with IML being acquired by national logistics player Qube Holdings.
Today the Group’s strategic focus is on the growth of Ridcon Properties – an established and highly experienced property development business, providing comprehensive portfolio management, property development, property maintenance and leasing services. Ridcon Properties together with its inhouse construction division AVR Construction, services local and national clients looking to develop and occupy commercial facilities across Perth’s broad metropolitan and industrial area.
