Haseda Fazlic, Commonwealth Bank Australia; Roy Wilson, NuGrow Pty Ltd; Jordan Grives, Fonebox; Wayne Romer, Deswick Group Pty Ltd; Bruce and Denise Morcombe, Daniel Morcombe Foundation; Deb Farnworth-Wood, Australian Skin Clinics; Rafael Luna (Universal Communications Group Ltd); Paul Laxon, OMP Brisbane
NuGrow founder and Managing Director, Roy Wilson, has recently been named one of EY’s 2016 Entrepreneur of the Year National Finalists (Northern Region), proving there’s more to waste than meets the eye.
With experience in the agriculture sector from a young age, and starting his early working life in the quarry industry, Roy has always shown a knack for increasing productivity by improving the quality of soil.
In 2001, he launched NuGrow with the primary purpose of recycling organic waste materials to create a high-quality soil conditioner.
There was no product like it available in the market and Roy began to win over agricultural and industry clients who quickly saw the benefits of the superior product.
“That’s the ideal in business – you find a gap and fill it – and not only were we providing a much-needed product, but we were doing it by finding new value in waste from other operations,” Roy said.
“We’ve proven that businesses can be profitable while meeting a higher standard and, as a result, have been able to influence a step change in regulation in our industry,” he said.
“Looking back, I’m proud to see how we pioneered world-first waste processing techniques that have delivered extraordinary value back to clients as well as communities and the environment.”
Fifteen years since the doors to NuGrow first opened, the family-owned business is now a multi-million-dollar enterprise with a team of more than 25 people pursuing interstate and even international opportunities.
The business’ services span waste transport, waste processing and recycling, product manufacturing and supply, and land rehabilitation.
The team continues to challenge itself and the market with initiatives such as a program to replace synthetic fertiliser with organic-based compost on agricultural land while achieving improved productivity.
NuGrow is also responsible for Queensland’s first and only Food Organics Garden Organics (FOGO) recycling service, delivered in conjunction with Ipswich City Council – the city Roy calls home.