Welcome back to the Oomiak Crew Spotlight series!
Our team is filled to the brim with enthusiastic, experienced, and skilled people – we’re excited to share their stories.
My Role in Oomiak
From beginnings in our Customer Service VIC team, Josh Hawksworth began his Oomiak journey as a Refrigeration Technician.
Showing integrity and a willingness to succeed, Josh was able to turn an injury into a growth opportunity.
“I started with Oomiak as a Refrigeration Technician but sustained an injury, and when I returned, I was doing light duties.
But during this time, I was also helping with some Customer Service Manager responsibilities which led to me working that role full-time,” says Josh.
Josh served the role of Victorian Customer Service Manager until he and his family moved back to Adelaide.
“I moved back to Adelaide for family reasons, and this saw my role develop again, as I began to work with Mark Holden and the Business Development (BD) team – assisting with varying projects,” says Josh.
Leaning into the change of scenery and position, Josh took a sponge-like mentality – soaking in all he can.
“Learning as much as I can from each project, and person I get to encounter has been the foundation of my development at Oomiak. There are a lot of experienced individuals at Oomiak, in all facets of the business and industry,” says Josh.
“A typical day for me is a mix of technical work (heatloads, equipment selection and first draft design drawings), customer correspondence (builder or direct customer, either for fact finding, co-ordination, sales, or problem management), and finance and project management (budgets and monitoring financial spending projections and outcomes),” says Josh.
Best Thing About Working at Oomiak
Following a similar thread, a big tick in Josh’s eyes is the breadth of the industry and the consistent opportunity for development and growth.
“Being the Victorian Customer Service Manager afforded me the opportunity to see many different sites, in many different corners of the industry.
Whereas, managing Capital Project and Business Development endeavours has allowed me to see the other side of refrigeration systems – namely, designing and building them. This range includes fresh produce, food processing, manufacturing, meat, dairy and poultry,” says Josh.
My Career Tips
“The desire to learn has always driven me, especially working at a progressive company like Oomiak. It’s allowed me to constantly learn and improve my experience and knowledge,” says Josh.
This ever-evolving attitude has been key to Josh’s and Oomiak’s success, keeping at the forefront of an ever-changing industry.
“The industrial refrigeration industry has grown and changed to include much smarter controls, management, and monitoring systems. Oomiak has evolved with this change and we’re always striving to be on the forefront of new tech – ensuring these benefits in analytics and efficiencies are passed onto the customer.
Being informed about our industry ensures we can offer correct, up-to-date, and specific advice and services when needed,” says Josh.
But navigating this consistent change is a skill in itself as Josh says, “the best thing about industrial refrigeration is that there is always something to learn, that fact is also my biggest challenge.”
Working within our BD team as the Customer Service Specialist is the latest in a line of efforts that shows Josh’s determination and desire to stay ahead of the curve.
“Being a part of the Business Development team, open communication and relationship building is a huge part of what I do. It’s about really listening and affirming what is required to ensure that Oomiak can deliver the right solution for each project.
Additionally working with the customer to overcome any product, business, environmental and financial challenges, and constraints that may be present,” says Josh.
An integral piece of the puzzle, Josh understands the big picture and the part we all play.
“Oomiak is a one stop shop for industry knowledge and experience and maintaining relationships with customers ensures we are able to render these services when the need arises for any given customer.
Internally though, to achieve this level of service, teamwork is key. We all have a part to play just as our business does, and a business works better for itself and the customer when an open policy of responsibility and growth is adopted – as it is at Oomiak,” says Josh.
Josh’s track record is impressive to say the least, we’re all excited to see what’s yet to come – great work Josh!
