Well known local business owner , Sam Marino has been quite busy since her gave up his FIFO job , and permanently moved back to Cairns about 15 years ago .
He ’ d spent the fifteen years previous to that based in Cairns , and working in the mining industry in remote locations , after completing his electrical apprenticeship with the FNQEB and then working on the Fremantle Patrol Boats with NQEA .
Eventually , he got sick of being away from Cairns . “ It ’ s a beautiful place we live in , and that was never more evident than when I was working on mine sites . It ’ s so green , and the water , and the reef are just magic .”
Upon his return to Cairns in 2001 , Sam decided that he would look for a business to invest in . “ But It needed to be the right business . I was in no rush , so I took some time off to renovate a house , and do some travelling . I spent three fantastic months in the US , and when I came back , I heard about Beacon Lighting .”
In 2003 , he opened the flagship store on Mulgrave Road . “ Beacon Lighting is Australian owned and operated , which was a huge thing for me . I believe in supporting local . I met with different management , and I had a good feeling about the company , so I decided to give it a go .”
“ I wanted to provide something different for Cairns that the city hadn ’ t seen before . I focussed on getting the right staff , and ensuring the staff provide the best customer service , and delivery on all the promises we made . And we offer an in-home service , where we come to your house with samples and show you what it would look like in your house .
I ’ d like to think that it is those sort of little added touches that have made us successful , even through the difficult years of the GFC .”
Thirteen years later , and he now employs ten staff across his two businesses , Beacon Lighting and Linda ’ s Loot , a business he operates with his wife .
True to his inquisitive personality , Sam was not content with merely running a business . He wanted to learn every aspect of business , so he undertook a Graduate Certificate in Accounting and then graduated from James Cook University with an MBA .
“ I like to ask ‘ why ?’ I often drive people crazy by asking a lot of questions . But I truly believe that you can ’ t make an informed decision until you have all the facts .”
“ I loved doing my MBA . I completed it in two years , which was quite intense . However I was determined to finish it , and everything I was learning made sense , which made it easier to keep going .”
Outside of work , Sam dedicates much of his time to community organisations . He is on the Board of Directors at Cazaly ’ s , a member of a local school Board , the Advance Cairns Advisory Council , and is a Director of Skill360 Australia .
“ I ’ m so lucky to be involved with so many wonderful local organisations . Cairns is a very entrepreneurial town . We do our heavy lifting ourselves .”
And , until recently , Sam was also the President of the Chamber of Commerce , a role he relinquished when he recently accepted the nomination for pre-selection for the Liberal National Party , in the upcoming State elections .
“ I really enjoyed my time with the Chamber . I was very fortunate to have a very good Board and a very good operations team . It ’ s been a great privilege to be on the committee .”
It was this leadership experience that made Sam consider the offer from the LNP .
“ I like change , and I love a challenge .”
“ And I ’ ve got a great life . I ’ m surrounded by really good friends , I ’ ve got my wife and son . I ’ ve got a successful business . So when I was approached for pre-selection , I thought it ’ s about time I gave something back to the community .”
“ Firstly , I knew I had to get it cleared on the home front , so I spoke to Linda , and she would support me wholeheartedly . After that , I went straight to my team to get their input . They do the day to day runnings of my business , and so I wanted to get their feedback before I accepted the nomination .”
“ They were so supportive . They know how passionate I am about the local
community , and how involved I am , so they were 100 % behind me .”
“ They know me better than most people . They know that I ’ ve come from humble beginnings in Innisfail , growing up living in rented accommodation . From where I ’ ve come from , to where I am now , I was a tradie on the tools for many years , then I worked in the mines , I ’ ve been in business . I understand the social issues .“
“ And the final consideration was my nine-year-old son . Let ’ s face it - we have a very vibrant community , but we ’ ve been missing out .”
“ And I ’ ve got a vested interest , in that little boy . I want him to be able to build a life in Cairns . I don ’ t want him to have to leave , which is so very common these days .”
“ There ’ s a brain drain in Cairns . The kids don ’ t have enough to keep them here when they finish school , so they leave . I want to see Cairns prosper , and to have so many opportunities for school leavers and tertiary graduates , that us parents aren ’ t left with kids and grandkids setting up their lives elsewhere .”
Feb | March 2017 | 21