‘When you find something you love, stick with it’ is a mantra that certainly rings true for Tania Tonks, Metricon's Regional Manager based in Kialla. Having been with Metricon now for 17 years (and counting) the self-confessed country girl shows no signs of slowing down, moving on or switching roles, and truly loves what she does – helping people build their dream homes in regional Victoria. She kindly took some time out of her busy day to answer a few questions and share insights into what she loves most about the role and the life she’s built for herself in Kialla.
Tania, what made you join Metricon all those years ago? And what was your first role?
“My old boss had actually moved across to Metricon and he said “Tan, I need your help. Our receptionist has gone down unwell. She's hospitalised, can you come in and help us? And I said, I know what you're like I'm if I come over, I'm not staying I'm telling you now. And he goes, Yeah, that's okay. I just need your help.” At the time, Metricon in regional north had only been operation for around four months. So, they were very new to the area. Then basically, I didn't leave the role, even though I told him that I was not going to stay. I did, I stayed. The first role I had was more of an administration reception type role. Then I agreed to stay on as a casual basis. Then I was actually lucky enough to be offered the Area Manager role for Shepparton, where I was in charge of construction, all the sales and marketing and all the operational functions as well."
What are some of your favourite things about working for Metricon?
"Ultimately, it’s about the people. I feel very fortunate that within my whole career, I've always been backed by the business. The senior leadership has always been especially supportive, that has made any role that I've had here achievable, because I always have confidence that I have got that that backing.
I just love that there's always something to resolve. I'm wired to tackle challenges and find solutions and have a real drive to win and succeed, to really help people and bring them up. In this role, I feel so fortunate that I'm able to do that every day. I know it sounds corny, but I just I get so much enjoyment from seeing people succeed."
What areas do you and your team look after?
"We focus on the northern areas of Victoria , so we pick up Macedon, Gisborne, Romsey and push across to Alexandria, Kilmore, and then all the way up to Mansfield, Albury Wodonga, as far as Wagga. Then we push along all the border, so we actually are in southern New South Wales as well all the way along to a Yarrawonga, Echuca, Moama. We push back down to Bendigo too. If I jump in my car and drive from one end to the other non-stop, it'll take me about five and a half hours."
What keeps you inspired?
"Every day, I get up and put on my Metricon cap, it doesn't matter if it's a weekend because in this role, it's like being a business owner, so you're on the go all the time. I'm always seeking opportunities and that can be from a business, from a sales opportunity, or it could be an opportunity for one of my people. I’ve joined the Affordable Housing Committee Group for the City of Greater Shepparton, where I live locally, which I think is really important. Being a part of that is making a difference in our community, but also opening some doors and really creating greater opportunities my people too. I really just love that every day is different. Every day is exciting. There truly is a new opportunity around the corner every single day."
How many homes have you built yourself with Metricon?
"I've built too many! My husband and I joke that we're going to build every Metricon home design so we can experience living in them all. We’ve built a Santorini 29, a Mantra 29, a Tulloch 22, a Whittlesea 29 and in the system right now, which is going to be our forever home, is a Botanica 36. We’re building this one in Kialla. That block’s our forever block. It’s got beautiful views of the bushland."
Happiest memories from your 17 years with the business?
"I have two I’d love to share. I've been in my current role as Regional Manager, Regional North, for eight years. The thing that I worked on the hardest, and it took me about six years, was to actually create a great culture within the regional North team. We now have a team of people that get along really well. We've created this beautiful culture and it actually radiates out to our customers, they are family. The building manager that works here for regional north has been with us now for 14 years; our customer service manager has been with us for 11 years, my production manager has been with us for 11 years too. The sales manager, one of them has been with us for two and a half years. We're also bringing a lot of new, new fresh people into our industry too, which is invigorating the new ideas. So that's probably the proudest moment that I've got.
The second memory is when I was first approached for the role that I have now. It was a really proud moment for me because, at the time, I was the youngest woman within Victoria who was doing that type of role for Metricon. I've been really fortunate though, especially in that I started in the industry when I was 25. Now as time has gone on, I find that it's actually to my advantage to be a female, because a lot of developers and business owners prefer working with me because of my drive and passion."
Have you got a favourite customer story you'd like to share?
"We’re so lucky to deal with so many wonderful customers. The ones that really touch me the most are the young ones, the young people, by themselves who build their first home, I was really fortunate to take a deposit for a customer who, I then visited again for their home handover. Just to see the pride in his face was a lovely moment. I've got a young girl who built a home with us. She sold her first home and made a profit on it, so she came to Shepparton and built another one. Now she's talking about the next one she's building. There's so many wonderful customers and stories, I couldn't just pick one. We see our customers, when we walk down the street, we see our customers when we go to lunch, you might go to a party and see a customer. There are so many good stories."
Discover more about the benefits of a move to regional Victoria or meet a couple who recently built their dream home, a Davenport 34, in Axe Creek Bendigo here. If you’re a local keen to build a new home in Northern Regional Victoria, you can get in touch with Tania and her team here.
