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Bennett has a long history. It was founded by Frank Bennett and continued by his family for several generations. The commercial building business was highly successful and at one point had diversified into equipment hire, hardware and cranes. Recently the company has become part of Lipman, another family owned construction business and continues the traditions of its founder.
The Bennett story starts when Frank Bennett moved to the Northern Rivers of NSW in 1936 to accept a position as Clerk of Works. But after two years (in 1938) he implemented his dream to establish his own construction business specialising in commercial building projects.
Frank’s drive, determination and integrity earned him a reputation for keeping promises: delivering top-quality work: and making a positive contribution to the community.
In 1956, Frank brought his son, Col, into the business. Col contributed to the company’s growth by increasing its capability to manage large construction projects. He helped consolidate the company reputation for delivering top-quality work that Frank had established.
In 1959, Frank and Col Bennett formed a formal partnership that was in place until Frank’s retirement in 1963. The business was passed to Col. Under his management, the business expanded and diversified in the following decades. Bennett Hire, Bennett Paint and Hardware and Bennett Cranes were all established to complement the activities of Bennett.
When Col Bennett died in 2003 his wife, Margaret, became the sole owner of the business. Her continued commitment ensured that Bennett continued to grow and to maintain its reputation for excellence.
In 2005 Margaret’s son-in-law, Darryl Piper, was appointed Managing Director. In 2006, a decision was made to sell the hire and crane divisions. This enabled the business to focus its management expertise and resources into commercial construction. This proved a successful strategy with Bennett going on to earn many prestigious industry awards for their commercial building projects.
In 2016 negotiations were started with Lipman to acquire Bennett. It was important for the Bennett family that its reputation and legacy would be maintained and Lipman were the right organisation to do that. Lipman and Bennett are organisations that shared similar values, were based in their communities going on to earn many prestigious industry awards for their commercial building projects
and were both privately owned, family businesses. Therefore, the acquisition by Lipman was accepted.
Lipman as a construction firm had been established by Philip Lipman and his wife Moira, in 1966. They founded the business against the norms of the day by entering open book, negotiated contracts with clients.
Bennett still trades under its original name to represent the values that it has established. It is still a family owned and operated business with a strong culture driven by values and integrity that Lipman supports and strengthens.
Choosing Bennett for your project places it in the skilled hands of our experienced management team backed by decades of retained industry knowledge.
