Team Member Profiles

Q. Tell us a little about yourself and your position in the company?

Hi, I’m Jon McGuiggan, I was 21 years old when I joined Avida as a General Hand on the tools in Pre-Delivery and have developed my skills working my way up through the business, understanding all the various models and jobs tasks required to build each model.

I have worked throughout multiple MBUs as a Supervisor and Manager, overseeing prototype builds and having a close relationship with the Engineering MBU.

Over the years working with Avida, there were several occasions where I have had the opportunity to take my family on holidays “glamping in style” in an Avida Motorhome. I always have a lot of people asking questions at campsites about Avida and the various models we build, which makes me feel like an ambassador to the business. It is great to speak with potential customers and see their enthusiasm while talking to them about the business.

Q. How does working for Avida compare to working for other companies?

Avida is a very professional environment with our SQSCT categories, safety always being at the forefront. Everyone at Avida is super friendly, the culture and people really make it an enjoyable place to work.

Q. What do you find most challenging about your role at Avida?

Our continuous improvement is about evolving the product, ensuring we are up to date with all our industry standards which helps drive our vision and our quality. This ensures our customers receive a vehicle of high quality and this ensures “we create the vehicle that fulfils our customer’s dream lifestyle”.

Q. What is the most rewarding part of your role?

Avida is an Australian business supporting other local businesses and jobs in the local community. I admire the effort and hard work everyone contributes to building an Australian manmade product.

Q. What do you enjoy doing in your spare time?

I enjoy playing golf, going to the beach, camping and DIY projects around home – my last DIY project was building a mancave! I have 2 boys (15 and 11), they play guitar and piano and both are into martial arts. I like to grow my own produce such as passionfruit, olives and citrus trees.

Q. Tell us a little about yourself and your position in the company?

The Trusty caretaker of our Avida System – Craig Parris.

After a 20 year career in IT, I joined Avida a bit over 5 years ago. I had worked in a variety of businesses, including a large fashion house that owned brands like Rivers, Millers and Katies.

At Avida (my title is officially IT Analyst) my primary responsibility is to look after our internal systems and reporting platforms that support the business on a daily basis.

Unfortunately, people often confuse this with the other part of IT which is around desktop support, laptops and printers – this is actually handled by PCSoft, our outsourced provider.

Q. How does working for Avida compare to working for other companies?

It’s difficult to compare easily as there are different elements that are good and bad in companies.

I have found Avida, and the people here, to be extremely friendly and easy to relate to.

A big advantage for me is the closeness of the office to home – it’s much closer than previous locations and I really like that!

There is what I would call “manageable pressure”, and while things are full on during the day, I am able to leave it behind when I walk out the door.

The other difference is that it is my first role as a direct employee in a manufacturing company – I have consulted before but not been a direct employee.

Q. What do you find most challenging about your role at Avida?

The biggest challenge I find is in juggling the large amount of competing priorities. The demands are fluid, can change regularly and it requires a lot of adaptability.

Q. What is the most rewarding part of your role?

I really enjoy being part of the implementation, and provision, of factory information. I love seeing the impact of what I do in making a difference and providing a benefit to important business decision-making.

Q. What do you enjoy doing in your spare time?

I guess you would call me somewhat of a ‘creative’.

For a long while I have been into music, starting with playing in cover bands around Sydney. I can play guitar and piano and have a reasonable singing voice. While I was originally a ‘metalhead’ (and still am inside!) and continue to enjoy being in the moshpit, my tastes have mellowed a little to the extent that my all-time favourite performers are the Bee Gees.

I also spend some spare time drawing (a few examples of my work are shown in the collage) using pastels to capture landscapes, buildings, floral arrangements. If anyone wants a bespoke piece of art I am more than happy to take commissions!

My two daughters are now 22 and 20 years old, and my wife Annette works in the Engineering team here. When we can, we love to travel – my most recent highlight was discovering parts of the North Island of New Zealand which I can strongly recommend.

Q. Tell us a little about yourself and your position in the company?

I am currently the Receptionist at Avida and have been working here for just over 6 months now. My work history has always involved customer service and admin roles, and I have also worked as a Teacher’s Aide.

Q. How does working for Avida compare to working for other companies?

My current role is completely different to my last roles as it isn’t as “face to face” as I have experienced in the past. The majority of our customers are from an older generation, and has been a nice change, but the work in general is different as I have never worked for a company within the recreational vehicle industry.

Q. What do you find most challenging about your role at Avida?

I sometimes find it to be overwhelming when a large number of calls comes through at once, but I am always supported by my fellow Admin colleagues who jump in when needed. I’m still familiarising myself with Avida, but the extensive support that I receive from all departments within the company really helps!

Q. What is the most rewarding part of your role?

Getting the job done! Throughout each day, I add to my list of priorities and highlight my completed tasks – I love to look back on each day to see what I have accomplished as I see it as a reward. Also meeting new people every day, whether it be over the phone or face to face allows me to build relationships with customers and colleagues.

Q. What do you enjoy doing in your spare time?

What spare time!? I have three energetic sons (22 and twins who are 18) that keep me very busy and on my toes. When they’re not talking to me about Transformers or Anime, we like to spend quality time together such as gardening. I’m really into fairy gardens and crafty things, I’m currently into wood burning. I like to dabble through different crafty projects too.

Q. Tell us a little about yourself and your position in the company?

I’m Minh (people also know me as Michael), and I’ve been working at Avida for 8 months. I started off as an Assembler, and within 3 months was promoted to a Technical Specialist in the Build MBU. I was also acting as the Team Leader for Build A for almost two months earlier this year. I was born in Vietnam and migrated to Australia when I was 6. We left Vietnam on a refugee boat in 1979 and my family and I were very fortunate to arrive in Sydney.

Q. How does working for Avida compare to working for other companies?

My role at Avida is exciting and challenging for me. It motivates me to learn more, everyday is a learning curve, and it’s also a motivator to meet new people. Prior to working here, I have 20 something years working in the Public Service, and I’ve worked for the Commonwealth Bank.

Q. What do you find most challenging about your role at Avida?

There is so much to learn here, each vehicle has different specifications, so understanding each model and remembering is a challenge for everyone! But I enjoy problem solving and challenging myself. It keeps my brain going!

Q. What is the most rewarding part of your role?

Completing your tasks on time is rewarding and gives me a sense of accomplishment. Looking at all the finished vehicles up the line and knowing that you had a role to play in building also gives me a sense of satisfaction, as we are building the vehicle that fulfils our customer’s dream lifestyle. It’s a privilege to be part of the Build MBU.

Q. What do you enjoy doing in your spare time?

My spare time is not much, but family is my spare time, family is very important to me, and we like to eat. I’m a foodie and a big seafood person, Barluck is my favourite Chinese/Vietnamese restaurant at Cabramatta. I love listening to music, R&B and hip-hop are my favourite genres, as well as Vietnamese songs. I love playing Sudoku, and I eat and breathe basketball, I also used to coach the under 18’s. I also enjoyed playing mixed netball during the offseason many moons ago and I love travelling back to my country.

Tanya celebrates her 7^th anniversary with Avida this month. Currently in the Pre-Delivery MBU, Tanya has previously worked in the Electrical MBU.

Q. Tell us a little about yourself and your position in the company?

I am currently overseeing Line A in the Pre-Delivery MBU where, after receiving a completed vehicle from Quality Gate 3, I ensure that the final product meets all requirements. This involves me in various activities including appliance testing, ensuring that all accessories and componentry has been correctly installed, and generally ensuring compliance to all product standards.

On a personal front, I am a devoted Mum to 3 terrific daughters (25, 21 and 16), and that is my main role outside of Avida – and one that I love immensely.

Q. How does working for Avida compare to working for other companies?

Even though it has been a while since working outside Avida, the answer is very easy……it’s the people. There is just something special about this place and the people I work with. There is a much better dynamic here than any other organisation I’ve worked for in the past.

The camaraderie and friendships I have here make working with these people particularly enjoyable – and we occasionally see each other outside work as well. We have all been through a lot together. I even attend a functional fitness program that Jimmy Watts runs.

Q. What do you find most challenging about your role at Avida?

The constant challenge is to maintain the high quality of product that Avida is proud to stand by. Sometimes it can be frustrating if processes aren’t fully followed, or things slip through that we have to pick up at the final inspection.

The most challenging part of any organisation like ours is the people – getting the right ones, with the right attitude and having a very high care factor. At the end of the day, it’s all about the people.

Q. What is the most rewarding part of your role?

Absolutely, it is handing over a high-quality product to our customer, firstly the dealer and ultimately the owner, that I am proud of. Every day I get to be at the pointy end of our vision – delivering a vehicle that fulfils our customer’s dream lifestyle.

The other rewarding part, as I’ve already said, is spending time with my team and other workmates – I look forward to seeing them every day.

Q. What do you enjoy doing in your spare time?

There are a couple of things that I enjoy:

• Kicking my shoes off, putting my feet up, and having a glass of wine;
• I’ll often find a good True Crime show to watch on television, and I also love watching ‘The Doghouse’- it’s a show about rescued dogs! Actually, I have a rescue dog, Zeus, a Staffy cross, who’s a constant companion;
• Spending quality time with my girls – in particular shopping, but also having a coffee or just enjoying each other’s company;
• Gardening is also an enjoyment – particularly that feeling of reward and satisfaction from looking at the lawn I have just mown!

Q. Tell us a little about yourself and your position in the company?

As part of my new role as Production Manager – Supply, I look after all supply MBU’s. I have been in businesses producing Vehicles for Emergency Services and Airport Maintenance over the last 15 years.

Q. How does working for Avida compare to working for other companies?

I’ve found my time at Avida to be very positive and the business in general has a real energy working towards that positivity. Businesses I’ve come from aren’t quite as positive.

Q. What do you find most challenging about your role at Avida?

Initially getting to know everyone. There are a lot of names to remember! It’s a little early to know what the biggest challenge will be going forward, however, so far I’d say it’s improving quality and identifying areas we can achieve that.

Q. What is the most rewarding part of your role?

Working with my teams to help make everyday improvements.

Q. What do you enjoy doing in your spare time?

I’m a big Football (soccer) fan. Both playing and watching. I like spending time with the family on the water and travelling.