One of the first things you’ll notice when you meet Royal Wolf’s Toowoomba Branch Manager, David Tasker, is his can-do attitude and positive demeanour. When it comes to getting the job done, nothing is too much trouble – even if it means responding to requests on the weekend.
David says his hardworking approach is a result of his rural upbringing.
“I grew up in the country, where your day started when you got up in the morning and it finished when you climbed into bed,” he says.
He applies the same mindset to his role at Royal Wolf.
“This job’s not a nine to five job. Even though I’m only in the office at set times, my mobile phone is with me all the time.”
The main reason, he explains, is he wants to treat people the same way he would like to be treated. So if a customer calls on a weekend with an urgent request, David will do everything in his power to make it happen.
“I make myself available to everyone for one simple reason,” he says. “If I was ever in a pickle, I would want the same thing.”
JOINING THE PACK
Before taking on the Branch Manager position at Royal Wolf last September, David worked in a wide variety of roles across a broad range of industries, from running his own butcher shop at 18, to a long career in corrections, before moving into sales.
“My philosophy is if you’re not enjoying something, get out and find something that you enjoy. Since I’ve come to this position, from day one I’ve enjoyed coming to work,” David says.
“Royal Wolf feels like a big family. You hear about employers who talk the talk, but they don’t walk the walk, but at Royal Wolf you’re actually treated as a person instead of a number, and that’s across the board with everyone that I’ve dealt with.”
A perfect example of this, David says, is when he received a handwritten card and a phone call from Royal Wolf CEO Neil Littlewood wishing him a happy birthday last year. It’s something he has never experienced before in all his years of working.
“When you’re getting that kind of input from your CEO all the way down, it says a lot about a company,” David says.
Since joining the company, David has also discovered a kinship with other Royal Wolf staff, as well as his local customers.
“Because I’m a country boy at heart and they’re ridgy didge country people, they’ve taken me like I’ve taken them, and it’s worked out really well. The relationships I’ve built in my time here are going to be lifelong relationships,” he says.
FUTURE VISION
As the only member of staff at Royal Wolf’s Toowoomba branch, David says there’s a lot of variety in his role, and every day is different.
“In my position as the Branch Manager I do everything. I’m responsible for drumming up business, I’m responsible for making sure the transport’s organised, I’m responsible for the whole kit and kaboodle,” he explains.
But he hopes to see the business expand over the coming months, as Toowoomba and the surrounding region grows and develops.
“The growth, not just in Toowoomba but also the outlying areas, is probably the biggest in Queensland. Toowoomba is going to turn into a major hub for agriculture, transport, you name it.
“So, my aim for the next few months is for us to have our own yard, and even have two or three other people working with me, and to have the Toowoomba branch become one of the leading branches in Queensland. I think that’s a tall ask, but if you don’t aim big, you sink.”
