When Rob took over ACM Removals in 2016, he inherited a 15-year-old Christchurch-based business at a pivotal time in the industry. New regulatory requirements and an increased focus on health and safety in asbestos removal presented both challenges and opportunities for growth, requiring a complete rethink of not just their operations, but also how they communicated their services to the market.

Following the Christchurch earthquakes, Rob observed that the quality of work in the rebuilding phase wasn’t meeting the standards he envisioned for the industry. The prevailing “she’ll be right” attitude didn’t align with his vision for excellence in asbestos removal services. This prompted a bold decision to relocate the company to Auckland and completely reinvent its approach to service delivery.

“When we purchased the company in 2016, we came in at the very beginning of the whole health and safety aspects associated with the asbestos removal,” Rob explains. “I rewrote all the policies and procedures, brought us into conformity with regulations, and we participated in all the associations trying to gain better knowledge of the industry.”

Part of this transformation involved developing a clear digital presence that would effectively communicate ACM’s commitment to quality and compliance. Like many aspects of the business at that time, their digital marketing efforts needed significant improvement to match their ambitious standards.

The Challenge

Before partnering with Ark Advance, ACM Removals was working with an offshore digital marketing company. The arrangement proved challenging due to time zone differences and communication barriers. Most frustratingly, Rob couldn’t quantify the return on his marketing investment.

“I was dealing with an offshore company that was delivering what I thought was value. Unfortunately, the time difference was an issue, and I could never quantify it. I could never say, ‘I know this is the right thing to be doing.’ Why am I spending this advertising money? What am I getting at the end of the day?”

Working with Ark Advance

Rob wanted a local partner who could provide clear, actionable insights and be readily available for face-to-face meetings. “I want to be able to shake Chris’s hand. I want to know who’s running the ship,” he says. “I want to actually know what I’m doing.”

The Solution

Ark Advance worked with ACM Removals to develop a focused digital strategy that clearly communicated their commitment to quality and regulatory compliance. Regular reporting and analytics helped Rob understand exactly how his marketing budget was performing.

“What I find with my digital strategy and how Ark assists me in that area, it helps me define my focus,” Rob explains. “When I first came into the industry and we haphazardly used SEO and Google advertising, the message we were trying to deliver wasn’t focused. It wasn’t pinpointed the way that Ark’s been able to do for us.”

The Results

The partnership has helped ACM Removals achieve market-leading positions in multiple areas. “If you take a look at my numbers and where we stand in the whole rankings, we’ve done an extremely good job and in a lot of areas, we’re number one because of Ark,” Rob says.

As a busy general manager and director, Rob particularly values the way Ark Advance handles the complexities of digital marketing. “I’ve got many areas within this business that I’ve got to look at and I don’t want to have to worry about my digital presence and performance. I’d rather pay for somebody that knows how to do it, do it, and deliver high quality. That’s what I’m finding you guys at Ark are doing!”

Looking Forward

ACM Removals has built strong foundations for growth, with robust processes and procedures in place. Rob sees the company expanding its geographical presence across New Zealand, from the far north to the South Island.

“Build your building blocks and your base wide,” Rob says. “Build it wide and put the right people in place so that you can expand. We’ve done that. All of our processes, all of our procedures, all of the many ways that we do the different aspects of our business is available now for building. I can see us bridging a need that is being looked at in the whole industry across a nationwide footprint.”

In a lot of areas, we’re number one because of Ark.