We’re honoured to share that Site Sentry features in Westpac’s inaugural W Talks report, The Scale-up Opportunity: Australia’s Next Decade, and in the Australian Financial Review’s coverage of the report, Planning beyond the cycle.
Produced in partnership with The Demographics Group, led by Bernard Salt AM, the report explores the forces that will shape Australian business over the coming decade — population growth, a $120 billion-plus infrastructure pipeline, major global events and the practical adoption of new technology. Alongside the data and expert perspectives, Westpac chose a handful of real-world businesses to illustrate what scaling up actually looks like. We’re proud that Site Sentry is one of them.
Our story, as they told it
The report’s case study, “Site Sentry secures growth and scale,” goes right back to the beginning. In 2013, Paul McKiernan was managing his family’s construction business in Perth and losing materials to theft and vandalism. Jason Nuttman had been working in renewable energy. Together they built the first prototype of a solar-powered security tower — in the backyard of Paul’s mother’s home.
Today, Site Sentry employs around 20 people, has a group turnover of approximately A$27 million, and has averaged more than 60 per cent year-on-year growth in Western Australia. We now work nationally with tier-one builders including Multiplex, Laing O’Rourke, John Holland and Built, and resource leaders such as BHP, Chevron, Mineral Resources and Roy Hill.
The report also highlights how we’ve diversified — moving into event security, where our first NSW client was the Sydney Opera House, providing security for the New Year’s Eve fireworks, and launching our sister company Fortawall, which manufactures and supplies temporary fencing structures for events, industrial zones, construction and defence projects.
The lessons behind the growth
What we appreciated most about the report is that it didn’t just tell the highlights — it dug into the decisions that made scaling possible.
On leadership, Paul reflected on the appointment of a general manager in 2021: “Bringing in that general manager allowed us to see the specialist skills we needed in different parts of the business and to divide it into the right segments, which in turn allowed us to provide better, faster service as well as a better-quality product.”
On product, the vision was always clear. “We got industrial designs done so that the product looked imposing and distinctive – you can tell that it’s a Site Sentry product,” says Paul. “We were also insistent on investing in high-quality components, because we know what the Australian environment is like,” adds Jason. “Our latest system has four cameras, giving a 360-degree field of view, and we knew it was the next step to keep us in that premium space.”
And on financial discipline: “We didn’t take money out of the business for many years,” says Paul. “We reinvested into new assets to keep growing, minimising debt and maximising how much fleet we had out in the market.” That discipline has since supported a new property arm — “We just bought our fourth facility,” says Jason — with Westpac’s backing along the way.
Looking ahead to Brisbane 2032
The AFR’s piece picked up on what’s next for us: our expansion into Queensland ahead of the Brisbane 2032 Olympic and Paralympic Games.
“Our first project in Queensland happened about a year ago and we could see that there was a lot happening over there,” Paul told the report’s authors. “The Brisbane Olympics are around the corner, so we found a factory to buy, and we pushed the button to get started. We have already had inquiries about Site Sentry and Fortawall for the Olympic precinct.”
Tier-one construction, government and defence projects remain our bread and butter, but high-profile events like these create powerful visibility for the brand — and we’re excited about what the next decade holds.
Read the coverage
- Westpac IQ: W Talks — The Scale-up Decade
- Australian Financial Review: Planning beyond the cycle
- Full report (PDF): The Scale-up Opportunity: Australia’s Next Decade
Thank you to Westpac, The Demographics Group and the AFR for telling our story. From a backyard prototype to the national stage — we’re just getting started.
