About Us
About Us
From our CEO
Welcome from our CEO
Our Dream at Merriwa is to be part of a future where people of All Abilities reach their potential and feel respected, happy and confident.
Merriwa is an organisation operating as a social enterprise since the mid 1990’s. One of Merriwa’s core values is Diversity something we live and breathe on a daily basis through our people and business operations. Employing an all abilities team of over 300, Merriwa operates commercial businesses in the Packaging, Timber and Garden Nursery sectors, along with delivering support services in Child Youth and Family.
Our workplace is based on philosophy of continuous improvement, creating a safe place where people are encouraged to have a go, where getting it wrong is not seen as failure but as an opportunity to learn, improve and grow.
Merriwa is extremely proud of what we have achieved since our foundation back in 1975. We operate successfully in a dynamic and challenging commercial world, delivering strong and sustaining social outcomes for today and the future.
We invite you to join us,
Bart Crawley
Chief Executive Officer
Dream, Purpose & Values
At Merriwa, our Dream, Purpose and Values guide the way we work together with our clients, customers and each other. By caring about our business and each other we can help more people in our community.
Our Dream:
We are part of a future where people of all abilities reach their potential and they feel respected, happy and confident
Our Purpose:
We provide an environment which encourages people to reach their potential while delivering quality products and services to our customers and clients.
Our Values:
The Merriwa team has shared values which result in taking PRIDE in our work and our role in supporting our community;
We are prosperous and successful in the provision of our products and services, and having a positive working environment
We treat the Merriwa business like it is our own
We are honest, ethical and work to high standards
We acknowledge that every person has different abilities and we welcome, accept and celebrate our differences
We are committed to being the best we can be, everyday, as we serve our clients and our customers
We are prosperous and successful in the provision of our products and services, and having a positive working environment
We treat the Merriwa business like it is our own
We are honest, ethical and work to high standards
We acknowledge that every person has different abilities and we welcome, accept and celebrate our differences
We are committed to being the best we can be, everyday, as we serve our clients and our customers
Park Lane Nursery is an award-winning, not-for-profit social enterprise, and is proud to be a division of Merriwa. The nursery employs an all-abilities workforce of 25 people across the business, specialising in the production of quality plants, a thriving retail garden centre, garden maintenance and tree planting crew. We value the contribution of our team and are there to encourage and help each other, striving to achieve quality production and service outcomes for our community.
Our Board
Merriwa is governed by a voluntary Board of Directors. Board members bring their skills, expertise and vision to the board table for the benefit of the entire organisation.
Our Board of Directors understand that the heart of Merriwa lies in our ability to continue to successfully manage our commercial operations so that they fund our important social dividend projects.
Chris Cunningham
Chair
Distinguished governance background combined with strong leadership experience. Director since November 2019.
Jonathan Koop
Deputy Chair
Jonathan Koop is a local sheep farmer and father of four. With a previous career in corporate finance, Jonathan is a member of the AICD with more than 10 years experience as a Company Director.
Craig Thorp
Treasurer
Own and operate family pastoral company. International strategic commercial experience in the food industry sector with a focus on quality and business sustainability. Director since November 2019.
Libby Hosking
Director
Former Principal of Wangaratta District Specialist School. A champion of and for, people with disability. Director since October 2014.
John Joyce
Director
Director, RESET Pty Ltd. Management experience in strategic planning, project development and implementation as well as having had key Director/Management roles with State Government Departments, in the area of Regional Development, Housing and Community Care, Acute Health and Aged Care. Director since November 2013.
Danny O’Donoghue
Director
Executive Officer, NE Tracks LLEN Executive. Management experience within public service and education sectors. Director since March 1995.
Gabrielle Grant
Director
Strategic business management experience with senior management roles within Victorian Government. Born and raised in Wangaratta.
Clayton Neil
Director
Clayton is an executive manager in the NFP sector with a focus on operations, finance, risk and governance as well as extensive experience in rural economic and community development.
Mathew Joyce
Director
Senior transport and technology business owner and operator. Extensive governance experience and community involvement.
Leadership Team
Merriwa’s Leadership Team has diverse skills in commerce, industry, private, public and community service sectors.
Bart Crawley
Chief Executive Officer
Sasha Oliver
Chief Finance Officer
Peter Anderson
General Manager Packaging
Natasha Arnold
Senior Manager Commercial Services
Mark Umanski
General Manager Timber
Scott Grant
General Manager Business Development
Jo Maples
Marketing and Communications Manager
Colin McClounan
Senior Manager People Operations
Jacquie Pavlik
Senior Manager Compliance
Sponsorships
Merriwa is proud to support a range of organisations, community, individuals and sporting groups in our community.
To help guide those seeking sponsorship, Merriwa has developed a sponsorship application process to ensure our requirements and guidelines are clear, and to encourage applications that align with those needs. We will consider applications that;
- Packaging – primary and secondary packaging solutions
- Timber – the production of glue laminated timber beams for commercial use
- Nursery – plant production and retail at the garden.
We require a minimum of 4 weeks to consider sponsorship requests. Please download the Merriwa Sponsorship Application Form here and submit completed form to:
Jo Maples
144 Greta Road,
PO Box 392
WangarattaVIC 3676
