in for the long haul

1024 682 In Good Company | Northern Rivers

Herb Blanchard Haulage

373 Fry St, Grafton, NSW 2460

www.blanchard.com.au

Visit Clarence Valley Northern Rivers-01
in for the long haul

If you happen to be in the ‘jacaranda city’ of Grafton or its surrounds and you see a big blue truck out on the roads, the chances are its part of the Herb Blanchard Haulage fleet.

These iconic vehicles are likely to be transporting power poles for one of several clients that serve the vital infrastructure of the Northern Rivers.

“Our major customer supplies the electricity industry with timber power poles across the eastern states of Australia,” says Herb Blanchard Haulage CEO, Robert Blanchard.

Robert is the son of the business’s founders, Herb and Noreen, who started out in 1955 with just one truck driving fresh fish between the Northern Rivers and Brisbane. The Grafton-based company now employs about 30 people and has even established a separate arm of the business, Blanchard’s Bricks and Pavers, serving the local building industry.

“My mother, my brother and I took over the running of the business from our dad after his passing in 1984,” says Robert. “The business has grown significantly over this time thanks to gradual growth as well as business acquisitions.”

Herb Blanchard Haulage is firmly at the heart of Grafton’s community. In 2015 the company’s sponsorship of the Grafton Cup race meet resulted in the cup being named the Blanchard Haulage Cup for that year, while the business takes its role as both a service and an employer in the Northern Rivers very seriously.

“While we know just how important our customers are, we also never underestimate our employees and how much they give to the business.”

He adds that the growing population in the Northern Rivers is helping businesses such as his to thrive. As the area expands, Robert believes, “more goods and services will be required to build more homes and industry.”

As a long-term resident and businessman in the region, Robert is well placed to gauge how far the Northern Rivers, and the Clarence Valley in particular, has changed over the decades – and now seems to be as good a time as ever to be operating in this idyllic area.

“People are moving here so the construction industry is in good health and we also are seeing the benefits of the Pacific Highway upgrade, along with the second bridge over the Clarence River in Grafton and the new Grafton Correctional Centre.

“All of these major infrastructure projects are adding to the Clarence economy strength.”

Just remember the basics, says Robert: “Be close with your accountant, be close with your bank manager and have good, reliable suppliers.”

Share this story

Read more stories
Evans Head Cabinetry 001

carefully crafted business success

 2000 1041 In Good Company | Northern Rivers

Evans Head Cabinet Making
“People often say, ‘They don’t build things like they used to’,” says fine furniture and cabinet maker Justin Crisp. “But I can confidently say…”

from generation to generation

 850 565 In Good Company | Northern Rivers

Brookfarm
After buying a rundown dairy farm in the Byron hinterland in 1989, it was another ten years before Pam and Martin Brook made their shift to the…

spar maclean clarence valley

making history, creating culture

 1535 1025 In Good Company | Northern Rivers

Spar Maclean
SPAR Maclean’s claim to fame is a doozy. Indeed, it’s something only one supermarket in the whole of Australia can say: that it is the longest…

meme productions featured image

world class creatives

 1000 750 In Good Company | Northern Rivers

Mememe Productions
The piece of advice that dirtgirlworld creator, Cate McQuillen, likes to share with other creative entrepreneurs in the region tells much about her story…

old-fashioned approach reaps rewards

 1000 667 In Good Company | Northern Rivers

Kyogle Country Store
It feels like a brave decision, buying a hardware and rural supplies store in the age of the corporate superstores. Though it was a challenge…

gateway finefoods kyogle

local, seasonal, transformative gem hits town

 960 639 In Good Company | Northern Rivers

Gateway Fine Foods and Catering
Debbie McQueen has three words of advice for anyone starting a business in Kyogle: flexibility, perseverance and patience. They’re three traits Debbie…

grafton_physio_business_story_001

let’s get physical

 2000 1165 In Good Company | Northern Rivers

Grafton Physio + Sport
You know you’re in good hands when you visit your physiotherapist and she turns out to be a world-class athlete. That’s the case for those who…

ahead of time on equality and agility

 1000 667 In Good Company | Northern Rivers

Hurford Hardwood
When Olive Hurford told the bank manager she’d be looking after the accounts of her husband’s new building company, the story goes…

northern_lights _ballina_northern_rivers_001

let there be light

 2000 1333 In Good Company | Northern Rivers

Northern Light
“I eat a pot of honey every day and I’ve been stung more than 70,000 times,” says Jeffrey Gibbs, founder of Northern Light, an organic beeswax…

bennett construction lismore 003

back to the future with new inspiration

 1920 781 In Good Company | Northern Rivers

Bennett Construction
It would be fair to say that Bennett Construction and Ballina High School have come full circle with each other. It sounds like a back to the future…

cooperative success, sweet for 150 years

 1000 627 In Good Company | Northern Rivers

Sunshine Sugar
The Northern Rivers is home to generations of cane farming families who have not only built the sugar industry, but also saved the local…

tripadeal_byron_bay

fastest growing, remains humble and local

 1000 667 In Good Company | Northern Rivers

TripADeal
For TripADeal, the figures speak for themselves: revenue in excess of $100million for 2017; 75,000 travellers sent to various…

growing community, growing business

 1600 1066 In Good Company | Northern Rivers

The Farm
It’s a typical Saturday morning at The Farm, on the outskirts of Byron Bay. Families line up for freshly made pastry and coffee. Every table in the…

Osteria Casaurina Tweed Coast

overtures of romance and style

 1000 667 In Good Company | Northern Rivers

Osteria
Mark Wilson, Lia Mason and Lee Middendorf all met when the three of them were working in hospitality jobs at The Sandbar …

cape byron distellery 002

spirit of the rainforest

 960 540 In Good Company | Northern Rivers

Cape Byron Distillery
Let’s forget the beaches for a moment, as the true lifeblood of the Northern Rivers landscape is surely its rainforests, some of the most botanically…

Northern Co-operative Meat Company

collaboration and cooperative capital

 1600 1066 In Good Company | Northern Rivers

Northern Cooperative Meat Company
It comes as little surprise that one of the largest employers on the Northern Rivers is a co-operative, and with Casino being the beef capital of…

OConnors carriers tweed 001

community keeps on carrying on

 1920 1288 In Good Company | Northern Rivers

O’Connors Carrying Service
Friday 30 March 2017 is a day Paul and Sue O’Connor won’t forget. The owners of O’Connors Carrying Service left their depot in Murwillumbah…

nicholson fine foods yamba

eclectic food innovator shines

 1030 1030 In Good Company | Northern Rivers

Nicholson Fine Foods
The small coastal town of Yamba is home to the one of the world’s best eating prawns, the Eastern King Prawn. It’s also home to the highest…

Aurora Suspended Fires_Ballina in good company image 4

all fired up for global attention

 960 600 In Good Company | Northern Rivers

Aurora Suspended Fires
Aurora Suspended Fires arose from the perfect marriage of Chloe Allan’s creative talents with Neil’s engineering background. But building a successful…

yaru water tweed

building bridges with water

 1600 1067 In Good Company | Northern Rivers

Yaru Water
“This unique partnership between an Indigenous family and a non-Indigenous family enabled Yaru Water to start changing the way the procurement…

Start Typing

X