Contractors, customers, and Christmas in the kilns – Jenni Kain celebrates her 30 (plus) year career

With an official 30 years on the clock, and an extra 8 pre career break for kids, Contractor Manager/EHSR Administrator Jenni Kain has dedicated almost four decades of her career to building relationships and helping people.

Jenni’s milestone is a celebration of her tenacity, an innovative spirit, and the pursuit of looking out for others.

“As an administrator all-rounder, I began my career at Mt Gambier Pine Industries (MGPI) on Sturt Street progressing through the business ownership changes that is now OneFortyOne. 

With a focus on customer service, this laid the groundwork for a decade in roundwood customer service and a further eight years as the Account Manager for roundwood selling our treated posts. Our customers were from across South Australia, Victoria, and as far as Ceduna to the West & Griffith in NSW, to over 200 agricultural businesses, including the viticulture sector.

I had a great relationship with the sales team, and everyone in the office and sawmill at Jubilee always made me feel part of their team as well.

I developed wonderful relationships with the agricultural customers and community. Farming life is unpredictable with droughts, floods, and fires, so I made sure I was always accessible to my customer base. I used to listen to the farm reports on the radio while driving around the countryside to get a sense of what was going on in the local areas before arriving. It helped me relate to the customer when I was somewhat ‘in the know’.

During the 2020 Kangaroo Island fires, I was waiting on a call from one of my customers, who was involved in the CFS, but I had not heard from them for some time.

Eventually, their competitor called to say that they were safe, and to order some of our customer’s roundwood for them while they fought the fires. It has always stuck with me – the camaraderie within the agricultural community.

After 18 years in sales, I decided I needed a change and  took on a Contractor Manager position at Jubilee, which I’ve been doing for almost 3 years now.

I love being part of the safety team and working with good people. The best way to describe this job is it’s like herding cats! (in a nice way 😊). With so many contractors coming to our site, and so many projects on the go, making sure each one is compliant can be a challenge.

Over the years, the biggest change I have seen is safety and the way it is now at the forefront of people’s minds. It’s great working for a business where safety is hugely important.

Back in the old MGPI days it was one of my jobs to decorate for the mill Christmas party, it was a huge show.

Once the main kiln was turned off and emptied, we sent people up  in a cherry picker to decorate the inside (this is where the party was held!).

We had live music, food, and alcohol. I was even sent to buy cigarettes and cigars. We certainly couldn’t and wouldn’t do that now. In saying that, we did have some sense of safety and taxis were provided to deliver everyone home.

If I could give any advice to anyone starting their career, it would be, “Don’t be afraid to challenge yourself.”

Looking to the future, I would love to make more time for myself, and have more time to spend with my family.

I would also love to start travelling around Australia with my husband Graham in our caravan, with maybe some more overseas travel.