AeroPM is an award-winning Australian company founded in 2014 that provides specialist services to support Defence in acquiring complex assets for the warfighter.

A 100% Australian-owned, veteran-owned, and woman-owned and led company. AeroPM's experts are widely known for being proactive in mentoring, upskilling and growing teams to maximum potential, as well as strategically shaping and influencing.

Emily Frizell, one half of the husband-and-wife team behind AeroPM, spoke to us about what makes their relationship with Downer important and how their services stand out from the rest.

How did your business start?

Like most businesses, AeroPM started as a side hustle at home in our garage. In the early days, as the only employee, my services were in high demand. Recruiting individuals with similar skills and experience allowed AeroPM to quickly grow and expand to support a broad range of projects and organisations; we grew to a team of more than 50 staff within three years.

Why is working in Defence industry important to your business?

Our team is passionate about Defence capability and equipping the warfighter. Having worn the uniform, we want to make sure the current and future ADF workforce has access to cutting-edge technology and capabilities that are also safe to operate and maintain.

How did you get started as a Defence supplier?

Downer was instrumental in supporting AeroPM’s growth in the early years. AeroPM’s contracts two through seven were all through Downer, which directly contributed to our growth and reinforced our value proposition.

Being recognised as a platinum partner of Team Downer was also a significant achievement. This partnership signified our commitment to providing exceptional support to Downer and Defence.

What has been the key to your growth?

We are committed to employing individuals with deep Defence experience and a reputation for being high performers. Over the last five years, we have been disciplined in pursuing our objectives and have always been guided by our values of Teamwork, Excellence and Dedication. We consistently prioritise exceptional service delivery and client delight, over growth and profits. 

We have also pursued great partnerships with values-aligned businesses. Understanding that a group can be much more than the sum of its parts, we have sought to work in high-performing teams. We focus on being great to work with, having robust processes, and upholding business ethics in all our interactions. We value our networks and working relationships, and we put people at the centre of our engagements.

What has been the hardest lesson learnt along the way?

One of our biggest strengths - but also probably the hardest challenge - has been to maintain discipline and focus in pursuing our strategic goals. There have been opportunities to take ‘easy wins’ that were not aligned with AeroPM’s values or direction. I am personally proud of the focus we have in pursuing our goals and maintaining business efficiency.

What advice would you give another SME wanting to enter or scale up in Defence industry today?

They should seek to understand the Defence market and the needs of the client. It’s also important that they take the time to appreciate how the market operates and what the barriers to entry are. Establishing a point of difference or a unique offering is another important exercise. And finally, be great to work with; delighting the client goes a long way.

What is the most valuable support a Prime can provide to your business?

There are a few key values that good Primes embody. Firstly, and most importantly is transparency and honesty. That is crucial. There should be a willingness to connect and engage with SMEs like AeroPM. Also, recognising the capabilities and value-adds that SMEs provide and rewarding those SMEs that deliver and delight.

Find out more about AeroPM.

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