November 8th, 2021Celebrating five years at STIHL Shop Daylesford

AS A youngster Dave Osborn would spend time with his grandfather who was in the logging trade. He learnt how to use a chainsaw and a passion for power garden tools, and particularly the STIHL brand, started to grow.

Fast forward to 2016 and Dave was working at STIHL Shop Dandenong but he and partner Emma Hall were wondering what it would be like to run their own business. They looked around the state; as former Gippsland residents they wanted a small community where they could raise their family, and found the STIHL Shop Daylesford up for sale.
It ticked all the right boxes and Dave made the move, six months before Emma who had a toddler Aidan and was pregnant with their second son Seth, who was born in Ballarat just a few weeks after the family arrived.
“It was probably the sixth or seventh dealership we looked at but we felt that Daylesford would give us the opportunity to raise our kids in a rural setting with a small community feel,” Emma said.
“But it was chaotic. It was peak season and Dave just had to hit the ground running. The business had been run with just one person but Dave quickly employed another mechanic and then Rob Yoxall joined us and then Bryce and Rob T. We also have two spring casuals and a junior who comes in after school and on Saturdays.”
Coming up to their fifth anniversary with the business, Emma said it had grown from a one-man band to eight people, including herself most days.
And the couple are far from resting on their laurels. They have added the factory next door, which will become the workshop, and in early 2022 their showroom will double in size – a great asset for the community. So there are significant changes happening, and Dave remains as passionate as ever about his work and the products he sells and services. This is a culture the couple has instilled in their employees.
“We will only sell products that are fit for purpose and that will last the test of time in this region. We go to great lengths to have quality conversations with our customers, often asking them to bring in a video of the terrain they are mowing or their garden landscape, just to make sure we sell them the right product for the job,” Emma said.
“We are just so happy to be celebrating five years in business and also five years in Daylesford. We are so thankful to the community for being so welcoming and supporting us on this journey.
“It has also been very rewarding to contribute back to the community. This is all the perfect fit for our family.”