In this episode of Humans of Agriculture, Oli Le Lievre sits down with Lennie Grace of Action Steel to explore the journey of a family-owned business that has grown from a small shed-building operation into a focused agricultural business serving livestock and cropping enterprises. Lennie shares how he and his brother Vince grew up around the business, spending weekends at the factory and school holidays visiting farms with their father, Martin, who started Action Steel in 2001. Those early experiences, from seeing rotary dairies and shearing sheds to witnessing the importance of customer relationships, helped shape Lennie’s passion for agriculture and ultimately his decision to join the family business. A major part of the conversation is the decision Action Steel made to focus exclusively on agriculture. At the time, around half of the business was commercial and industrial work, so walking away from that work felt like a significant risk. Lennie explains why the family chose to go narrower and deeper into agriculture, how that allowed the business to build its expertise and expand geographically, and why relationships, trust and word of mouth have remained so important. The discussion also covers one of the practical constraints to growth: building a network of subcontract installation crews across the East Coast. The conversation then turns to people and culture. Lennie talks about the complementary roles of the three family directors, the importance of vulnerability-based trust and the shift from a family-run operation where everyone simply did what needed doing, to a business that increasingly relies on specialists in areas such as operations, marketing and finance. He also explains Action Steel’s approach to transparency, including sharing financial statements with staff and linking a portion of profit above its annual target to the team. There is also a practical overview of the Sales Coordinator opportunity at Action Steel. Lennie explains why the role has been created, what the person will actually do, the importance of curiosity, organisation and a genuine interest in agriculture, and how the role could develop into a Building Consultant position over time. For anyone interested in how a growing regional agribusiness creates structure without losing its family-owned culture, there is plenty to take from this conversation. Listen to the full conversation with Lennie Grace to hear how Action Steel has grown, why focus has been central to that journey, and what comes next for the business. To learn more about Action Steel and the Sales Coordinator opportunity, visit the Humans of Agriculture careers page. The role is live now, and we'd love to hear from people who are ready to advance their career in sales with an ambitious Australian-owned and operated business in Victoria. Key insights from the conversation: How growing up around a family business gave Lennie and his brother an early connection to agriculture and its people.Why Action Steel chose to walk away from commercial and industrial work and focus deeply on agriculture.What has focusing on livestock and cropping enterprises enabled the business to do, geographically and operationally?The role of subcontractor relationships in removing one of the biggest constraints to Action Steel’s growth.How the family has shifted from doing everything themselves to bringing specialists into the business as it has grown.The importance of vulnerability-based trust, humility and knowing when someone else is better placed to make a decision.How financial transparency and sharing profits above the annual target can change how employees think about the business.What Action Steel is looking for in its Sales Coordinator role and the potential pathway into a Building Consultant position. Chapters 00:00 Introduction to Action Steel and family business01:27 How Action Steel started02:01 Growing up in the family business03:33 Why Action Steel chose agriculture04:53 The importance of focus06:21 Building a network for growth08:18 Team, culture and specialist skills10:03 The Sales Coordinator opportunity12:43 Understanding the role and customer experience18:26 Transparency, incentives and the future of Action Steel
