Copyright (0000) Anna CAlligeros

Photograph: Anna Calligeros

On pages 26 and 27 of the Sunday Telegraph, July 31st 2005, Jim Dicken and Clare Masters published the story below about Sydney's young entrepreneurs. Kytherians, and those associated with them, feature prominently.

Anna Calligeros and brother Peter are headliners. A large beautiful photograph of the pair adorns almost half of page 27. [Photograph not included].
This entry continues the focus on the pair, that was begun in the previous two entries, at kythera-family.

Sydney's self-made millionaires all built their empires from humble beginnings

The secret success stories of our city

By Jim Dicken
and Clare Masters

Behind the list of high-profile rich and famous is a silent layer of wealth that envelops Sydney.
The city’s secret rich are not household names but their presence can be felt in the food you eat, the bar where you drink, and at your favourite sporting events.

Poker-machine barons George Thomas and Ar­thur Laundy, for example, own some of Sydney’s most profitable pubs. But they rarely speak publicly and shun the public gaze.
Mr Thomas owns the top-grossing pokie pub in the -State, the Campsie Hotel. Mr Laundy controls nine of NSW’s leading hotels. Both are believed to make about $25 million a year from their pokle empires.

Hotels also proved lucrative for the Calligeros fam­ily. It all began with George Calligeros and one pub 35 years ago — the heritage-listed Rag & Famish in North Sydney. Today, the business is run by daughter - Anna, 34, and son Peter, 33, - who now have three more hotels across Sydney.
“We constantly need to evolve,” Ms Calligeros said. “Our clients are looking for more than just having a drink at their local.”

From the simple idea of a barbecued chook, Antonio Cerqueira built an empire. The Portuguese immi­grant founded the first Oporto chicken store at Bondl in 1986. There are now ‘75 stores across Aus­tralia and New Zealand and the company is ex­pected to make about $80 million this year.

The Andrews family for­tune also began with one store about 60 years ago—a suburban butcher shop. Brothers Peter, Michael and Harry and their father Peter have turned the busi­ness into one of the biggest players in the Sydney meat industry and the largest food supplier in NSW. These days, Andrews Meat controls the distribu­tion of meat throughout Sydney and regional areas with their own fleet.
Andrews Meat also sup­plies several leading restau­rants, including Otto and < i>Guillaume at Bennelong.

Friends Gemma Kelly and Emma Brown also started out small with an ambitious goal — to change the face of the recruitment industry. The two twentysomething women founded recruitment agency, Staff It, and in seven years have built up the busi­ness to an annual turnover of more than $3 million.
“The profit will flow if your intentions are right, because I think good attracts good,” Ms Brown said.

Many of the secretly suc­cessful built their fortunes from humble beginnings. Craig Lovett founded a clean­ing business in 1987 which has grown to become the multinational cleaning firm Cleanevent, responsible for some of Sydney’s biggest ven­ues and events, including the SCG, Telstra Stadium and the Royal Easter Show.
Cleanevent now employs 1000 full-time staff, with offices in the UK and the US. It boasts annual revenues of $50 million, excluding earnings from ma­jor events such as last year’s Athens Olympics.

Justin Herald’s $15 million fortune started with a $50 loan from his brother. The 34-year-old entrepreneur now works to inspire the next wave of Sydney millionaires. Mr Herald’s business began 10 years ago with four printed T-shirts which mushroomed into a clothing empire. After retiring briefly at 31, he now spends his time coaching others on the keys to success.

Another success story is that of Jonathan Barouch, 23, who was just a shy 17-year-old student when he started Aus­tralia’s first online florist business after becoming overwhelmed while ordering flowèrs for his girlfriend. He didn’t get the girl but, six years later, Mr Barouch Is the sole stakeholder in the multi-million dollar company Fast Flowers and its sister website, roses.com.au.

Quiet achievers Norman and Michael Badaoui, of Buildwest Constructions, have hundreds of home units due for comple­tion in Sydney’s north-west.
“We just go out there and try to make an honest living for our families, ourselves and for our employees,” Michael Badaoui said.

Rag and Famish website:

http://www.ragandfamish.com.au/