Dawnie Pieper is a Trailblazer in Advocating for Women in Construction and Fostering a Diverse, Inclusive and Safe Workplace. She’s Also a Big Believer in Having the Right Attitude, an Open Mind and a Passion for Learning.
THE HIRE INDUSTRY WAS never on Dawnie Pieper’s career radar. In fact, she’d be the first to tell you that she came into the hire industry by chance.
She started out as a receptionist and PA at a steel constructions company and when they started a new hire division, she was asked if she’d like to take on a Sales Administrator role.
“I probably said no about 10 times because I knew nothing about access equipment, the rental industry or construction,” says Dawnie. Regardless, she gave it a go.
Initially, she ‘hid’ behind a computer and phone, talking to customers, studying equipment catalogues ‘like there was no tomorrow’, and learning everything she could. She also took the opportunity to learn from everyone in the office, including the sales reps, service managers and senior management.
“Throughout my career, there haven’t been many females onsite,” she says, “so you’d always find someone who’d be quick to jump on the
bandwagon, to try and prove you wrong or question your knowledge.
“That’s why my mentality has always been to be prepared.”
On her first site visit, she was dropped off by her sales manager to talk to a construction customer onsite.
“I thought he’d be joining me for the meeting, but he said no, you’re on your own,” she says. “He told me it could go one of two ways: if it’s bad, I’d be out in five minutes; but if it’s really good, I’d be an hour.”
For Dawnie, it was a sink or swim moment.
“Fortunately, the customer was fantastic. We met for about 30-40 minutes and when I came out, I had a beaming smile and a realisation that I can do this.”
What she discovered in that first solo meeting was that people weren’t as intimidating or unapproachable as she had imagined and that realisation became the spark that ignited her career in hire.
That first meeting was more than a decade ago. Since then, she’s been a state sales manager, general manager and today, is the Managing Director of her own company, Pieper Hire, based in Melbourne’s western suburbs.
Pieper Hire opened in 2024. It’s an ambitious, female-led construction equipment hire company that’s on a mission to advocate for sustainability, diversity and community empowerment. They specialise in access and material handling equipment and offer training programs to improve operator skills and expand capabilities.
Dawnie says starting Pieper Hire was more than a business venture, it was a dream come true.
“Every day, I wake up determined to drive this industry forward, not just for women, but for anyone ready to work hard and make their mark.”
“In this industry you have to learn fast,” she says. “I’ve been enabled by having really good people around me with the knowledge I don’t have but you’ve still got to have the right attitude, an open mind and want to learn.”
She also learns from mistakes — her own and the mistakes of others.
“It can seem really hard and at times, you think the world might end, but you’ve got to remember all those times you felt the same and yet you still got through it,” says Dawnie.
“This industry is built on resilience, regardless of where you are, what you’re doing and what you’ve been through.”
It’s part of the reason why she’s passionate about women in hire and the Women in Hire development program.
“I want young women in this industry to see that I haven’t come through a family business,” she says. “I started from a role that someone might think is insignificant but it’s not and have since worked hard to build something that’s sustainable.”
While her company is small, Dawnie’s team know their voices will be heard.
“If anyone’s going to have the biggest impact and opinion, it’s the team,” she says. “Their opinions matter because they’re the ones in front of our customers selling my business. So, fostering that kind of inclusive workplace is huge for me.”
It’s a goal that’s inspiring her to create a different kind of workplace at Pieper Hire.
“This industry has always been very seven to five, but it doesn’t have to be,” says Dawnie. “If we’re going to attract a more diverse workforce across the industry, we have to create an environment and culture that shows people they’re valued.”
It’s a philosophy Dawnie has carried with her since her early days in the industry and which she now lives and breathes at Pieper Hire.
“Stepping into this industry wasn’t just a career move; it was the best decision I ever made,” she says.
“From the clients who became friends to the colleagues who became mentors, if you’ve got the right attitude, are prepared to do the hard work and never stop learning, then why can’t you be the next Pieper Hire?”