From three VMS boards to Hire Company of the Year, RPM Hire’s relentless focus on people and a commitment to doing business the right way is now reaping rewards.
WHEN ASH WOODCOCK heard RPM Hire’s name announced not once, but three times at the 2025 HRIA Gala Awards in June, he was overcome by a wave of emotions. “It was a big shock,” he recalls, “but also a huge validation of our vision to be the best in the industry.”
It was an extraordinary night for Ash and the RPM team, with Operations Coordinator, Peta Twyman winning the Women in Hire award, the company being recognised with the People and Culture Excellence Award, and finally, the announcement of the big one, the 2025 Hire Company of the Year.
“In the last couple of years, our goal has been to be the best traffic equipment company in Australia so to take out the award for the whole industry with all the different categories combined, it was a huge achievement.”
“This was a win for good old-fashioned values and doing business the right way.”
RPM Hire was founded by Ash in 2011 while he was still at university. With a dream to build a national business and a better life, he decided to ‘give it a crack’, starting with just three Variable Message Signs (VMS) and a handful of customers.
“My plan was always to sell the VMS boards when I finished university and get a real job,” says Ash.
Instead, something clicked and 14 years later, Ash is the CEO and Director of a company that’s now one of Australia’s leading traffic management specialists with a national footprint, over 100 staff, 15 product lines…and around 720 VMS boards.
Since day one, RPM Hire’s focus has been on delivering for their customers. They’ve also created a vibrant team culture where every employee shares in the vision and are empowered at work.
“Being in business is not about money, it’s about people,” says Ash. “If you look after your people, they’ll look after your customers and the money will look after itself.”
RPM Hire’s People and Culture Manager, Jackie Callos, agrees. She joined the company 18 months ago and was immediately struck by the authenticity of its values: safely get sh!t done, people matter, thirst for improvement, be memorable and be courageous.
“When I first applied for the role, they sent me the culture handbook, and I thought, ‘that’s a lot of effort just to explain your culture’,’” says Jackie. “But it was clear these weren’t just words on a page; they were values that were lived every day.”
Those values are included in every job advertisement, so people know from the outset what RPM Hire stand for. The interview process is also designed to assess not just skills, but alignment with company values.
“The first step in the process is a meet-and-greet over coffee,” says Ash. “We deliberately don’t look at the resume at that stage but instead focus on how we get on with the applicant and if they share our values.”