Starting at the bottom of the business sweeping floors and building silos, brothers Shayne and Matthew King have worked their way up to full ownership of Landmore Agri. Sue Garmonsway and the Gallie Miles team have been with the brothers every step of the way.
Born and raised in Otorohanga, brothers Shayne and Matthew King have been around agriculture all their lives.
At the age of 17, older brother Shayne started working at Landmore Agri, “at the bottom, sweeping floors and building silos,” he laughs.
Younger brother Matthew followed 18 months later, and they’ve both worked their way up through the company since.
Founded in 2002 by John and Rosemary Moreland, Landmore specialises in a range of agricultural engineering solutions, maintenance and repair including dairy in-shed meal feeding systems, farm effluent irrigation systems, water access, storage and filtration systems and milking systems.
In 2016, John and Rosemary Moreland approached Shayne with the succession of their business in mind.
“John wanted to see Landmore continue on strong and live on once he decided to retire, so we sat down and made a plan to get it valued. We then purchased 50% of the business that year,” says Matthew.
The brothers acquired the remaining 50% over the next two years and now fully own the company. It’s a wonderful achievement for Shayne (30) and Matthew (28), who are still relatively young.
They’ve worked with Gallie Miles Director Sue Garmonsway from the outset.
“Sue was recommended by our Accountants and another company, and she’s been with us every step of the way,” says Shayne.
“From the get-go, she laid out the entire structure of where we needed to get to. She let us go at our pace and do it step-by-step in pieces, but we always had that end goal of a certain structure to work to. At the end of the day Sue made sure we’re protecting ourselves, our business and our families.”
“She’s been with us the whole time. She picks up the phone when we need to talk but doesn’t overcomplicate anything. Then when it is complicated, she just takes care of it.”
“From putting the appropriate structures to reviewing contracts and sale and purchase agreements, Sue gets back to us quickly and guides us through everything.”
“She has been great to work with. We couldn’t ask for more really.”
This is a sentiment echoed by Sue.
“It’s been really rewarding to watch Shayne and Matt set and then achieve their goals for the business. Working with clients that are open to advice and proactive in seeking advice makes my job easier and leads to better outcomes all round,” says Sue.
“I’m excited for what the future will bring for Shayne and Matt and their business.”
