Situated in the agricultural community of Biloela, 120km west of Gladstone, BMAS Biloela has become an essential hub for farmers, mechanics, and local residents alike. As an agricultural dealership and multifaceted workshop, BMAS offers a comprehensive range of products and services, ensuring that their customers have access to reliable support for virtually anything mechanical.
Leading the business since its founding are Shari and Steve Hancox, the husband-and-wife team that have shepherded and guided the business through sustained and solid growth over 20 years.
“BMAS is an agricultural dealership, and we are Massey Ferguson dealers as well dealers for Deutz Fahr, and Kioti,” explained Shari. “In addition to that, we run a mechanical workshop, servicing all sorts of light vehicles, trucks, cars – pretty much anything with an engine – and our parts department services the community with agricultural services, hydraulic hoses, and agricultural goods.”
The journey to creating such a dynamic enterprise began when Shari and Steve realised that Steve, a technician with many years of experience behind him, could better service the community as business leader rather than an employee.
“Steve was getting frustrated with the level of service he was able to provide within his current business and felt that he would be able to service the customer better by having that autonomy away from what a dealership said we had to do,” said Shari. “We’ve grown the business from two people through to our team of 18 at the moment, and it’s been quite a journey . . . We’re very proud of what we’ve been able to deliver in Biloela.”
As Business Manager, Shari helps to leads BMAS operations and its resourcing, financial management, compliance, strategies, marketing and all the other myriad components that make a successful business tick.
It’s a role that she relishes, and which makes her working life full, challenging and rewarding.
“A typical day for me is never typical! That’s what I love about what I do. I don’t know what’s going to come through the door on any given day. I find it’s exciting because I get to react and problem-solve on a daily basis . . .” said Shari. “Having a business of this scale also gives me the opportunity to go back to what I enjoy doing with my business background and look at how we can develop our business into markets in the future.
“. . . On any given day we could be delivering a $500,000 machine to a new customer right through to doing a whipper-snIpper repair on a troublesome machine. It could involve an apprentice being named Apprentice of the Year right through to a resignation or a staffing issue that we have to deal with. It’s just the nature of business. There’s plenty of highs and lows, and some days you feel like you’re going to get whiplash. But it does make it interesting!”
Shari career path has been an adventurous one, blending personal passion and professional expertise.
“My journey to end up where I am today has been very roundabout,” she shared. “I’m a country girl and grew up on a property, so I have strong agricultural ties. However, I studied business at school and university, and numbers have always excited me.
“I travelled, met Steve while overseas, and we came back and worked on properties, so that connection to agriculture has always been our foundation and the area we wanted to pursue. Fast forward to where we are now, and we’ve got this exciting business where we’re able to put farmers first in everything that we do.”
Outside of BMAS, Shari spares time to be part of MTA Queensland’s committee for the Farm and Industrial Machinery Dealers Division (QFIMDD).
It’s an extra layer of responsibility for someone who already has much on her plate running her flourishing business.
“My involvement with MTA Queensland and the farm machinery division has been something of an information-gathering purpose for me. I always strive to know everything that’s going on in my industry,” she said. “I think, from a business perspective, it’s important to be well informed so we can make those decisions. On a personal level, I believe in giving back. In everything I do in my life, I give back and, for me, this is my way to give back to the industry that has given to us.”
Her involvement provides unique insights into the challenges faced by the industry.
“My involvement in the division also enables me to speak to other dealerships,” she said. “It’s great to know that the problems we are experiencing at a local level in our business are those being experienced by other dealerships in other brands and locations. The machinery division gives us the opportunity to lobby government to find solutions to those problems and be creative on how we address them. For example, staffing is a huge problem in our industry, so what can we do in training environments? How can we raise the profile of agriculture within the mechanical industry itself? These initiatives need to be worked on, and I am excited to be part of that process.”
Amongst the many discussions had amongst those involved with the agricultural sector revolves around technology. The sector is an innovation hotbed, integrating an astonishing array of advanced solutions to enhance productivity, sustainability, and efficiency. From GPS-guided equipment to achieve accuracy in planting, fertilising, and harvesting, to drones and AI-powered cameras that can identify crop health, pest infestations, and even individual weed species to enable selective and targeted interventions, there is a bewildering range of tech. Automation, electrification, and robotics are part of agricultural landscape too, meaning that those who work in the sector must be highly trained and skilled and have a passion for the job.
“The agricultural industry is exciting because it is at the cutting edge of technological advances,” said Shari. “It’s phenomenal, the technology that is out there, and really exciting to be part of. However, that does bring about some challenges, and those challenges include having people and team members willing to learn in that space. They have a preconceived idea of what a mechanic looks like and what they should be doing and, in the agricultural sector, that’s not the case. It’s very broad. It’s very exciting. And we need highly skilled technicians to take on these roles.”
Not surprisingly, Shari’s determination to ensure BMAS can meet the high-tech demands of the community it serves means training is a vital part of operations. This is no more obvious than in the fact that in recent years, BMAS has seen three of its apprentices recognised as MTA Institute Apprentice of the Month winners with one of those winners, Kye Robinson, being named as MTA Queensland’s Apprentice of the Year in 2024.
“Training is a significant investment for business,” she said. “It’s something we consider a top priority for all team members. It’s critical for everyone to feel engaged, and upskilling is one way we do it.
“I’m a big believer in being part of the solution and not part of the problem. Taking on apprentices, as many places will tell you, can be challenging. However, the benefits you can draw from that are extensive and it’s exciting to be part of the future of our industry.”
As BMAS Biloela continues its journey, Shari will be at the forefront of business development, working with Steve to build on the growth achieved across the past 20 years. Looking back over those two decades, Shari said there would be little she would change if she could give some advice to her younger self just starting out with the business.
“I’d probably say to trust my husband a little bit more!” she said with a laugh. “I have to say I questioned a few of those decisions when we first went into business. I probably won’t tell him that! Other than that, there’s really not much else I would do differently. We’ve had an incredible journey, and I’m super stoked to be where we are today.”
CLICK TO VISIT THE BMAS BILOELA WEBSITE
