For Allan and Chloe Bushell, the opportunity for GCM Electrical, Lighting and Automotive is clear: blending old-school customer service with cutting-edge technology to help the business evolve into a modern-day operation without losing its core value.

The husband-and-wife team took the reins of the Tamworth, NSW-based institution back in 2023 – together with friend and business partner Adrian Sippel – after buying the business from Greg and Jenny McCulloch.

However the story begins long before that.

“I started with GCM straight out of school back in 1999 – I think I was the fifth or sixth employee back then,” says Allan. “I started in the role  of storeman, was fortunate enough to learn a lot from Greg, and spent the first ten years of my career with GCM.”

While Allan’s career took him away from GCM via roles with Schneider Electrical, and then other electrical wholesalers, his relationship with Greg remained strong – and when there were whispers that GCM could be available for sale, it was an opportunity Allan couldn’t miss.

“GCM’s always been a great business, it’s been a business based on customer service and having the stock available for people – so when the opportunity arose to buy it, it was one we couldn’t resist,” says Allan.

Building the electrical wholesaler of the future

The GCM story goes back further than Greg McCulloch, however. It began life as GCM Auto Sales, founded by Glenn Charles Maunder, and has grown and evolved since then. 

Today, GCM employs 13 people, as well as Allan and Chloe, who both work in the business full-time. For Chloe – a high school teacher by trade – it’s been an interesting change of scenery, but one she’s taken to with aplomb.

However, it’s certainly not been a case of carrying on what had been done previously.

The premises the new team inherited had been badly damaged by a storm in 2019, and by 2023 a full rebuild was planned.

“We originally occupied one side of a dual-occupancy shed,” explains Chloe. “The team rebuilt one side, moved in, and then reconstructed the other around them – doubling the size of the original store.”

With the expansion, the business changed its trading name to GCM Lighting, Electrical & Automotive to showcase the automotive side of the business more prominently.

A new lighting and design showroom is being fitted out upstairs for retail customers too –  featuring everything an electrician might install in a home: custom mirrors, lighting of all types, power points, switches, heated towel rails, and more.

In the background, there’s been a whole host of work happening too. A new website has been launched, which is still being improved and added to, while the software used to run the day-to-day operations has been updated to future-proof the business too.

“While the business was progressive in a way, it needed to be propelled into the future a fair bit,” says Chloe. “We needed to get products online, and really market to the three different areas of business we’re targeting.”

Embracing a new future

For Allan and Chloe, ensuring the long-serving team are onboard has been paramount – and they’ve wholeheartedly supported the new owners in helping ensure the business is one that will thrive in the long-term. 

“We’ve done a lot in a short space of time, and we have been lucky, because we do have staff that have come along with us,” says Chloe.

“It’s challenging to change, and people have been working in the business for a very long time – they were used to the same routines.

“All of a sudden, we’ve rebuilt the building, we’ve moved the business three times, they’ve had to move desks three times, we’ve upended everyone – and everyone’s still here, which is really good, and speaks volumes about the business we came into.”

While there has been significant change, it’s all been out of necessity, and ensuring that the long-term vision is explained and communicated has been important.

“We’re trying to future-proof the business – whatever decisions we’re making now, we’re looking to the future, and every decision is strategically made upon growth and consistent evolution,” says Chloe. 

“For example, we’ve changed our software, and that opens up new avenues – it’s important we keep evolving.”

For customers of any business, evolution and progress is important – however, the team and GCM ensure one thing doesn’t change. That is, of course, that steadfast commitment to exceptional customer service.

“From an electrical point of view, we specialise in industrial and facilities, so we have a lot of contractors working in mining,” explains Allan. “On the automotive side, we work with the auto electricians from the Queensland border down to Newcastle, so we have a very wide range of customers.”

Allan continues: “We’ll always do whatever we can to make sure contractors have the right equipment. We pride ourselves on having stock on the shelves, and to go that extra mile with great customer service. For example, a couple of motors went down on one of the local feedlots here on a Sunday, and we were able to get two motors delivered from Sydney on the same day. They got here at 11pm and they got the feedlot back up and running.”

Expertise and customer service are at GCM’s heart 

In-store, meanwhile, the GCM experience is one of expertise, with contractors safe in the knowledge they’ll get good, knowledgeable answers to any questions they may ask.

“The market is huge, and there are so many product options out there,” says Chloe. “Through their experience our team has great knowledge so they can point people in the right direction, or offer a different opinion or a different solution.”

The relationships contractors have with the GCM team demonstrates a really collaborative way of working.  That’s something Allan and Chloe have embraced as they keep the business moving forward, to achieve that perfect blend of digital efficiency and accessibility combined with old-school, relationship-based values.

It looks like a recipe for success for a long time to come.