EXCLUSIVE
Some know Andrew Welsh as Ex-Vice captain of Essendon Football Club. But most now know him as entrepreneur and Founder of one of Australia’s most notable property development companies Wel.Co. In this exclusive interview we talk to Andrew about his journey and what led him to where he is today.
The average career of an AFL footballer is 12-24 months. Andrew Welsh lasted 10 years. This was not only due to his athletic skill and commitment to the game, but also his mental strength and tenacity. Most importantly however, Andrew Welsh was a team player, always has been and looks like he always will be. It’s a quality that has set the tone not only for his football career but also his multi-faceted property development company Wel.Co, with projects in VIC, SA and QLD.
“Regardless of what someone’s title is, we’ve all got a piece of the game we need to be playing and everyone has their own expertise so I never want people to feel like they can’t speak up and provide their view as that could make us a better team and better from a project outcome perspective. That’s been my number one cross over between footy and business. Understanding where the strengths are in a team and allowing those strengths to shine.”
THE EARLY DAYS
Andrew Welsh grew up in and around Melbourne and although he moved around to a few different schools, this held him in good stead with a wide network of friends that he carried through life. He ended up at Essendon Keilor College, the lure being their offering of AFL as a subject for VCE.
“I was avid on football and not so avid on staying at school so that made me stay at school. I was then fortunate enough to be drafted into Essendon AFL which really was the dream come true for me.”
Despite his notable speed on the field and playing a dozen games in his first season of senior footy, Mr. Welsh still remains modest.
“I wasn’t the most gifted and skilful player but I was extremely committed to playing for Essendon and I wanted to be known as a real team player. At a professional level, pure talent can only get you so far. The mental strength and capability is really what keeps you there. And business is no different.”
In the last few years of his football career, Andrew Welsh started his business venture SiteTech Solutions, a construction machinery and supplies hire company. In the lead up, he was hungry for knowledge and inspiration and often networked with successful sponsors and supporters to learn and seek guidance about the business world, and it was through this networking, that he identified a gap in the market. Andrew then collaborated with a few mates to grow SiteTech solutions into a significantly sized company that today, largely services the Victorian construction industry.
“Some people in their 20’s played video games to switch off from football, my outside interest was business, to look at how I could better it and learn from different people. I was built differently to most of the players, I was generally interested and driven to be successful in business.”
And although clearly innate in Andrew’s character, he does attribute some of that discipline and drive to 10 years of working in the professional football world.
“I was in an industry where what you ate would make you better, how you train would make you better, who you hanging out with - are they going to make you better? who you are talking to - are they going to make you better? All those years of that mentality has translated positively into what I do today at Wel.Co.”
So while other footy players were checking their social media following after training, Andrew, in the last 3 years of his footy career, was checking his emails for SiteTech Solutions orders. And what started out as an enjoyable interest, then became the ideal mechanism to transition his career from football to property development at the young age of 28.
“I did a press conference announcing my retirement and that same night I was on a plane to Shanghai to fulfil more ordering commitments.”
WELSH'S TRANSITION INTO PROPERTY
Although discussions were underway about new football contracts for Welsh his decision had already been made. He felt it was time for someone else to have the opportunity to play with Essendon and was fortunate enough that SiteTech Solutions gave him the ability to move on quickly towards the next chapter of his career.
Following his retirement however, contrary to what most would assume, Andrew was working 4 or 5 different jobs; different organisations in the media, playing local footy in regional Victoria and growing his property businesses, all in parallel.
“I was pushing really hard to make sure that the transition financially wasn’t impacting the family as the money I was earning, was all going back into the business. They were tough years, working a number of jobs but to see today what we’ve grown into is the most rewarding piece because it wasn’t something that was handed to me on a platter. I had to work hard for it.
Today, Wel.Co is a Melbourne-based multi-billion dollar property development company specialising in building Australian communities in the retail, commercial and residential spaces. They are an agile group with a collaborative style, genuinely enjoying the nature of the game and the people they work with. They pride themselves on their ability to adapt to change and deliver successful outcomes, the Armstrong Creek development (link) being exemplary of this.
”COVID hit a quarter of the way through construction and due to this, the project threw up so many challenges in the most unimaginable circumstances … so to be able to get the centre delivered in the way that it has been, and to see it still continue to grow so significantly, has been very satisfying.”
For Welsh however, it all comes back to his enjoyment of working and achieving great results with great people and successfully navigating the challenges along the way.
Wel.Co are also largely involved in regional developments, more specifically a Masterplan community in Echuca and Bendigo.
“Being development partners for the originals land owners of the properties is really exciting and enjoyable because we’re getting some great history from the farms, can really build some great stories throughout the project and a real depth in the community. Bringing in our expertise and development mangers to help develop family farms is something that we will definitely continue to provide the same service for with other properties.”
Yallarah will be one of Victoria’s largest regional developments comprising of over 2000 contemporary home sites and is set amongst the picturesque natural landscape of Echuca. The project is estimated to be completed by 2035.
However Andrew’s interest in regional Victoria does not seem to be limited to work alone. Ironically, after a large part of his career in the limelight, big crowds are not his thing. He now much prefers living the regional life with his family catching freshwater crays, camping and fishing.
“It allows me to get off the grid, reset and come into Melbourne ready to go again.”
