Adam Sarota on transforming a 20-year-old metal company into a driving force in closing the gap
In 2019, Adam Sarota purchased Bridgeman, a 20-year-old metal manufacturing company. In the last five years, Adam has evolved Bridgeman into a Supply Nation-certified Indigenous company that’s reaching success with a conscience. This year, Adam’s contributions were recognised at the 40 Under 40 Gala Awards, where he took home the Inspiring Future Leader Award.
In 2011, Adam Sarota made history when he joined the field at the 83rd minute to represent Australia in a nail-biting football match against Wales. At the time, Adam marked the seventh Australian with First Nations heritage to don the Socceroos jersey on the world stage.
Flash forward nearly 13 years to the day and Adam made history as the first Indigenous Australian to receive the Inspiring Future Leader Award at Queensland’s 40 Under 40 Gala Awards – but not for his contributions to the game. Instead, Adam received this accolade to recognise his work as owner and director of metal manufacturing, construction and landscape company, Bridgeman.
“To be recognised among my peers is very humbling,” shares Adam. “It was also great to have my parents fly down from Cairns for the awards night and witness it as well. To see their faces when my name was announced is something I won’t forget.”
The pivot from football to metal manufacturing might seem untraditional, to some. Adam chose to retire in 2014, after a career-ending injury saw him pursue a career after football. After working for a financial advisory company and holding a few board positions, Adam opted to purchase Bridgeman – a then-22-year-old metal manufacturing company.
“I was offered an opportunity to sit on the Board of Bridgeman for two years before declaring my conflict of interest and purchasing the company, as I saw its potential,” explains Adam.
At the time of purchase, Bridgeman had 40 staff members. Under Adam’s custodianship it has grown to more than 100 including 17 apprentices and two trainees. The most notable change Adam has implemented at Bridgeman is the company’s renewed emphasis on community.
“When I first purchased Bridgeman, my goal was to increase employment opportunities for Indigenous people, whether it was through both direct employment or Indigenous supply chains,” says Adams.
“Being a proud Yidinji man from Gordonvale, which is a small country town south of Cairns. I grew up seeing Indigenous people not being given opportunities, whether it was because there weren’t any projects or due to capability and education.”
This experience inspired Adam to introduce numerous initiatives to increase employment opportunities for First Nations people. In merely five years under Adam’s leadership, the company has increased full-time Indigenous employees from 2 percent to 11 percent.
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“We aim to be Australia’s leader in promoting a culture of diversity and social inclusion,” Adam tells us.
A notable aspect of Adam’s leadership is the company’s self-funded grassroots work, which seen Adam become a vital source of inspiration for young First Nations people. From attending local schools to discuss the construction industry to creating pathways for kids post incarceration and even paying for an Indigenous kids to attend university, the impact Adam is having on his community with Bridgeman will likely be felt for generations.
Whilst this resume made Adam a natural choice for this year’s Inspiring Future Leader Award, the announcement still came as a surprise.
“I didn’t think I was going to be a finalist, but I am very happy I applied,” says Adam.
“Its great recognition to all the work we do at Bridgeman in providing opportunities and pathways to not only Indigenous people, but to Queenslanders as a whole.”
