From ashes to action: How one Illawarra CEO led a 3-month business comeback

Inside Operation Phoenix: How Flagstaff bounced back from a multi-million dollar fire without one job loss

Flagstaff group CEO Rodney Von Clark at the fire-hit Unanderra operation. Picture from Flagstaff video.

Losing a business stream that accounts for almost 20% of commercial revenue might stop certain CEOs in their tracks. Not The Flagstaff Group's Rodney Von Clark.

Instead, as he watched fire crews battle the blaze tearing through the group's Unanderra HQ on Boxing Day 2024, the strategising began. Operation Phoenix, as it is known, was born on Nolan Ave before the fire was even fully extinguished.

And while the group's fine food division could not be resurrected, it took just three months for every employee to be back at work, some redeployed to other operations but engaged in meaningful work in a supportive environment.

"The important thing was to be able to prioritise what we could action straight away," Von Clark says, remembering the fateful evening of December 26. We needed to get our businesses back up and running, not just for our employees but also so we could continue to provide services to our partners."