Building Skills, Strengthening Futures
From a small start-up to a major earthmoving company, Mills Albert has grown by investing in people. With a strong focus on skills training, management development, and Māori values, the Kāpiti-based business now employs 120 staff. Their commitment to sustainability and workforce growth continues to shape the region’s construction industry.
When Dave Mills and Lisa Mills-Albert moved to the Kāpiti Coast over two decades ago, neither had business ownership experience. But they dreamed of creating their own earthmoving company.
With Dave’s 15 years experience working supervisory roles in the heavy machinery industry, plus $100,000 and a Hilux, they launched Mills Albert Limited alongside Lisa’s brother, Phillip Albert, in 2000.
Today, the proudly family and Māori-owned earthmoving and forestry company employs around 120 local staff and manages multi-million-dollar projects between Taranaki and Wairarapa.
But like many start-ups, Mills Albert has navigated speed bumps along the way.
After buying Phillip out in 2006, the market downturn forced Lisa to let go of four of their 26 employees. Naturally, she was devastated.
“Our staff are our biggest asset”
“Our staff are our biggest asset,” she says, “so from there we agreed we weren’t going to get into that kind of situation again.”
To ensure stability, they focused on management structure, bringing in another of Lisa’s brothers, Paul Albert, as operations manager. Today, he’s the company’s general manager.
By 2017, Mills Albert had won the health and safety category at Kāpiti’s Horowhenua Electra Business Awards, which inspired them to consider where to improve going forward.
They ironed out their values and created a company mission based around core Māori principles, which now adorn a wall at their Paraparaumu headquarters.
Another part of “the heart” of Mills Albert is their emphasis on environmental sustainability.
“Significant planning goes into every project to prevent the impact on native and endangered species,” says Dave. “We recycle and reuse as much as possible to minimise waste.”
In 2023, Mills Albert purchased a dairy farm in Taranaki for rock extraction to support river and sea wall protection.
That year, they won three categories at the Horowhenua Electra Business Awards, as well as the Health and Safety category at the Wellington Gold Awards.
“We’re really proud of what we’re doing,” Dave says.