Over the 30-plus years since, DCOH has evolved into a multi-faceted, vertically integrated business which now designs, develops, builds and operates a range of projects. 

Following a recent restructure of the company (formerly known as the Halikos Group), Shane Dignan has now assumed sole ownership of the company. 

After joining the company in 1991, Shane became 49 per cent shareholder and director in 2000 but with the restructure he is now the owner and managing-director of DCOH, overseeing an expansion of the business into developments, construction, roofing, land sub-division, property management, real estate and hospitality. 

He is confident DCOH is well positioned to experience further success. 

As part of his planning to take DCOH into its next phase of growth, Shane has recently overseen a rebranding of the company. 

“I had a good working relationship with John for 30-plus years, I am proud of what we achieved together and I wish him well into the future,” says Shane. 

“We have great support from our key stakeholders, advisors, banks, consultants, subcontractors, and supply chain throughout this process. They know who they are and we couldn’t have done it without them”. 

He attributes the growth of DCOH since its humble beginnings to a core philosophy of employing locally, buying locally and reinvesting profits back into the Territory. 

Shane believes the Territory’s prosperity requires strong and capable local businesses and companies which are genuinely invested the future. He says they must also possess the ability to adapt to a constantly changing environment. 

“DCOH is very good at adapting to challenges and fulfilling what we started out to do.” 

He is proud of the high-quality workmanship DCOH consistently achieves, saying it is a key to securing multiple jobs from clients. 

“We provide a good quality product, and we develop a good rapport with the client.” 

He says DCOH recognises the value of developing a transparent working relationship with the client and working closely with them on the design and delivery of projects as early as possible. 

“The expertise of the managers we have in our development and construction business with Chris Giannikouris, Matthew Lee, Drew Miller, Lachlan Michell, and Wayne Wolpers, and many more all with tier-one experience, allows us to manage the process for value for the client. ” 

A self-described “Geelong tragic”, Shane believes that just as is the case in football, teamwork is essential to success in business too. 

“It’s not just me, it’s the whole company working to get the best possible outcome. It’s a team environment and you’ve got to get a good team around you.” 

He says DCOH has managed to do just that. They have a strong, capable and experienced management team, many of whom are long-term employees. The DCOH tier-one management team is: 

Eddie Godwin – ICT Manager, Adrian Walsh – General Manager Punters Bar, Sanjaya Karunathilake – The Smith Hotel & Frontier General Manager, Matthew Lee – Commercial Manager, Kristy Millar – Licensee and Commercial Property Manager, Pam Mienert – Finance and Operations Manager, Hospitality, Shane Dignan – Managing Director, Lachlan Michell – Construction Manager, Emily Nyamdorj – People and Culture Manager, Alex Murray – General Manager Novotel, Alyce Breed – Senior Executive Officer, Darren Mullan – General Manager Textum, Wayne Wolpers – Northcrest Project Manager, Alex Pullar – Chief Financial Officer, Chris Giannikouris – General Manager Construction, Drew Miller – General Manager Developments 

“Those key staff are critical to the company’s success. It’s important to have really good staff in certain areas and to let them control their own decisions. I have 100 per cent confidence in them.” 

The continuity within the management team is reflected at all levels across the business with a number of DCOH staff having been with the company for 10-30 plus years.

Some of these same staff now have sons and daughters working with the company. DCOH’s second-generation includes Shane’s son Lachlan who, after completing studies interstate and gaining tier-one experience, has settled into the Construction Manager role at the CDU project. 

General Manager of Construction, Chris Giannikouris has brought his two daughters into the team alongside him. 

Mikaela is a Project Coordinator and Nakita is an SEQ trainee. General Manager of Textum, Darren Mullan’s son Billy, is also working with him in the roofing division. All of the new generation have been working on DCOH’s largest projects. 

Shane believes the company’s growth highlights the capability and professionalism of Territorians, describing the DCOH team as being “at the top of their game”. 

DCOH generally has a workforce of 280 but that grows to about 300 during the dry season when the hospitality division takes on extra staff. 

The new-look DCOH brand was launched at a special event at the company-owned Novotel Atrium Darwin on the Esplanade in late May. The rebranding reflects the core functions of the new-look DCOH: 

The rebranding also highlights the expansion within the business over more than 30-plus years. 

One of the first steps in the evolution of DCOH into a multi-faceted business came when the still relatively small construction and roofing company expanded into roll-forming and manufacturing to help streamline their operations. 

“That was in the late 90s and John and I had identified opportunities to expand our business into an integrated model. We also did some 

recruiting and got some really good managers. We could see there were opportunities there and it was about having good managers in individual divisions.” 

A willingness to think big and to seize opportunities has seen the development of a business that is in the process of delivering hundreds of millions of dollars’ worth of projects. These include the landmark $250 million Charles Darwin University (CDU) Education and Community Precinct in the Darwin city centre; City of Darwin’s Casuarina Aquatic and Leisure Centre; the Youth Justice Centre at Holtze and the Northcrest residential estate. 

Shane believes the almost-complete CDU project exemplifies the capabilities and resilience of DCOH. 

Covid-era restrictions confronted DCOH with labour and supply issues, but the company adapted and continued working towards meeting its contractual obligations. 

“We performed to our best to overcome those challenges and that’s a credit to all the people involved. 

“There are not too many $250-million-plus jobs in Australia that went through covid on time and on budget. We’ve got the expertise to overcome the challenges we faced. And we’re very persistent and finish what we start out to do. 

“The CDU project is one of our latest bigger projects and when it’s finished it’s something everyone in the company will be proud of. And we keep on looking for these types of facilities that will make the Territory a better place. We spend a lot of time trying to make sure we have consistent work.” 

“We’re tendering on a lot of projects. And it all comes back to our capability and capacity.” 

This formula has just seen DCOH secure another substantial project in the form of a $320 million contract with Australian Defence Force for the upgrade of facilities at Darwin’s Robertson Barracks. 

With Shane pointing to “a pipeline of work” coming on-line over the next six months, his optimism about the future of DCOH is understandable. 

In addition to setting up DCOH for the short to medium term Shane is also looking over the horizon and preparing the next generation of leaders who will take the company into the future. 

“I’m hoping that in five years’ time we’re on the pathway we are on now and we’re training up the people to take us into the next generation.” 

DCOH is also committed to recruiting, retaining, and developing Indigenous talent and providing equal opportunities for career advancement for First Nations Territorians. 

“By actively engaging with Indigenous businesses and organisations, we also aim to contribute to the growth and prosperity of Indigenous communities.” 

Developing a business such as DCOH requires a high level of commitment from individual team members, who frequently dedicate long hours at work to achieve their goals. 

It is not just the personnel behind the growth of the business who deserve high praise, according to Shane. It is the families too, because they also have had to make numerous sacrifices over the years. This includes Shane’s own family and his wife, Jenny, and children Alana, Lachlan and Nathan, plus the families of the employees, who have all provided unwavering support as Shane has worked to achieve his business goals. 

Shane arrived in Darwin with a mate in 1988 looking for work and felt an almost immediate attraction to the city and its people. 

Since those days as a young tradesman, he has come to believe in Darwin and its future, and they are sentiments he shares frequently with interstate colleagues. 

“The Territory has been very good to me and I always promote it as a way of giving back,” he says. 

“We feel like we are part of the fabric. And I’m very proud of the place. We are a proud Territory company.”