His wife Caitlyn had just fallen pregnant with their first child, Titan 

“Her pregnancy filled me with such a sense of anxiety that I needed to start building a better life for us, so I jumped into business feet first, so that the future is in my hands. ” he says. 

Stephen hasn’t looked back 

The 100 percent owner of Darwin-based Pinnacle Plumbing NT was named Blak Male Business Leader of the Year at the Blak Business Awards in 2024. 

Stephen enjoys working for himself … despite the stress endured by every business owner. 

“There’s a sense of obligation. I am a person who needs to thrive under pressure so the desire to provide for not just family, but to ensure the futures of the men that have trusted me to work for Pinnacle, is a great driver to grow as a person and ensure success.” 

Pinnacle is a construction plumbing company specialising in commercial, industrial and Defence work. 

The great difficulty, as with all Northern Territory businesses, is recruiting and retaining staff – Pinnacle’s staff has grown from two in September 2021 to 15 today. 

“We have a very well-balanced crew, but trying to add the additional people we need is a universal stress in the Industry.” 

Stephen started as a sole trader in late 2018 and transitioned to a company three years later with his school mate and trusted friend, Antonio Billias, as a director. They went to Anula Primary and Sanderson High schools together and completed their plumbing apprenticeships with the same company, Leanyer Plumbing. 

Pinnacle is engaged on Defence projects across the Darwin military bases, as well as several large commercial projects. 

Stephen and his team were also award recipients at the Master Builders NT Awards in 2024 for their work on the iconic rebuild of the Casuarina swimming pool. 

He loves working on local landmark projects. 

“Projects like this leave an important community legacy and demonstrate what we are capable of and proud to be a part of. 

“My kids can go to Cas pool – like I did as a young fella – and they can say, ‘My Dad helped build this.” And just like that, we are part of building the history of this place. 

“We will take the next 12 months to really consolidate our growth and focus on our key goals – Indigenous employment and environmentally focused practices.” 

Pinnacle prides itself on its capabilities. 

“For a young business, we are performing work to the same standards as the long-established non-Indigenous businesses. 

“We focus on achieving our clients’ goals through a collaborative and solution-focused approach.” 

CONTACT 

Pinnacle Plumbing 

34 Bishop Street, Woolner Northern Territory 0820 

0419 507 400 

0406 265 357 

Pinnacleplumbingnt.godaddysites.com