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Success at Barry Plant Eastern Group Property Management is driven by a culture of continuous improvement, exceptional service, and the development of high-performing talent. This collective team commitment has earned national recognition as REB PM Finalists across three categories, Property Management Team of the Year, Team Culture of the Year, and Business Development Manager of the Year for finalist Jorja Ierardo, highlighting a team of excellence and setting a new benchmark in the industry.
In the last 12 months, our team has listed 827 properties, leased 1571, and maintained a vacancy rate of 0.93% — performance that reflects not just activity, but consistent high-quality execution.
How did you start down this career path?
We started down this career path with a passion for people and a strong belief in the impact that exceptional Property Management can have on both clients and team members. What began as a commitment to creating high-quality systems, supportive structures, and growth pathways soon evolved into a clear vision: to build a connected, motivated, and high-performing team that would set new standards for the industry.
As we saw our people grow, develop, and thrive, our purpose became even clearer: to create an environment where careers can flourish, teams feel empowered, and, as a result, clients experience truly exceptional service. Now, with a rent roll of 6,300 properties, this foundation continues to drive our direction today and fuels our ambition to be Victoria’s leading Property Investment company.
What inspires you in your industry? Why?
We are inspired by our people, their growth, their ambition, and their drive to succeed. Seeing our team develop their skills, progress in their careers, reach their financial goals, and genuinely enjoy coming to work motivates us to create the best systems, processes, and support structures possible.
This is backed by our strong leadership team, who are deeply committed to nurturing and empowering our people, and that passion drives our vision. We are also inspired by the opportunity to set new industry benchmarks, lead by example, and help shape the future direction of Property Management.
What's your approach to customer service that separates you from the rest?
Our approach to customer service is built on a unified commitment to delivering exceptional client care as a collective. We have a deeply connected team whose organic collaboration ensures no client, and no team member, is ever overlooked.
During peak periods or staff absences, our supportive culture enables seamless service, with our dedicated relief team as well as our Property Managers proactively stepping in to help one another. This is reinforced by our clearly defined service standards, which were developed collaboratively by the team and set expectations and uphold our professional values across every client interaction.
Together, this enables us to consistently deliver a high-quality, reliable, and genuinely personable customer experience. Every team member plays their part from the very first interaction, from Customer Service, Business Development, Inspections, Property Management, and our Management teams.
How do you innovate and stay ahead of industry trends?
We pride ourselves on setting the standard and trends for our industry. Our model is to use the best technology, create procedures that make it easy to do business with us, and to nurture a strong, supportive, and collaborative team culture.
Team involvement is at the heart of everything we do. Many of our most impactful ideas and improvements come directly from our team working in their roles every day. Their insights are so valuable that we established an Insights Panel.
This panel brings together team members from various positions across the Property Management department to test, review, and provide feedback on new systems, procedures, and processes before implementation and to refine and enhance existing practices. This combined with an open-door management approach and a genuine openness to feedback, exemplifies innovation, trust, and growth across the department.
Continuous growth and learning are key pillars of success for the team. Regular training sessions ensure we remain up to date with legislation changes, market trends, and emerging industry practices, empowering our team to navigate challenges confidently and deliver informed, proactive and solution focussed service.
What is the toughest challenge you've faced in your team? How did you overcome it?
A recent challenge for us was merging two businesses and cultures while growing our Property Management team from 20 to 60 team members. This required uniting two Leadership teams and combining the best initiatives from both businesses to create a cohesive “Barry Plant 2.0” approach for the future.
We overcame this challenge by fostering a culture of trust, connection, and collaboration, providing opportunities for team members to bond and feel valued. We set clear expectations, collaboratively developed our service standards, reinforced them through meetings, onboarding, and our monthly ‘People’s Choice’ award, and strengthened relationships through social and community events.
By recognising and celebrating achievements, rewarding collaboration, and supporting one another, we successfully built unity, alignment, and a culture where teamwork and collective success remain at the forefront.
As a result, we emerged as a unified, aligned, and stronger team with a culture that continues to drive our success today.
What are some of your goals for the next 5 years?
Over the next five years, our goal is to be Victoria’s leading Property Investment company and maintain our position at the forefront of the industry. We aim to continue championing our people, supporting them in achieving their career goals, and fostering a culture of growth, development and belonging.
For our clients, we want to go beyond traditional property management by actively working with them to achieve their property goals. Ultimately, we aspire to be the one-stop shop for all things property, delivering exceptional outcomes, service, and experiences.
Our commitment and ambition are to be the best, work with the best, and consistently provide outstanding results for our clients.
We will continue investing in technology, people development, and client success to ensure we remain industry leaders in both performance and client experience.
Barry Plant is Victoria’s leading real estate network - and now officially recognised as the 2025 REB Major Network of the Year, 40 or More Offices. With over 45 years of experience, we’ve entered a bold new chapter driven by innovation, strategic growth, and an unwavering commitment to our people.
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