My Local Buy Story | Far North Office Choice

Written by Far North Office Choice

“I’ve been everywhere man!” A tale told by Far North Office Choice’s Director David Graham, as he drives the trail from coast to coast connecting with people from the Gulf Region, Cooktown and Hope Vale areas and throughout the Atherton Tablelands and Cairns.

Local Buy has been fundamental in our business growth. Networking with the support of the Local Buy brand behind us has been integral in providing the opportunity to supply and assist our remote clients and councils. Being a pre-qualified supplier has also assisted Far North Office Choice with our Back-to-School period allowing for confidence in the education sector from their submission of RFQ through to our winning of contracts and processing Purchasing Orders. Schools can be assured that the procedure is streamlined with Quality Management Systems in place and risk mitigated.

Assisting the community when disaster strikes is just part of Far North Office Choice (FNOC) business culture. People in Far North Queensland have a steely determination to beat all odds and to help their mates. In 2022 Karumba State School was flooded in and when we heard that the kids had no books to start school, we had no hesitation to fly in supplies. Logistics for Back to School in Cooktown this year was also challenging as we attempted two trips, and each time were stopped by the flooded rivers. We finally made it to deliver schoolbooks on the 21st of January just in time for Term 1. 

Being a one stop shop for everything from stationery and cleaning products to coffee and sugar. We also extend our procurement team to sourcing random items to send out to our remote clients. FNOC customers enjoy one on one consultation and problem solving, which means we offer more than what you see in our catalogues. We have even sourced Cots for Coen Kindy as an example.

Cultural awareness is ingrained into our staffing policy and customer service ethos. Far North Office Choice marketing department promotes and embraces several programs including the sale of our Bibbulmun products. Offering a simple way for customers to give back to Indigenous Australia, and for organisations to meet their Corporate Social Responsibility targets. Recently we have also moved into an Indigenous furniture range paying royalties back to artists. The furniture is stunning and allows councils to showcase their support of the Indigenous Art Code and Fair Trade practices, within boardroom, reception and visitor areas.

Recent flooding in the predominantly Indigenous community of Wujal Wujal has called for disaster recovery within the Council Depot and it has been our pleasure to assist with the refurbishment – this also came through our appointment to Local Buy Arrangements. During the floods, we all felt so helpless for our friends in Wujal Wujal. We are so grateful to our clients at Cooktown District Community Centre for the work they did for people on the ground and for distributing our donated goods when we could not get there ourselves.

We pride ourselves in giving back. This year we will support our local school in the Great Wheel Burrow Race, and we continue our monthly donation to Samuel Johnson‘s targeted cancer research organisation ‘Love Your Sister’ - a cause close to my heart.

Far North Office Choice also had the pleasure of assisting Alexandra Bay State School in reviving its Resource Centre after the floods. The Douglas Cluster of schools and Council have really been hit hard. We urge all our Local Buy friends to go see the regions, take a tour, buy some lunch, and stay a night or two in the community to boost the local economies.

We set up a trade stand at the recent Local Buy Summit held at the Cairns DoubleTree by Hilton. The day was a great opportunity to catch up with delegates after a long challenging wet season. Much of our conversations were about recovery, roads, and refurbishment. There were many stories of success and resilience too, which was heartwarming, to say the least.

We have over 20 years running Far North Office Choice. This year by far has brought the best team yet. We all had a blast at recent team building events, and it was one of the most effective exercises we have had yet. With the team being like family, business is a pleasure. Communication being key, we are all working together like a well-oiled clock. With successful business implementations, ongoing loyalty of our staff and continued relationship with Local Buy as a key strategic partnership, the sky is the limit for Far North Office Choice. We put in the extra mile for our customers, who have become family. I have relationships with clients who have come to expect service above and beyond as a given.

If you have any questions you may contact Kim Barallon at kimb@fnoc.com.au or 07 4091 2922.