Celebrating Growth, Capability and the People Behind AVE Technologies
AVE Technologies is proud to have been named Winner of Excellence in Medium Business at the 2026 Business Hunter Awards, recognising a significant period of growth, capability development and investment in our people.
The Business Hunter Awards have celebrated the achievements of organisations and individuals across the Hunter for more than 40 years. The Excellence in Medium Business category recognises businesses that have effectively driven growth and can demonstrate the strategies behind their success and resilience.
For AVE Technologies, the award represents much more than business growth. It recognises the progress our entire team has made as we continue to evolve from a regional electrical and communications business into a multidisciplinary electrotechnology provider delivering increasingly complex projects across the Hunter, NSW and beyond.
A Significant Period of Growth
Over the past 12 months, AVE Technologies has experienced one of the strongest growth periods in the company’s more than 30-year history.
During the award period, AVE exceeded its internal revenue target by more than $1 million, while successfully managing the simultaneous delivery of six major projects across industrial, infrastructure, commercial and cultural environments.
Our workforce also grew by more than 25 employees, taking the team to more than 70 people across Newcastle and Muswellbrook.
This expansion has been supported by significant investment across the business, including the establishment of dedicated People & Culture and HSEQ functions, restructuring of project management and sales, expansion of our engineering capability, additional office space, an in-house vehicle service facility, improved apprentice management systems and the ongoing development of our Integrated Management System.
These investments help ensure AVE can continue to grow sustainably while maintaining the quality, safety, and reliability our clients expect.
Building Greater Technical Capability
A key part of AVE’s continued growth has been developing our ability to deliver larger and increasingly complex projects using our own multidisciplinary team.
Major projects highlighted during the award submission included our work with MCi Carbon at Kooragang Island, the Newcastle Art Gallery redevelopment, Mt Arthur Coal projects and major education and infrastructure works.
The MCi Carbon project, in particular, demonstrated the breadth of AVE’s industrial capability, with our team delivering electrical, communications, process control, and hazardous area works in-house.
At our Newcastle Art Gallery project, our team brought together specialist audiovisual technologies including AV over IP distribution, digital audio processing, LED video walls, hearing augmentation and custom-engineered infrastructure.
Our integrated delivery model lets clients engage one team across electrical engineering, process control and automation, communications, operational technology, security, CCTV, audiovisual systems, and heavy industrial electrical works.
This capability gives clients a single point of accountability from design and engineering through installation, commissioning, and ongoing support.
Investing in Our People
As the scale and complexity of our projects continue to grow, developing our people remains one of AVE Technologies’ top priorities.
Our apprenticeship and training program has become a significant part of the business, with apprentices working alongside experienced electricians, technicians, engineers and project managers across a diverse range of projects.
During the award period, AVE had around 20 apprentices within the business, including female and mature-aged apprentices, supporting our commitment to building a more diverse and sustainable electrotechnology workforce.
Structured mentoring, leadership development, and exposure to multiple technical disciplines give our apprentices and developing tradespeople opportunities to build genuine long-term careers in the industry. We are proud to be developing the Hunter’s future tradespeople, providing opportunities to build their skills while gaining exposure to some of the region’s most innovative and complex projects.
Our commitment also extends beyond AVE through involvement in initiatives such as HERizon, helping introduce young women across the Hunter to career opportunities within trades and electrotechnology.
“This award is really a reflection of our people. We’ve grown quickly, but throughout that growth we’ve remained focused on developing our team, creating opportunities and maintaining the culture that has helped AVE get to where it is today. To have that recognised through the Business Hunter Awards is something everyone at AVE can be proud of.”
— Jess Harter, People & Culture Manager
Supporting the Hunter Economy
Despite the business’s continued expansion, AVE Technologies remains deeply connected to the Hunter region.
With offices in Newcastle and Muswellbrook, more than 70 employees and a fleet of more than 45 vehicles, our operations support local employment, apprenticeships, suppliers and service providers across the region.
AVE delivers more than 2,500 projects annually, supporting organisations across mining, defence, clean technology, education, government, aged care, commercial infrastructure and heavy industry.
Where possible, AVE also prioritises local procurement, helping ensure that investment associated with our projects continues to circulate through the Hunter economy.
Our growing Muswellbrook presence provides skilled employment in the Upper Hunter, while our expansion toward the Mid North Coast represents the next stage in AVE’s regional growth.
Giving Back to the Communities Where We Work
Community involvement remains another important part of AVE Technologies.
Through AVE Impact, we support organisations and initiatives including the Westpac Rescue Helicopter Service, Cancer Council fundraising, Newcastle Harness Racing Club and Upper Hunter Where There’s a Will.
These partnerships reflect our belief that AVE’s growth should create opportunities not only for our employees and clients, but also for the communities where our people live and work.
Recognition That Belongs to Our Team
Winning the Excellence in Medium Business at the 2026 Business Hunter Awards is a significant milestone for AVE Technologies.
It recognises the company’s growth, the increasing sophistication of the projects we deliver, and the systems we have put in place to support the next phase of the business.
Most importantly, however, it recognises the people behind AVE.
Our electricians, communications technicians, apprentices, engineers, project managers, administration and support teams have all contributed to the progress we have made.
We would also like to acknowledge our clients, suppliers and project partners for the trust they continue to place in AVE Technologies.
As we continue to expand across the Hunter, Mid North Coast and beyond, our focus remains the same: develop great people, deliver quality and innovative outcomes, continually improve and build a strong business capable of supporting our clients and communities for the long term.
Congratulations to the entire AVE Technologies team and to all finalists and winners recognised at the 2026 Business Hunter Awards.
