Butler Partners celebrate the ongoing power of the Capricorn Region
Posted on April 28th, 2020
5 minutes with Capricorn Enterprise Economic Development Member, Butler Partners
The Central Queensland region is without doubt entering the most exciting phase of significant investment that has ever been experienced to date.
We sat down with Principal and Director of Butler Partners, Chris Bloxsom to discover some further insights into current infrastructure projects and their value to regional business and industry.
Tell us about yourself Chris?
As one of four directors and the Principal of Butler Partners, I oversee all regional operations within the group. I have almost 40 years industry experience as former part-owner of Roadtest, area manager of Cardno Roadtest and founder of Butler Partners Regional in early 2015. During these 40 years, I have been well-placed to understand the needs of a wide range of clients who operate in regional areas throughout Queensland and interstate.
I am a strong advocate for developing local business capability by identifying keen and motivated individuals and giving them in-house training and support to complete formal qualifications.
When you can’t find the skilled people you need, you have to create your own and, in the process, you build a better business with loyal and local people.
Tell us about Butler Partners?
Butler Partners is Central Queensland’s largest Geotechnical, Environmental and Groundwater consultancy with offices in Rockhampton, Yeppoon, Gladstone and Moranbah. We also have extensively equipped NATA accredited construction testing facilities in Rockhampton, Gladstone and Moranbah.
At any given time, we have several project-based Site Laboratories operating throughout Australia providing skilled and senior technicians for a range of mostly mining-related infrastructure developments.
Our company fleet of geotechnical and environmental drill rigs can complete wash-bore and rock-coring, CPT probe and undisturbed environmental sampling on land or over water and with extensive experience working in remote and difficult terrain to complete investigations.
Our extensive experience covers a diverse range of projects in various locations in Queensland and interstate, as well as PNG, Asia and the South Pacific. Our services range from a single appointment for a specific investigation to a multiple faceted approach throughout the life of the project.
The Butler Partners team specialises in geotechnical, geo-environmental and groundwater investigation and design, complemented by NATA-accredited construction materials testing laboratories and construction control experience.
Highly recognised throughout the industry, our practical approach delivers a solution-based result ensuring project certainty through investigation.
Share with us some of your recent contract success?
Our list of recent contract success is extensive and includes, but not limited to, the following works:
| ASMTI Facilities Project in Shoalwater Bay |
| Rockhampton North Access Upgrade Project |
| Bruce Highway Projects |
| Carmichael Coal Mine Project Package and Airstrip |
| Capricornia Correctional Centre |
| Yeppoon Rail Precinct |
Explain how current infrastructure projects are of value to regional business?
The Central Queensland region is without doubt entering the most exciting phase of significant investment that has ever been experienced to date. This investment growth covers defence, mining, agriculture, local and state government infrastructure spending and record spending by the Federal government even before the calamity of coronavirus.
Investment from the private sector will follow and engage with this development surge and can only add to the overall expansion of all sectors. What is also of enormous benefit to this region with its very significant investment contribution is the health and education sector and these contribute greatly in both dollar terms and the boost to employment and physical infrastructure required.
The challenge for local industry and businesses is to ensure that we are structured and ready to provide the many services and products required for this amazing investment growth – not just for now but also for the future.
One of the ways this can be done is by gathering together as an industry group and making the region’s voice heard, its capability highly visible and well understood. There is enormous capacity in this region and it is vital that this message gets out to project proponents so that we don’t miss out simply because we have failed to collaborate, failed to communicate, and failed to celebrate the power of the Capricorn Region in taking on the lion’s share of the investment here now and coming in the future.
Tell us about your experience as a Capricorn Enterprise member?
Since becoming members of Capricorn Enterprise in recent years, Butler Partners Group has been able to receive assistance in connecting with major project proponents and present our capabilities to the region via networking with fellow members and attendance at Capricorn Enterprise events.
The Capricorn Enterprise team are always looking at ways to promote the interests of their members and that can have a direct impact on the success of both those members helped, and the region overall as the available “offering” in this region is strengthened.
Apart from the professional and well-targeted support from Capricorn Enterprise, it is also lots of fun to get involved in the more “social” aspects of membership. Highly recommended!
Jon Bloxsom (Senior Environmental Scientist,) Nick Bloxsom (Senior Geotechnical Engineer), Chris Bloxsom, (Principal) 
