Barry Plant Mildura Celebrates Best Year Ever As A New Era Drives Record Success

While record sales figures, listings and market share tell part of the story, Director Matt Mason believes the biggest achievement has been the transformation happening behind the scenes: a renewed culture, a fresh team, upgraded systems and a clear focus on the future.

“Don’t get me wrong, we’ve had an incredible year. Our best ever, in fact. But it’s not the record volume of sales and listings that stands out most to me or anyone else at Barry Plant Mildura,” Matt said.

“It’s the change behind the scenes that has been the most rewarding and has created an environment where people genuinely want to come to work each day. We’ve got our most settled sales team, our strongest culture and the most positive energy we’ve ever had.”

The results speak for themselves. During FY2025-26, Barry Plant Mildura achieved the best year in its 35-year history, recording more sales and listings than ever before. The office also set new records in six individual months, achieving its best-ever August, September, December, January, February and March.

Almost every member of the team achieved a record year, including newer team members who have quickly embraced the business's renewed direction.

“We’ve had a lot of change over the last 12 months, but every single staff member has risen to the challenge,” Matt said. “Everyone is moving in the same direction, and that has created an incredible culture.”

The past year has represented the beginning of a new chapter for Barry Plant Mildura. Following the departure of long-time Director Tense Venneri, who moved into the Head of Growth role at Barry Plant HQ, Matt stepped into the Managing Director position, taking on greater responsibility for leading the business.

The transformation has also extended to the business's leadership and support functions. Recognising the need to strengthen its foundations as it continued to grow, Barry Plant Mildura appointed Danica Leng, a chartered accountant, as its new Finance Manager to oversee the business's financial operations and trust accounting.

"For a business our size, it was the right time to bring someone into that role," Matt said.

"Danica’s been an absolute breath of fresh air. Having that level of expertise means we can continue building a stronger business while giving our clients complete confidence that everything behind the scenes is running as it should."

While the departure of several experienced team members could have had the potential to set the business back, Matt says the changes have ultimately allowed the business to evolve and reach even higher heights.

“From the outside, people saw a lot of long-term people leave and thought we must have been struggling,” he said. “But internally, it has been one of the best years we’ve ever had. We’ve refreshed the business, brought in new energy and created a culture that is better than ever.”

A key part of that refresh has been injecting youth and new ideas into the team. With several new staff members joining the business, Barry Plant Mildura has embraced a new generation of real estate professionals while also adding experienced people to support their growth.

“Our new hires have been fantastic,” Matt said. “They’ve brought a different energy, they’re adaptable, and they’ve really embraced change. We’ve also complemented that with experienced people who provide great support and leadership, while Brenton Love has done an incredible job leading our sales team.”

That willingness to embrace change has extended into the way the business operates, with a major focus on improving systems and processes to better support both clients and staff. Barry Plant Mildura recently transitioned to a cloud-based property management platform designed to streamline operations and enhance customer service.

“We knew we needed to improve the way we worked and make things easier for our team and our clients,” Matt said. “The new system allows us to automate processes, improve communication and ultimately provide a better experience for landlords and tenants.”

Barry Plant CEO Lisa Pennell was full of praise for the Mildura office and its remarkable transformation.

“Tense Venneri’s move from Mildura to Head Office as Head of Growth marked the beginning of a new chapter for a business that has enjoyed long-term success,” Pennell said.

“For Matt to step into the Managing Director role, and along with fellow director Brenton Love successfully lead the business through significant personnel changes and system improvements, and deliver the best year in the office’s history is an outstanding achievement. It’s something everyone at Barry Plant Mildura should be incredibly proud of.”

The business has also invested heavily in improving its marketing capabilities, with team member Dominic Mezzatesta taking ownership of social media, helping Barry Plant Mildura strengthen its online presence and connect with the local community.

“Dom has been fantastic,” Matt said. “What he’s been doing for our social media has been far better than what we were previously outsourcing. It’s been another example of bringing fresh ideas into the business.”

That community connection has been one of the biggest priorities of Barry Plant Mildura’s new era. Over the past year, the business has significantly increased its investment in local sponsorships, supporting schools, sporting clubs and community organisations across Sunraysia.

Barry Plant Mildura is now the major sponsor of the Sunraysia Football and Netball League, securing a three-year partnership, while also supporting a further ten sporting clubs and two primary schools throughout the region.

“We’ve invested more in sponsorships than we ever previously had because we really wanted to give back to the community that has supported us,” Matt said.

“We’re not trying to be the biggest real estate business. We want to be the most trusted and recommended. We’re incredibly grateful for the trust the Mildura community has shown us, and we want to continue to be deserving of that trust.”

As Barry Plant Mildura enters its next chapter, Matt believes the combination of experienced leadership, new energy, improved systems and a stronger community focus has positioned the business for continued growth.

“We’ve had a complete refresh,” he said. “We’ve got new leadership, new staff, new systems and a renewed focus. It’s been a new lease on life for the business, and we’re incredibly excited about what comes next.”