Driving Safety and Sustainability for Geelong: Perry Demolition Wins $25,000 Morris Business Grant.

Morris is proud to announce Geelong-based Perry Demolition as the winner of the $25,000 Morris Business Grant for 2025, with Braille Sign Supplies recognised as the $5,000 runner-up.

Perry Demolition, a Geelong-based business specialising in demolition, asbestos removal and recycling, will use the grant to establish the region’s only EPA-approved temporary asbestos waste facility, delivering safer and more sustainable outcomes for the Greater Geelong community. Currently, licensed trades face up to a 4-hour drive for safe asbestos disposal, adding costs, delays and increased fuel consumption across the construction industry. The new facility will provide a local, safe and fully compliant option, reducing carbon emissions, easing pressure on trades and strengthening the regional economy. It will also address the risks associated with illegal dumping and unsafe DIY asbestos handling, while setting a new benchmark for health and safety standards across the industry.

Bryce Perry, Director of Perry Demolition, said the support comes at a critical time for the region:

“We are incredibly proud to be recognised with the Morris Business Grant. This support allows us to launch the region’s first EPA-approved temporary asbestos facility, reducing illegal dumping, cutting disposal times for local trades, and making professional asbestos removal more affordable for families. It’s a win not just for Perry Demolition, but for our community, our industry, and the environment. We’re grateful to Morris for helping us make a lasting impact.”

Runner-up recognition went to Torquay-based Braille Sign Supplies, run by owners Travis and Leza Ashford. Their niche business produces high-quality, compliant Braille and tactile signage to help people with blindness, low vision and vision impairment safely navigate public and private spaces, with every sign manufactured onsite at their Torquay workshop.

With the $5,000 prize, the business has invested in a new Flatbed Printer to expand capability and community reach. The technology will enable a more affordable range of acrylic Braille signage, deliver environmental benefits such as lower energy use and reduced waste, and support the expansion of their schools-based education initiatives. Since 2015, Leza has led in-school programs to raise awareness of blindness and vision impairment, and the new printer will allow the creation of “Braille Information Packs” to be distributed more widely to kindergartens and schools across the region.

Travis Ashford, Director of Braille Sign Supplies, highlighted the impact of the grant:

“This grant will allow us to expand our production capabilities, as well as support our school-based program, which aims to raise awareness among young people about individuals in our community living with blindness, vision impairment, and low vision. We are deeply grateful for the support provided by Morris.”

Jackson Davis, General Manager of Morris Services at Morris, noted:

“The Morris Business Grant was created to give local businesses the chance to take that next step, to invest in new ideas, build capacity and create flow-on benefits for the community. Perry Demolition and Braille Sign Supplies embody the purpose of this program. Their projects not only help their own businesses grow, but also deliver safer, smarter and more sustainable outcomes for the region as a whole. That’s why we’re proud to back them.”

The winners were selected by an independent judging panel consisting of representatives from Morris, the Geelong Chamber of Commerce and Think Strategic, ensuring a fair and rigorous decision-making process.

We invite everyone to join us in congratulating both Perry Demolition and Braille Sign Supplies on their outstanding initiatives. Morris also extends its thanks to all businesses across the Geelong region that applied for this year’s grant. The standard of submissions was exceptionally high, reflecting the strength, creativity and innovation of the local business community.