Milliken, a design leader in commercial flooring, has provided incredible support to The Property Industry Foundation as a National Sponsor for the past three years. The company donates beautiful flooring to make our Haven Houses cosy and inviting, along with a percentage of revenue from nominated collections, as part of a collaborative “Product Pathway” initiative. We talked to Shaneel Deo, Managing Director, Milliken, about the enduring partnership.
Where does your interest in supporting homeless youth come from?
We hadn’t realised what a big problem homelessness was in Australia and that youth homelessness affects more than 44,000 young Australians. A country like ours should not have a youth homelessness issue.
The Property Industry Foundation plays a pivotal role in rebuilding and supporting young people’s lives – giving them a second chance. We wanted to be part of this journey with them, to make that tangible impact from a business, community, and personal perspective.
What keeps you supporting our cause each year?
Supporting the Property Industry Foundation is an easy feat, especially seeing the wonderful initiatives that The Foundation undertakes to support and provide shelter to youths who need a second chance, collectively with the property and construction community.
It’s about doing good for our employees, our customers and the communities we live in. We are constantly exploring pathways to not only enhance spaces but also people’s lives.
Tell us about Product Pathway and how it works?
We wanted to develop an innovative pathway that allowed us to be part of a regular and sustainable fundraising stream. The Product Pathway allows product suppliers to partner with the Property Industry Foundation through a contribution of revenue scheme. With this initiative, a percentage of revenue of every specification of nominated collections will be donated to the Property Industry Foundation.
We have seen our Product Pathway and fundraising initiatives supported by the larger design community. They have seen what we have created and the result of our initiatives, and are eager to partake and come on this journey to make an impact. We are delighted by the program’s success and will continue to contribute in any way we can.
What have been some of your highlights over the past three years?
Since becoming a National Sponsor in 2019, we have raised over $120K through Product Pathway and other fundraising initiatives. Further to fundraising, Milliken continues to donate its flooring products for Haven Houses.
The annual events that are always on our agenda are the Charity Regatta and Tour de PIF. These are eventful and memorable initiatives, and our staff members feel like they’re making a tangible difference in not only supporting what The Foundation is striving to do, but also being part of it.
Milliken’s ethos of integrity goes much deeper than just product. We are led by a culture of ‘doing good’ and creating a ‘positive impact on the world and future generations’, where as a company we have made a strong and lasting commitment to social responsibility and sustainability.
Are you looking forward to any upcoming Property Industry Foundation events?
Every year The Foundation surprises us with their creativeness in bringing the property and construction community together to raise funds for youth homelessness and make these experiences fun and memorable. The Charity Regattas across QLD, NSW and VIC are always a great one to kick off the year. The Milliken crew are all hands-on deck volunteering across three states, to make it run as smoothly as possible.
Also, being a sustainable and health-conscious company, with many fitness fanatic staff members, The Foundation’s Tour de PIF / 30-day Fitness Challenge is a winner and marked as a yearly event in Milliken’s calendar.
Not only do we come together to walk for a great cause and take the challenge of getting fit, but we band together as a company knowing we are making a difference in young people’s lives.
On a corporate level we participate in the Coffee Roulette and the inaugural charity night, which provides an opportunity to introduce Property Industry Foundation to some of our clients and showcase all the good work that they do and to get involved.
Milliken (Australia) Pty Ltd is a design leader and manufacturer in commercial flooring, with a 40-year history throughout the Australian and New Zealand markets. Their expertise covers design, manufacturing and supply – dedicated to creating unique and inspirational interior spaces in the Commercial, Education, Health & Aged Care, Hospitality and Retail sectors.
