Name: Milan Barbarich
Business: Anton's Seafood Ltd
Industry: Aquaculture
Region: Auckland
Programme: Owner Manager Programme, 2002
"What is perhaps most impressive about this programme is its quality. The presenters - both academics and practitioners - really know their stuff. But the learning experience is not limited to the classroom - the speaker’s points are backed up with high-quality reading and reference materials.
Being an owner-operator brings additional challenges, and I was concerned about being away from the business while I was on the programme. But The Icehouse really does understand the needs of owner-operators: they took us somewhere away from our businesses so we could concentrate, but provided the facilities for us to keep in touch in case of emergencies. Being an owner-operator has the potential to isolate you - it is easy to be too busy to meet other people.
I really enjoyed the networking opportunities that the programme provided me with - it is valuable to meet and learn with people in a similar situation."
