As its vibrant pink fleet grows, Victorian concreting business VicMix continues to fly the flag of support for a charity close to its heart.
Having lost their sister-in-law to breast cancer many years ago, leaving behind three young sons, brothers Michael and Tony DeLuca chose to paint their fleet pink in her honour; with her eldest son now part of the family-run business too.
VicMix was started in 2007 when Michael and Tony teamed up colleague Joe Pietrosanto and purchased land in Dandenong to start their new venture, specialising in the suburban market including house slabs, pavers, exposed concrete and more.
From 10 trucks, the fleet has grown to 75 pink concrete agitators. They’re easy to spot out on Melbourne roads and wear their colours with pride.
“We painted our fleet pink to support Breast Cancer Network Australia (BCNA). You can see their logo towards the back of the barrel on the truck. We lost a sister-in-law to breast cancer back in 1990, and she left behind three boys under six, so it’s a cause we take personally,” said Michael.
Kerrianne DeLuca was pregnant with her third child when she was diagnosed with breast cancer – and she chose to delay her treatment to save her unborn son, who is now 31 and in the Navy.
“Doctors told her to abort but she was adamant that she wanted to go through with the pregnancy. She had to go through the whole pregnancy before she could start her treatment. She showed so much courage and left a big hole in our lives when she passed away,” explained Michael.
VicMix has remained an avid supporter of BCNA and its important work. Each year, the De La Salle Old Collegians Amateur Football Club hosts a Mother’s Day Ladies Luncheon in conjunction with VicMix to raise funds for the charity.
All money raised through the luncheon is donated to BCNA, with VicMix matching that donation. The company also makes various other donations to the organisation throughout the year too.
“We do it for the right reasons – BCNA are very good people and I think they do a fantastic job. At the most recent luncheon, a lady at the event had seen a doctor after suspecting breast cancer, but it wasn’t diagnosed. She didn’t believe that doctor and after hearing the advice from BCNA during the event, she saw a second doctor – and lucky she did,” added Michael.
Kerrianne’s son Michael Vincent DeLuca has also become an important part of the business, since taking on the role of plant manager at VicMix’s Coburg branch.
With October being Breast Cancer Awareness month, VicMix has marked the occasion with the delivery of a new UD Quon 8×4 CG 30 360 agitator.
“The Quon’s a beautiful truck to drive and the driver absolutely loves it. It’s got lots of power, and the short nose gives much better visibility and site access,” said Michael.
With VicMix keeping very busy, the new truck has been spreading the message of support for BCNA across Melbourne.
Michael says the driver has been impressed with the truck too. “He spends eight hours a day in it, making five trips, so driver comfort is important. The twin-steer means we can carry an extra cubic metre-and-a-half of concrete on every trip, that bumps the barrel up to seven cubic metres, so the Quon’s pulling its weight.”
Though VicMix has no immediate plans for expansion, it’s likely we’ll start to see more and more of its pink concrete agitators on Melbourne’s roads as time goes on.