With Canberra’s booming building industry at their doorstep, family business High Country Truss and Frames has grown exponentially over the past 10 years.

Located in Polo Flat in Cooma, the business manufactures roof trusses, wall frames and flooring systems. The family also own Cooma H Hardware on the same street, and originally opened High Country Truss and Frames as an extension of the store.

Co-owner Elizabeth Van der Plaat says that their Cooma location is ideal, with 90% of work going straight to Canberra. They’re also perfectly placed for the Snowy Mountains and South Coast, and easily order replenishment stock from Sydney each week.

Over the course of 10 years, the business has expanded from three to 20 staff members. Jack Atkinson recently began working for High Country Truss and Frames after deciding to move back to Cooma with his young family. He says the cost of living allows his wife to be a full time parent, while he’s found work he enjoys. “I was doing the commute situation and it wasn’t really working,” he says. “So we moved here for the lifestyle that Cooma provides.”

Elizabeth says her family love living in Cooma, and the region is very supportive of local businesses. She also says that finding local talent to work in the business has been easy, with all of their staff living locally.

“(In Cooma) you have Canberra at your doorstep, the Snowy Mountains, and the coast. You’re right in the middle of everything, so it’s a really good place to run a business.”

For more information, call High Country Truss and Frames on (02) 6452 5884. You can learn more about living and working in the Snowy Mountains at www.snowymonaro.nsw.gov.au and visiting the region at www.visitsnowymountains.com.au.