Built different: How VG Project Group’s founders are thriving in turbulent times

The numbers are mind-boggling: nearly 3,000 construction firms have collapsed in the last 18 months alone, yet hope is building. For VG Project Group’s Kim Gower and Joanna Versiani, the answers lie in a strategic edge.  

Australia’s building industry is in crisis, or something close to it. According to a University of New South Wales study, a staggering 2,832 construction companies went insolvent between 2023 and 2024 alone. 

Scarred by COVID-19 disruptions, escalating costs, and rampant cancellations, many small-to-medium-sized enterprises are on the brink. Survival in this landscape demands more than just resilience; it demands strategy.  

Enter, VG Project Group, founded by Kim Gower and Joanna Versiani. The Sydney-based consulting firm that assists builders, developers and government bodies in financial management and technological implementation. 
 
“I actually love doing what I do,” says Gower, whose lifelong immersion in the industry began at 12, learning from his family, including his grandfather. “For me, it’s not work at all.”  
 
Gower has witnessed the industry’s harsh realities, where mismanagement often led to “hard lessons”, proving that stubbornness is detrimental to survival. Versiani is quick to head back to the drawing board, or the online equivalent, and has led the group’s embrace of new models.  

The DrawLogic behind the success

 “If you don’t try to find innovative ways of doing things with fewer resources and still have the same outcome in a faster way, I feel you’re going to be gone pretty quickly,” says Versiani, who, as a director of VG Project Group, leads its finance and management.  

“My background has always been working with SOX compliance, and a publicly listed business that acquired over 10 different businesses while I was there.”  
 
This experience has proven crucial in guiding VG Project Group across sectors, including aged care, retail, residential, health, tourism, government, and urban renewal. 

Versiani has also championed the development of two key ventures: DrawLogic, a software solution, and Virtus, a thriving luxury development company.  
 
“DrawLogic is an AI-driven platform,” says Versiani, who was an early adopter in the industry. “This will then help automate that whole construction process with the purpose and vision of facilitating and helping developers and builders streamline that process and not be very resource-dependent.” 

Virtus, the duo says, is not in opposition to the company VG Capital Group; instead, it is running on a considerably more localised level and is a “very big passion project” for Gower, in particular.  

As a testament to that, Virtus won the Development of the Year award for a small-scale residential project (between 1 and 3 levels) at the Urban Developer Industry Excellence Awards.  

“It’s an example that we give our clients when we consult with them,” says Gower. “We show them that if we do this, if we put all the processes and all the systems in place, and we’re not only talking about it, we’re doing it ourselves.” 

RIP Red Tape Tape: Simple Solutions Compliance

“We are solving the biggest problem of the construction industry: resource dependency,” says Versiani. “Currently, while tools exist for coordination and documentation in construction, nothing truly handles operational deliverables.”  

Their ventures, namely VG Project Group and DrawLogic, embody this commitment to transformation. Their software promises to reduce the time and cost associated with compliance dramatically.  

They dream of the days when bemoaning red tape doesn’t dominate water-cooler discussion. In building, this hard-to-navigate bureaucracy has stifled and totally stunted many projects mid-construction. Meanwhile, Virtus stands as tangible proof of their capabilities.  

“I think that’s why we love this industry so much, because there’s so much to learn and so much to improve, and so much to actually work on that will actually bring good value,” says Gower. “I do believe it’s going to change in the next 10 years completely. And I’m quite happy and glad to be part of the change with Joanna as well.”