“We want the Bentino name to be everywhere”:The power couple building a construction, insurance building, restoration and development empire

Co-founders Evan Benjamin and Ashley Agostino have channelled their shared entrepreneurial passion into an award-winning, multi-state construction, restoration and development empire. With Bentino, they’ve come a long way from their garage office days.

Evan Benjamin and Ashley Agostino were built to last.

Benjamin arrived in Australia from Baghdad, Iraq, as a young boy with no English at the age of 11. He learned discipline by working early mornings in his parents’ cleaning business before taking up carpentry which then led him into building. Initially, it centred on survival, but he soon grew in confidence and cheek.

His business instincts were evident at age 15, when he printed business cards and started his own door-to-door lawn-mowing round. “Nobody told me to do that,” says Benjamin. “It was just this instinct that if you see a gap, you move into it.”

Agostino’s own drive was shaped by the entrepreneurial blueprint laid down by her late father, an ambitious builder-developer whose philosophy was defined by phrases like “you sleep when you die” and “money talks”. She never had the opportunity to go into business with her dad, but found someone who shared that familiar entrepreneurial fire.

“In many ways, the partnership I always imagined with my father found its shape in the business Evan and I have built together,” says Agostino.

Together, the married couple started Sydney Builders Group, operating out of a home office garage. A major turning point was winning industry recognition from Master Builders Australia, the National Association of Women in Construction, and the Housing Industry Association.

“Watching a company born at a kitchen table grow into a multi-state operation was special,” says Benjamin, emphasising they brought in exceptional people to help.

Capitalising on this momentum, they rebranded to Bentino. Today, the award-winning, ISO-certified Australian powerhouse integrates construction, insurance repair, and major loss response.

Driving further expansion, the co-founders established a development arm for commercial and luxury residential builds, alongside the recently launched 24/7 emergency restoration division, Bentino Care. Among those ventures, the co-founders are also developing a technology business they say is set to disrupt the property market.

“We want the Bentino name to be everywhere,” says Agostino. “Internationally recognised, across multiple sectors, synonymous with quality and ambition.”

What was the spark that inspired you to start Bentino?

Benjamin: It was deeply personal from the beginning. Everything I’ve built has started from scratch. When Ashley and I mapped Bentino out, we wanted it to be more than just another construction company. We wanted to show what we were capable of. Bentino is a fusion of our surnames. From day one, this partnership has been about building a legacy on which we are proud to put our names.

Agostino: Necessity. We didn’t enter this with capital or connections. We came with drive and a clear belief that we could do things better. Evan and I kept seeing the same frustrations in the construction and restoration space. We wanted to build a company that held itself to higher standards, particularly given the complexity of insurance builds. When people are dealing with major loss events, they need a contractor who gets it right the first time and treats them with genuine empathy.

[Q&A]
What were the biggest hurdles you faced, and how did you find your way through them?

Benjamin: The hardest challenge has been growing without losing what made us good in the first place. Scaling a business while building systems, maintaining quality, securing major contracts, and expanding into new markets puts a lot of pressure on most people that they don’t see. Those moments showed me the business has to be bigger than one person. That realisation drove our investment in governance, ISO certifications and a proper operational structure.

Agostino: I would say starting with very little, which we refused to use as an excuse. We didn’t have a network or a safety net, so every decision in our early days carried enormous weight. However, those tough times taught me that you can build up your inner resilience. Put simply, we refused to give in.

What drives you at this stage of your career?

Benjamin: My son is 10 years old, and he already watches everything we do. Each business decision I make is filtered through the lens of what I want him to inherit. I don’t just mean financially, but in terms of values, work ethic and the understanding that anything is genuinely possible if you are willing to put in the work. Ashley and I share a vision that goes far beyond building a successful company. We want to create generational wealth.

Agostino: Knowing that Bentino is our foundation, but not our final destination. We are constantly developing our skills, networks and capital to pursue new ventures. That is what drives me every day. Philanthropy is a genuine part of how I measure success. Whether we’re raising meaningful funds for homelessness through the Vinnies CEO Sleepout or opening doors for women in an industry that has historically kept them out.

What do you want your business legacy to be?

Benjamin: I want my son to grow up, look at what we built and understand that it was made for him and for whoever comes after him. I came to this country as a boy from Iraq and had to find my own way. If that story teaches our children that there are no limits except the ones you accept, then everything we have done will have been worth it.

Agostino: That we built something extraordinary from nothing, and that we used it well. But the legacy closest to my heart is the one we are building for our family: a genuine family business empire. Generational wealth means our children grow up with real foundations beneath them and the freedom to take what we have started and carry it even further. Ultimately, legacy is about the doors you open for the people who come after you.

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