By Ong Chin Huat
Ramelle Ramli reveals the unique challenges of developing a lifestyle property project in Perak.
As the Executive Chairman of construction and property development company RH Consortium, Ramelle Ramli has truly found his metier in a sort of roundabout way. At 40, he’s young enough to start as a novice in a competitive new industry yet old enough to realise his learning curve is a steep one. But his gung-ho and pleasant personality combined with his eagerness to learn the ropes from his partner and those more experienced than him is a good indication that he’ll go far.
As a Business Studies graduate of the American Intercontinental University in London, Ramelle’s horizon widened and so did his views of the world. Meeting new people from different countries exposed him to various points of view which made him see opportunities that he would normally gloss over.
After returning to Malaysia, Ramelle started his career in facility management, a business which encompass cleaning, landscape maintenance, pest control, electrical and air-conditioning services. “I partnered with a friend of mine and we started this business together,” says Ramelle, adding that this was a start-up and gave him his first taste in business.
Cutting his teeth in the facility management business wasn’t without its challenges.
“After a while, I found the business quite challenging because people kept undercutting each other,” he reveals. “Clients want first class quality but they kept undercutting us. It is very difficult to maintain high standards when you don’t have the budget to keep up good service.”
Stating that this problem is prevalent in Malaysia, the result is poorly maintained buildings (both commercial and residential) which age and look older than they really are. He cites several exceptions to this general rule. “UEM Sunrise is one of a few property developers who have managed to maintain a high standard when it comes to property management.”
After 10 years, Ramelle exited the facility management business and moved on to theme park management where he founded the RM520mil Movie Animation Park Studios (MAPS) theme park, the first animation based theme park in Asia located in Meru outside Ipoh, Perak. “I was first hired by the theme park company and later became a shareholder,” says Ramelle, adding credibility to his corporate prowess.
Although the theme park has recently closed, Ramelle’s scope as an executive director and founder meant he was responsible for everything from planning to execution. Admitting that he didn’t have any prior knowledge of the theme park business, he managed to pick up the knowhow quickly while on the job. “Sometimes when you come from outside the business, it might be a good thing as you can bring in fresh perspective.”
So what lesson has Ramelle learnt in his entrepreneurship journey thus far? “Your partners are very important. It’s not easy to find the right partner and once you feel you have the right partner; you have to be very careful because things can go south.”
Apart from seeking out a trustworthy and reliable partner, it is important to choose the right team members. “I view all my employees as a part of my team.”
He must have found the correct match in his present partner Hamzarul Hamdan whom Ramelle joined in 2017 to develop a lifestyle property project called Riverbank Cove located in Manjung Perak. Covering approximately 130 acres of land and about two and half hours’ drive from Kuala Lumpur, this project is slated to be completed by 2027.
Of the first phase of this integrated township comprising 100 units of double-story terrace houses, 55% has already been sold. Another 394 units of townhouses is slated to be launched mid-year. With easy accessibility to Riverbank Cove via the soon-to-be completed West Coast Expressway (WCE) cutting down the travelling time to KL to one and a half hours, this project is strategically located close to UniKL’s Malaysian Institute of Marine Engineering Technology (MIMET) making it an ideal place for students as well as university staff to live.
Within a 10km radius, there are also three hospitals, an international school, a Double Tree by Hilton hotel, the sybaritic Pangkor Island and a Yacht Club, shopping malls like Aeon as well as an industrial park housing several prominent oil and gas fabrication manufacturers like those from Sapura Kencana and Petronas. “It’s the fastest growing town in Perak and that’s because it’s supported by these industries as well as the port facilities and the tourism sector,” explains Ramelle.
In Phase 2, located across the road from Phase 1, a more upmarket residential development modelled after Desa Park City is planned. Guarded and gated, these desirable residences will be complemented with a boutique hotel, shop lots, a mall as well as a park with jogging path and other leisure facilities. With a catchment area of locals and expats, Riverbank Cove is poised to provide a quality lifestyle and elevate the living standards in this corner of Perak.
How does Ramelle assess the property market at the moment? “There’s no denying that this is a tough time for the property business,” he admits. “Having said that, there are pockets where the market is being driven by locals where the demand is still strong … these are in second or third tier cities and states where the market isn’t overdeveloped. The overhang in the property market is mainly in KL and Johor.”
Keeping relatively fit is also part of Ramelle’s strategy of good business governance. He works out with a personal trainer three times a week in a gym as well as at home with TRX equipment. Eating out on most days with his wife or ordering in through food delivery services, Ramelle is quick to point out that he watches his waistline and refrains from indulging in red meat.
For further information on the Riverbank Cove development, visit www.riverbankcove.com.
