BDmag Issue 03

IS 2018 THE TURNING POINT FOR TOWNSVILLE?

Festival 2018 Networking the North

Celebrating the spirit of the Commonwealth Games

INNOVATION

Harnessing the strength of our city’s connections

BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT

Skin Deep

The evolution and trends creating Townsville’s look

ENTREPRENEURS

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QUEENS GARDENS | STRAND PARK | JEZZINE BARRACKS

4 – 15 April 2018

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February - March 2018 / Issue 03

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15 31 06 BD AMBASSADORS business leaders bringing you the good news 08 IS THIS TOWNSVILLE’S TIPPING POINT from mining boom to millenials - Townsville now and in the future 12 YOU’RE NOT MISSING OUT dispelling common myths about Townsville 15 FESTIVAL 18 a walk through Townsville’s biggest 12 day event 17 PROTECTING TOWNSVILLE’S WOMEN a closer look at the Sky Foundation 19 SKIN DEEP what is the Townsville look? The evolution of the local beauty industry

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24 TOWNSVILLE SKILLS SHORTAGE North Queensland industry leader Ged Welsh on current skills demands

41 STARTUP MUSTER stats, updates and more from the only startup survey in Australia

26 NETWORKING THE NORTH meet the organisations connecting our local business community

42 PHILIP LEONG the Townsville grant changing business lives

31 A FAMILY OF ENTREPRENEURS meet the local sisters and see their inspirational business ventures

44 TOWNSVILLE’S MOST FLEXIBLE WORKPLACE AECOM’s 12-week initiative giving parents the reprieve they need

33 REAL-TIME BANK PAYMENTS a long awaited banking advancement is finally here

47 HOT DESQ & I-TAP making North Queensland an entrepreneur magnet

35 RAPID GROWTH the Townsville start-ups reaching for the skies

48 CO-WORKING SPACES the search for the best shared office spaces in Townsville

38 KOORCA a Townsville crime app that could save lives

51 THE LAST WORD Chris Briggs - the future of tourism

PUBLISHERS Maddy Voinea, Sarah Jones EDITOR Jazmin Malcolm ADVERTISING Sarah Jones DESIGN Maddy Voinea PHOTOGRAPHY BlueKino BD MAGAZINE 183 Ingham Road, West End QLD 4810, ABN 15 620 607 258, P. 0409 272 461, bdmag.com.au EDITORIAL ENQUIRIES jazmin@bdmag.com.au ADVERTISING ENQUIRIES sarah@bdmag.com.au All contents of BDmag are subject to copyright. No part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted in any form without prior written permission from the publisher. The views and opinions of authors and advertisers do not necessarily reflect the opinions of the publisher. While every effort has been made to ensure the accuracy of information at the time of print, the publisher accepts no responsibility or liability for any errors, omissions or subsequence including loss or damages from reliance on information in this publication.

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Presenting our BDambassadors These leaders are at the forefront of innovation and development within their field. Striving to improve not only their own business, but our city’s prosperity as a whole. Our BDamabassadors will bring you regular updates on the latest news, advances and continuous improvements within their industries.

TOURISM Paul Victory

DEVELOPMENT Pat Brady

EDUCATION Kari Arbouin

HOSPITALITY Mark Brine

EMPLOYMENT Ged Welsh

FINANCE Greg Peel

BUSINESS ADVOCACY Debbie Rains

HEALTH Gerard Wyvill

RETAIL Ben Verning

General Manager Business Development SeaLink Travel Group

Restauranteur A Touch of Salt

PRESIDENT Townsville Chamber of Commerce

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Executive Director Premise

Regional Director North Qld HAYS

CEO Mater Health Services North Qld

Associate Vice Chancellor CQUniversity

Partner PVW Partners

Centre Manager Castletown Shopping Centre

Sky Foundation

Presents

Humanitarian, athlete, motivationalist, and new Mum, Turia Pitt is living proof that with the right mindset we truly can achieve anything.

International Women’s Day Luncheon Friday, 9 March 11:30am - 3pm The Ville Resort-Casino

Special Guest MC Samantha Heathwood -Nine News NQ presenter #pressforprogress www.bdmag.com.au

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IS THIS TOWNSVILLE’S TIPPING POINT? There’s no denying that Townsville has been strapped into a rollercoaster ride of dizzying highs and gut churning lows in recent years. However, 2018 may be the turning point. A change in mindset and expectation seems to be sweeping over our city with business

leaders more ready and willing than ever to take back control of our future. We sat down with five local business leaders to gain an insight into their thoughts on what we’ve come through, where we are and where we’re heading.

> Featuring Stephen Motti, Carolyn McManus, Kevin Gill, Craig Stack & Pat Brady

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the boom beforehand was the boom we didn’t need.”

that is exclusive to Townsville.” It’s an issue that every growing city is facing.

So why did we need to have it? Well, Stephen Motti’s view is that the dip in confidence over the past two years forced us to open our eyes and redefine what our city’s important attributes are. “It’s important to recognise that no one has been sitting on their hands.

It has been a period of reassessment, which allowed people to pursue what’s needed. Those quieter times made us look at our strengths and adapt.”

Yet whilst people are content to talk about our unbecoming youth, we are also seeing a huge insurgence of bright, innovative millennials who are ready to take the city by storm. “That’s the nucleus of our future,” says Kevin Gill.

The tough times not only bought our expectations back to reality, they also allowed us to hone in on our region’s most important sectors. One of these being agriculture, which adopted several innovative measures when challenging circumstances arose.

You can’t talk about the diverse and intricate fabric that Townsville is made up of without first acknowledging that we’ve had a few hard years. However, one point that is largely overlooked is the fact that there were several positives that undoubtedly came out of those years.

“Townsville missed out on the major part of the Global Financial Crisis largely on the back of the resources boom,” says Pat Brady, Executive Director of Premise and Chairman of the Mater Hospital. “Our pain since that time has come on the back of those sources receding combined with a couple of other sectors that dropped off in performance.”

Stephen Motti, Senior Principal at Brazier Motti, adds to this, saying, “It allowed us to look at our strengths and become more adaptive and agile.”

What made the downturn so hard to handle for a lot of residents was also the boom we were seeing before it, with Knight Frank Managing Director, Craig Stack, correctly acknowledging that we were seeing wages rise to a level that simply wasn’t sustainable.

Townsville Airport Chief Operating Officer, and Townsville Enterprise Chair Kevin Gill, builds on this, “In some way,

“North Queensland’s not the only area dealing with climate change, but it’s a real chance for us to try and push innovation to still have production happening,” Craig Stack says. “The farmers are innovating with water and doing even better than what they’ve done before with 40% of the water.”

Pat Brady agrees, saying, “There are small farmers and traditional farmers moving towards a more corporatised market. That brings with it a willingness to invest in new technology and new strategies, which has opportunity written all over it.”

It’s been far too easy to jump on the negative bandwagon lately, with Kevin Gill nailing one important aspect – the ‘toxic’ cycle of social media and those feeding off it are harming our city. “Those types of people are just negative, they’re not representative of Townsville. They may look to be representative because it’s so easy and its anonymous, but we need to switch off to that. Reasonable complaints and feedback is fine, but this horrid stuff is too toxic to let in,” says Kevin.

Aside from Darwin, Townsville boasts the highest density of young individuals, with 20 to 30 year olds making up the vast majority of our population.

However, this harbours it’s own challenges.

“The biggest challenge is maintaining a young employment base and making an economy that’s attractive to that group,” Craig Stack says. “Focus on what gives them a positive working and professional development environment and let the lifestyle advantages of this region start to permeate. That’s when we start to lock people down.”

Pat Brady agrees, saying, “We need to package it up in order to sell it and if we do it right we’ll get the skills back.”

It’s also these young, vibrant millennials who will help boost our tourism sector and bring with it another positive cycle.

How? A young demographic attracts much needed digital and professional skills, which has been proven to be missing from our city. This in turn allows employers to expand their businesses; potentially leading to the prosperity that everyone is so desperate to have back.

“I think we have the ability to commit to intelligent debate,” says Pat Brady.

“We need to constantly battle the thoughts that we’re not as good in the north as those on George Street in Brisbane. Intelligent debate; whether it’s on social media, in the newspaper or online it has to be there to actually show that we’re capable of making good decisions here because that’s what will drive investment.”

One of the most well-worn negatives has to be the issue with youth crime and the unemployment that led to this.

However, Pat Brady correctly touches on one big point: “Crime’s not an issue www.bdmag.com.au

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“The best asset we have to promote tourism is the people here. We need to give the local residents activities to do. The moment Townsville brings in something new, people always get behind it,” says Carolyn McManus, Ribs and Rumps and The Coffee Club Franchisee.

“Let’s focus on the young ones. We want the students that finish university to stay here but we have to give them something to do.”

“I agree, it’s all about enviable lifestyle and opportunities at our doorstep,” Stephen Motti adds. “We’ve got world class health, world class education, world class sporting people, a world class environment – we need to take advantage of that.”

“Townsville needs to take a lead with innovation,” Craig Stack says. “We need a strong platform to attract that innovation. It comes down to North Queensland to agitate investment for the good ideas that exist here. Let’s create an economy that’s attractive to that age group. If we have 200,000 people promoting our city, that’s 200,000 marketing agents.”

Bringing in a whole new level of thought is Kevin Gill, who talks about

New Zealand and how they have successfully reinvented their tourism culture. “Tourism here has stagnated to a degree, but there’s so much we can agitate to change the game like New Zealand did. They have natural assets, as does this region, but they changed their culture and improved their infrastructure and access to natural parks. It won’t take much but we need a holistic change.”

Pat Brady agrees, saying it’s all about rebranding. “We have to do it ourselves.

We can’t keep expecting it to be solved for us. The North Queensland region has so much to offer and as locals, we possess unique insights to communicate this to a wider tourism market.”

One project that Townsville City Council took hold of with both hands was the Pure Projects initiative, which Pat Brady applauds. “The thing I like about Pure Projects is, it looked at the world stage and said ‘we can do it... and we can do it locally’. It’s world ideas on a local level.” This type of investment in the city will undoubtedly lead to further investment regionwide as those from outside realise the potential our corner of paradise holds.

A great example of this is the Townsville Airport led Tiger Air series, which encouraged travellers to fly Tiger from Melbourne to Townsville in a $1million campaign. “There will be people on those flights coming from a cold winter’s day and an hour’s commute everyday that will say ‘this is the place to be’,” says Stephen Motti.

“We need investors to see that they can jump on a plane in Melbourne and 4.5 hours later be sitting on Magnetic Island. They’ll see the opportunity here and invest, but they have to get here first,” Kevin Gill says.

Craig Stack, whose business Knight Frank specialises in commercial realestate, says the interest coming from people wanting to invest here is strong, but the negative talk from locals is severely affecting those opportunities.

“Everybody comes to us from outside of town with dollars in their pocket, capable of big investment and they say to us that they hear so much negative talk about Townsville,” says Craig. “Yet you only have to have people in the car for one hour and talk to them about what’s going on with LendLease and drive back past the stadium for them to see potential.”

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One of the biggest arguments on the ‘negative’ side is that Townsville is often forgotten when it comes to politics. This was something every panelist agreed with. However, it’s also something we can change. “There’s no doubt that this is a city that should be playing a role on a state, national and international level and it’s up to us to be able to communicate that,” says Stephen Motti.

Pat Brady agrees, adding, “It’s a hard game, politically, because the number of seats north of the tropic of Capricorn aren’t that many, but we have to come back to the fact that it’s up to us that live here to make good arguments. Not only that, we need to stop expecting handouts – we have to go beyond that.

We need to continue to push to make the best use of whatever funding comes our way, regardless of when it comes, so we can maximise the economic benefit. We also need to say that we’re capable of building, planning and doing all these things with the money you give us. That’s where we have a chance of convincing government that we’re worth investment. What we don’t like is being viewed as though we are not capable of delivering and having people from down south sent here to build for us. That doesn’t give us any benefit.

We also need to develop at least preliminary business cases so that when we go to government we don’t just go

with an empty bucket and ask them to fill it up. If we can go with better arguments and say, ‘we’ve got this idea and we think it can generate this much revenue in this much time’, we would have a much better chance of convincing people that we’re worth investing in, whether that’s government or private. We are short of that.”

We don’t have to go all the way to Canberra to do this now, either, with Craig Stack correctly stating, “What we need to have is a sufficiently smart attitude about relationships here, in Brisbane, and in Canberra. Then we need to ensure that the person who creates those relationships is articulating our case consistently enough and understands what we need.

Corporate memory and the self-interest in the business community need to be consistent, so we need to look at how we transact that. It would be beneficial if Townsville Enterprise and Chamber of Commerce had their own separate workshop to make sure what we’re wanting to say is being articulated, often without the influence of the Mayor, local members and so on,” Craig says. In order to get ourselves into a more stable position for Government, Craig also notes that businesses could band together in order to move the city forward.

“Sometimes it’s not necessarily funds that we need, it’s people who have experience and expertise who are willing to give time. If we had 200 businesses commit 40 hours a year, that’s a lot of time we can commit to getting actual outcomes.”

However, if you drill it down even further, moving the city forward also rests on the shoulders of those living within it.

“It’s important to recognise that no one has been sitting on their hands.

It has been a period of reassessment, which allowed people to pursue what’s needed”

“In the coming years, the biggest disrupter isn’t technology – it’s people.

People putting their hand up and saying ‘we should be prioritising this’, demanding better. Our best sales people are our residents, they know the opportunities available. So collectively,

let’s listen, go out there and convert those opportunities and sell ourselves,” Stephen Motti says.

Carolyn McManus agrees, saying you need to “take it down to a micro level with the residents” and stop waiting for a catalytic event.

“Here, we’re big enough that things happen but small enough that you can be successful, probably with less effort.

You don’t have to commit to 80 hours a week in the office. There’s a balance in Townsville, even when you’re successful,” Pat Brady says.

“Waiting for the government or state government to do it isn’t going to get us anywhere. There are small things every person can do, right down to the beautification of the city,” Carolyn says. “You don’t have to do tremendous things, but if you can be a part of the community, help out on sporting committees, paint your fence, tidy your yard, you should do that. Don’t necessarily think, ‘council should be doing this’, instead, take responsibility.

It’s about getting away from that hand out mentality and becoming active and participating.”

Each panelist could have taken their businesses to larger cities and made a base there, yet they actively chose Townsville as both their business and home base, with varying reasons why.

“Regardless of where else I go, I just can’t find the commitment to community that you find here,” says Craig Stack. “A lot of the investment that was put through in what we would consider tougher times was by local people who were committed to reinvesting in our local region. I don’t see that type of dominant commitment or energy if I go down the coast.”

Carolyn McManus can’t help but agree.

Aside from the positive schooling and family experiences, she also notes that “great access to people” and the “rawness and energy” she sees in the business community are second to none, along with the enormous potential our city has.

“I have business people here that I can talk to and it’s honest. It’s real. You get the good, the bad and the ugly, but with it an intention to help,” Carolyn says.

“Townsville is on the cusp. This year is going to be a good year for Townsville, but the next three? You just want to be a part of it.”

Stephen Motti puts it down to our part of the world . “World-class access to health, sport, education, research – you name it. We’ve got the skillsets, capacity and know-how to deliver. If we want to pull a few levers, we’ve got 17,000 businesses that can do a lot of heavy lifting. This place is set to play a bigger role beyond traditional markets and into next generation industries and jobs”

Kevin Gill fondly remembers the impact of the people. “For me, it’s community, the people. Eighteen years ago I turned up with two boxes and a family from a picture postcard perfect city in New Zealand. After we’d been away from Townsville for two years, we came back, called in to the dairy in Kirwan and the shop owner asked my children, ‘where have you two been? We missed you,’ and gave our kids their favourite snacks. I thought, ‘that’s Townsville’.

It’s authentic, down to earth. We sweat together, we go through droughts together, we help our neighbour put their fence up when it blows. This is the DNA that’s in everybody. It’s cultural, it’s Townsville Inc.” Stephen Motti sums it up perfectly. “We have a proud history, but how exciting is tomorrow?”

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“Another myth is getting jobs,” Kari says. “The national average of job success is 72% and we’re above that at 86%, which is higher than some of the big Group of Eight universities.”

connections or nearby friends and said everyone warned her against it.

On top of job success, students in regional areas also get the benefit of coming in frequent contact with future employers and gaining more experience.

Hey Townsville, here’s a question: why are the people who are yelling loudest about our city the negative, fear-mongering ones who constantly put forward the same misguided arguments?

They want more investment, jobs and entertainment yet get behind their keyboards and yell at anyone who attempts to do such things citing crime and water as the reason we should put our city’s growth on hold. Ask yourself – would you invest in a city if these were the only voices you heard? If you’re dwelling on the negatives without chipping in a solution, you’re adding to the problem that you’re upset about. It’s that simple.

“You are asked to do a lot of things you possibly wouldn’t be asked to do in a capital city,” says Kari. “More importantly you develop problemsolving and critical thinking skills on a higher level and much more quickly because the teams are generally smaller.”

- Anonymous, UniversityReview.com When we spoke to Kari Arbouin, CQU’s Associate Vice-Chancellor for Townsville, she put to bed several myths surrounding regional universities. One of which is the quality of education in regional areas VS the big smoke.

To ensure CQU maintain their spot in the top 3% of universities worldwide and give their students the best chance in their field, Kari says they have professional bodies accredit and regularly review all courses. They also have industry professionals analyse content to ensure it’s current and encourage feedback from their 35,000 students in order to constantly upgrade BD and improve. mag 12 BDmag

“A lot of people said it couldn’t be done in Townsville, why would you start in a regional town, why couldn’t I just do it in Sydney? I’ve since proven them wrong,” says Chrissy, whose firm – CLEON Legal and Mediation Services – has since been a Finalist in several notable awards for excellence in both business and law.

“I did not believe that because we’re in a smaller area I could not grow a successful business. I had the belief that I could and I went out, reverse engineered that and worked out how I could create a really great business. I connected with like-minded organisations and people, nurtured those relationships and it’s just grown from there.”

Below are some actual comments from Townsville locals that we’ve dedicated to disproving, with help from some of our city’s most positive leaders.

“You do realise there are real universities down south whose degrees mean something?”

Chrissy Leontis CLEON Legal Services

Kari Arbouin CQU Associate Vice-Chancellor

Add in the lower cost of living, the ability to have closer relationships with support staff, teachers and students and you’ve hit the education jackpot.

“The only businesses that would survive if they started in Townsville now would be big ones like IKEA or ALDI” - Christopher, Facebook When Chrissy Leontis left Sydney to start her own niche-market law firm in Townsville she had no business

Despite hearing negative comments about opportunities, Chrissy says she’s never found a lack of them in Townsville.

“I think if people keep playing into the negative self-talk, saying that there’s not enough jobs and not enough work well obviously that is the reality they’re going to see,” Chrissy says. “You need to believe that there is opportunity.

Do your research before you open a business, know that there’s a market for it, plan, look at your competitors and what they are doing and see what your niche market can achieve. You can have a great business here, you just need to make sure that what you’re delivering is fantastic.”

“Don’t move to Townsville. It has no work, no infrastructure, no nothing. Great if you want to be a check out chick though. I am thinking hard about sending the wife down to Sydney to find work.”

- Peter, Facebook Statistically, unemployment in Townsville has been trending down and workforce participation has been trending up, yet the age old ‘Townsville is terrible for work’ line still seems to be trotted out by our locals. If there is one opportunity we’re missing out on, workwise, George Milford from Milford Planning says it’s “underselling the opportunity to get ahead as young professionals” in Townsville. “We’re lucky because we’re small and we have a big footprint so we have a lot of interesting projects compared to SE QLD where you might just do little sub-divisions in the western suburbs,” he says before launching into more positives.

George Milford Milford Planning

“For us, you simply get better exposure to a broader range of projects, clients and issues, which means you develop your skills faster. I moved to Cardwell as a graduate – and whilst I was well and truly in the ‘deep end’, it sure did hasten my learning.”

So before you reach for the phone to book those Sydney flights and fight it out amongst the millions of people there, actively weigh up the benefits

you receive from working in a regional area.

set to bring in more tourism dollars to the region.

“I think there are three main benefits.

One, the opportunity for exposure to work with clients that they wouldn’t necessarily have in different circumstances – it puts them years ahead of their counterparts. Two, we have a very close business network and community across a variety of professions. Then three, lifestyle – five out of six of our full time staff live within ten minutes of the office, meaning you can have a life other than work during the working week,” George says, adding that he has always felt like the business community “genuinely wanted to see him succeed”, something you simply can’t get in the big smoke.

“The positive investment and development earmarked for the city is impressive. The Townsville Stadium will further boost some of the already achieved success in reactivating the CBD and the investment that the Stadium is stimulating is very promising.

For small operators on the island there is movement towards building

“I can’t see any reason why people would want to come here unless they lived here” - The Transformation of Townsville Research Report Residents who live in Townsville often forget just how good we have it – a point that is perfectly summed up by Magnetic Island’s Chair of Tourism, Norman Jenkin.

“The laidback lifestyle in Townsville is unique and you really do not get it anywhere else. The fact that you can jump on a ferry and in 20 minutes be disconnected from mainland stresses, relaxing on ‘island time’ is very special,” Norman says, adding that the bonuses don’t stop there. “For those who love staying in shape, challenging yourself mentally and physically up Castle Hill with the reward of that spectacular 360 view of Townsville or taking a more relaxed approach along the Strand is as good as it gets anywhere in the world. The events that we host in this city are also world class and will continue to grow in popularity.

People from down south dream of escaping from their cold winters to enjoy what we have here.”

Norman Jenkin Magnetic Island Chair of Tourism

capacity, expanding their operations and collaborative marketing. For the bigger players in the tourism industry, significant investments such as The Ville Resort and Casino redevelopment and SeaLink developing a new marine tourism facility is real step forward for the city and boost to tourism confidence in the region. This coupled with the Museum of Underwater Art project will see an exciting growth period for Townsville’s tourism future.”

On top of this, Norman says they are “seeing tourism figures eclipse previous highs that were reached a decade ago”. These numbers can only continue to grow as well, with several notable developments www.bdmag.com.au

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Responsive. Expert. Local town planners.

Milford Planning is a local, independent firm providing practical, cost effective and timely town planning services to Townsville and North Queensland - and have successfully delivered hundreds of approvals for a range of projects throughout the region.

Talk to us about getting your development project over the line.

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4724 0095 milfordplanning.com.au info@milfordplanning.com.au 15 Allen Street, South Townsville

festival 2018 commonwealth games A WALK THROUGH TOWNSVILLE’S BIGGEST 12 DAY EVENT Get ready Townsville; our tropical city is set to come alive with music, celebrations and events, unlike anything we’ve seen before thanks to the vibrant 12-day ‘Festival 2018’ during the Gold Coast Commonwealth Games. Happening from April 4th to April 15th, we’ll get the chance to cruise around three of our iconic destinations – The Strand, Jezzine Barracks and Queens Gardens – in order to soak everything in. So what exactly can we expect?

To start with, you’d be crazy to miss the opening festival happening at Jezzine Barracks, which will coincide with a live site broadcast of the 2018 Commonwealth Games opening ceremony on the Gold Coast. Here you’ll be treated to the band of the First Royal Australian Regiment, which will officially bring the 12-day festival to life.

From there, make your way around the city, experiencing everything the festival has to offer. The Strand will be a true highlight for everyone, with a celebration of arts and music taking our iconic beach to a whole new level. It’s here that you’ll see Uncontained – a massive industrial installation that will see 30 shipping containers stacked up to four storeys high and decorated with artworks from some of Australia’s

best street artists. The Uncontained installation will feature illumination, projection, film screenings, a skate bowl, chalk art, Commonwealth Games broadcasts and live entertainment.

In between admiring this colossal display of artwork, you’ll be able to enjoy a stunning array of live music from international, national and local artists. These include the Thundamentals and Vaudeville Smash who will take to the Strand Park stage with free public performances. Meanwhile, the Queens Gardens stage will boast a diverse collection of musicians such as Lior, Archie Roach, and the AUSLAN choir but that’s not all. Modelled on Adelaide Fringe Festival’s famous Garden of Unearthly Delights, Queens Gardens will be alive with performances, day and night to keep you entertained regardless of your work schedule.

For the first time, Townsville will also see not one but two amazing Spiegeltents featuring national and international performers throughout the festival with a program that’s set to intrigue thanks to the mix of music, drama, circus, comedy, burlesque and cabaret.

End the festival on a high at Jezzine Barracks’ closing ceremony. The final

hurrah will feature a magnificent Beating Retreat Ceremony from soldiers of the 3rd Brigade as a way to salute Townsville’s rich military history.

This incredible celebration of arts and culture will be hosted on a scale never before seen in our city and will undoubtedly attract huge crowds. This is something that Townsville Mayor Jenny Hill says will put Townsville on the map.

“Townsville is thrilled to be part of the 2018 Commonwealth Games, so the festival is our chance to put on a 12-day party for locals and visitors and show the world what this region has to offer,” she said. “There will be everything from music, film, dance, circus, street theatre, free family-friendly activities, and events to showcase the First Nation peoples from around the Commonwealth. We have some big names travelling to Townsville to perform over the festival which is very exciting, but I’m also proud that we can showcase the amazing talent that exists here in North Queensland and give them the opportunity to perform on the world stage.”

If you haven’t yet set aside some time in April, now would be a good time to do so! www.bdmag.com.au

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PLATFORMS EDUCATION

SOCIAL MEDIA

BRAND EXTENSION

LEAD GENERATION

A L L YO U R

Digital Marketing Solutions IN ONE PLACE Contact your Townsville Digital Specialist: brooke.flanagan@sca.com.au

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SKY FOUNDATION Wingate Properties, Carolyn McManus from The Coffee Club, Andrew Acton from Explore Property, Debra Rains from Escape Travel, Brad Webb from BM Webb, Jeff and Natasha Doyle from Mendi Group and many more.

This support has reached dizzying heights, with over $575,000 already raised for a new purpose-built Townsville Women’s Centre. The new centre could deliver even better holistic services for victims, with improved legal and medical services, a safe, soundproof and purpose-built space for victims, an art space for group therapy and information sessions and more employees to help service the demand.

Protecting Townsville’s Women > Skye Jerome, Kerrie Fredericks and Megan Heywood

When it comes to inspiring organisations and even more inspiring women, you can’t look past the incredible work that Skye Jerome, Kerrie Fredericks and Megan Heywood are doing with Townsville’s Sky Foundation.

“The Townsville Women’s Centre has been in the Townsville Community for 33 years and has assisted over 360,000 women and children”

Coming from local barrister backgrounds, Skye, Kerrie and Megan founded the organisation in December 2013 so they could help make a positive impact on North Queensland women and children who were surviving domestic violence.

As prosecutors, the trio were already part of the justice system and would often meet victims at the end of the domestic violence cycle. However, they wanted to help empower women and children at a stage much earlier than in the courtroom. This is when they learnt of the terrible struggles facing the local Townsville Women’s Centre (TWC).

“The CEO, Cathy Crawford, advised that the centre would have exhausted its entire annual budget for food vouchers if they handed one out to every woman who called on their service that past week,” says Sky Foundation Co-Founder, Sky Jerome. “In the year 2011 to 2012, the fundraising balance totalled $7,500 and over 12,500 women had been assisted that year but the centre had no ability to fundraise further due to being so overstretched and having limited government funding.”

Armed with this information, the ladies quickly partnered with TWC and hosted their first fundraising event at Jam Corner, raising over $30,000. Since then, Sky Foundation has garnered incredible support from both men and women in the business community with financial donations from Brian Boyd and Stephan Williams from Payce and

“The Townsville Women’s Centre has been in the Townsville Community for 33 years and has assisted over 360,000 women and children,” Sky says.

“Shamefully, Townsville is the sexual assault capital of Queensland and the Townsville Women’s Centre is the only specialist sexual assault counselling service available in our community.”

In order to raise both funds and awareness for the increasingly important Townsville Women’s Centre, Sky Foundation garnered the support of one of Australia’s most inspiring women: humanitarian, athlete, motivator and new mum, Turia Pitt. After being trapped in a horrific grass fire while competing in a 100-kilometre ultramarathon, Turia was choppered from the scene barely alive and with full thickness burns to 65% of her body. Against all odds and in the ultimate story of triumph, Turia not only survived her ordeal but also came out the other side with an entirely new outlook on life. Now, she’ll be telling her awe-inspiring story at the International Women’s Day luncheon at The Ville Casino, which will also have Nine News North Queensland presenter, Samantha Heathwood as MC and a panel discussion on the important #metoo campaign.

From the Sky Foundation founders right through to Turia Pitt, these exceptionally inspiring leaders show what’s at the true core of our Townsville community: courage and determination. The incredible support from both men and women in the community continually prove that Townsville is more than just a city – it’s a community that we all proudly support. www.bdmag.com.au

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Healthy.

Beautiful.

You.

Chrysalis Medispa offers the complete beauty and medispa experience.

Our experienced team are trained in the latest beauty and skin-care trends, focussed on products and services with proven results. We’ll work with you for a holistic experience, offering anti-ageing and sun damage treatment, for the North Queensland lifestyle.

Call us today on 4779 2886 or visit chrysalismedispa.com.au to qldplasticsurgery.com.au. see our range of services.

LOOK AND FEEL YOUR BEST IN 2018!

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With internationally experienced surgeons, Queensland Plastic Surgery

brings world-wide beauty trends and procedures to Townsville! Our comprehensive body makeover packages, featuring procedures such as breast augmentation and liposuction, can help you achieve your perfect “look”, with more size where you want it, and less size where you don’t! Staying local with Queensland Plastic Surgery means you undergo your procedure with highly experienced plastic surgeons, while recovering in the comfort of your own home with access to our after-care support.

View our full range of packages and procedures at qldplasticsurgery.com.au.

Dr Mark Vucak, MB, BS, FRACS Plastic & Reconstructive Surgeon

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qldplasticsurgery.com.au.

What is beauty? It’s a question that people have grappled with for years, yet here in Townsville we have been able to keep up with snap trends and longterm looks thanks to our determination and desire to provide premium services on par with the larger cities. Here in Townsville, we are certainly a city with a focus on beauty – so how have these trends evolved, how do they affect you and how do our services compare to those in the big smoke? Let’s explore this.

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To look at how far we’ve come, we first need to explore the foundations that make beauty what it is. When it comes to this, Dr Mark Vucak, a surgeon at Queensland Plastic Surgery lays out the fascinatingly simple formula that creates a base for our ideal look.

“The definition of beauty isn’t complicated because it’s just basic symmetry. So if you look at a supermodel and then the average person, the difference is that the supermodel has very good symmetry. For example, the distance for your eyes should be 33mm, which should be the same distance from the base of your nose.” However, Mark notes that there is an exception. “The people who are thought to be the most beautiful are not the people with perfect symmetry, they are people with a little bit of off symmetry like Angelina Jolie. This is because when you are looking at somebody and they’re too perfect, you think, ‘that just can’t be right’, so your brain re-calculates it.”

When it comes to the evolution of the industry, Mark says he has seen an increase in patients making changes to their problem areas, with a rise in loose skin and breast reductions. This doesn’t surprise Skin Therapist, Mariana Vucik from Chrysalis Medispa, who says that “more millennials are seeking medical grade treatments.”

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“People are becoming more proactive with their purchases and seeking out more ‘active’ and ‘results driven’ products and treatments. This is why the use of laser and injectables has grown so majorly.”

As the need for a ‘step out of bed beautiful’ style permeates the industry, several businesses are noting a definite shift in the choice of beauty treatments.

“We’ve seen a huge demand in eyelash extensions over the past 12 months because people want to wake up and have their regime made easier,” says Jodi Wright from Capelli Hair Gallery, who notes that spraytans have also seen a steady rise.

Having our locals mix healthy workouts into the beauty regime is also a growing trend, with Zoe Spillane from Fitness with Zoe saying “outdoor fitness is definitely on the rise”, with the biggest boom for this going to the over 30s category.

Adding to the evolution of our beauty industry is the growing acceptance of plastic surgery, which in itself has changed in the past decade. This is something that almost everyone in the industry puts down to the rise in social media and accessibility to products and treatments.

“Plastic surgery, skin and wrinkle treatments are no longer something we hide,” says Zoe. “We are sharing these things on social media, documenting them on YouTube and Snapchat and having open conversations about them. Nothing is hidden anymore and people are more willing than ever to accept people’s choices when it comes to beauty.”

Another changing trend is the acceptance of male grooming, which almost every beauty industry has seen a rise in.

“An increasing trend of male grooming has benefited the industry over the past five years,” Mariana says. “A big one is that people are becoming more mindful of their skin in regards to sun damage and UV rays for both genders,” This change has even broken into the professional field, with both male and female professionals embracing good health and beauty regimes in order to present the best version of themselves.

“It’s important for anyone to feel confident in themselves and looking and feeling your best can play a huge part in that,” says Jodi. “Personal confidence can help you to succeed in all areas of your life and there’s a massive

market for that amongst business professionals.”

“It’s true,” Zoe adds. “Nothing beats the feeling of walking into a room and feeling confident, but this confidence doesn’t just happen, you create it. We are working longer hours than ever before so we need to try and find a balance between work and home life. Townsville’s health and beauty services offer a chance for a little me time in a busy week.”

Mark says he has also noticed a difference with his patients after their procedures, saying, “People feel a lot better about themselves after cosmetic surgery. This gives them more confidence in life, which is reflected in their business life.”

So what look are both professionals and locals aiming for?

The overwhelming consensus is that Townsville gravitates towards the ‘natural’ look more than anything else.

“I would say we have the outdoors type look,” Mariana says. Generally here in the northern tropics, you find that everyone tends to be outdoors for most of the year, so you do have the casual makeup, natural style that we have going. People want to portray that look of health, ideally.”

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Jodi builds on this, saying that not only do we enjoy the natural look, we also take “high-end trends and create a casual version of it to make it wearable every day of the week.”

“The heat here is a big thing so everything has to be lifestyle friendly. Tans and eyelash extensions are big here as they just make life so simple,” says Jodi.

On top of that, Mark says Townville also has a focus on the ‘barely there’ corrective surgery compared to places like the United States, where he previously worked.

“When I was in Atlanta, people would have four facelifts by the time they got to their sixties, whereas in North Queensland we generally only do one. In saying that, the past 10 to 15 years has seen a change in the whole concept of face-lifts. There’s a difference between looking tight like in the US and looking fresh, which is what we’re trying to do in North Queensland. It’s flowing, there’s more fat grafting and we’re aiming for more shape than the flatter windswept look here. People want a really nice, natural appearance.”

So just how different are these trends compared to our southern neighbours and how are they affecting us? It turns out that whilst the natural look is certainly favoured here in the tropics, it can also have a downside.

“It’s important for anyone to feel confident in themselves and looking and feeling your best can play a huge part in that” “We live outdoors, so you would notice if you head down south, everyone dresses differently and they have much more makeup on. Whereas when you come up north we’re all about fitness, health, living in the outdoors and doing sporting activities. Everyone wants that healthy look,” Mariana says. “Down south you’ll also notice that people age more intrinsically, whereas here in the tropics people tend to get that excessive sun damage in their skin, which is something we try to work on here. People here and around the world pair tanned skin with looking fit and healthy so our services do tend to sun damaged skin and our treatments are focused on the effects of our tropical lifestyle.”

Repairing sun damage isn’t just limited to the skin either, with Tamara from Capelli saying it also permeates their industry.

“We’ve seen a huge surge in our clients wanting to maintain the integrity of their hair,” Tamara says. “This is vital in North Queensland where our hair can easily become damaged due to the environmental factors along with the stress of chemical services.”

Thanks to the increasing rise of social media, we are now all one click away from keeping up with our competitors in larger cities. Zoe, who has a strong social media presence, says connecting with clients is also easier – and more affordable – than ever.

“You don’t have to be spending a lot of money on advertising to stand out anymore. Small businesses are now connecting with their clients before they even step foot in the door and customers are deciding if they want to be a client all from a simple scroll,” Zoe says, saying that this means both customers and businesses can see even more budget benefits. “We are starting to see a fair playing field for standards across the Townsville health and fitness industry thanks to social media. On top of that, regional cities like Townsville have the benefit of lower overheads which results in lower prices for the customer.”

Instant access to social media and apps such as Instagram and Pinterest have also allowed us to take advantage of new, emerging trends the moment they happen. They have also allowed us to tap into a broader range of services, which Jodi from Capelli says has really benefited the region. “We are getting more and more training events to North Queensland each year so the level of experience and skills are up there with the larger cities now and we can offer the same services on the same level,” Jodi says.

Mark agrees, adding “Queensland Plastic Surgery offers all the same cosmetic procedures as the capital cities.

Our doctors are always updating their skills and using all the newest procedures. We would be on par with all the capital cities for procedures, services and prices.”

If there’s one aspect that we can embrace more than the larger cities, it’s that we have the perfect environment to nurture our inner beauty as well.

“When you are looking after your body by exercising daily and eating nutritious foods you start to feel like the new you is on the rise,” says Zoe. “You have more energy, you are less stressed, less bloated, your skin is radiant, honestly the list goes on and on. All of these benefits help towards finding inner beauty which in my opinion is one of the hardest things anyone can find. Accepting and loving the person looking back at you in the mirror every day is one of the struggles a lot of people face, but looking after your body right is one step towards finding inner beauty.”

So whether it’s on the outside, inside or both – the incredible determination to provide high-end services competitive to those in the cities and in a way that makes everyone feel naturally beautiful is stronger than ever. This culture of raw, organic beauty in Townsville goes above just looking good. It shows that we’re a city dedicated to being our best – both inside and out.

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Demand for employment has shown a slow but steady increase in Townsville, kicking the ‘there are no jobs’ excuse to the curb. Yet what Townsville and North Queensland are now facing is a skills shortage. We’re not known for swinging from one end of the spectrum to the other (you only have to look at our ‘winters’ to know that change isn’t a big thing in the north), which is why we got Ged Welsh from Hays Recruitment Australia to delve into the problem.

Is there a skills shortage in North Queensland? > Ged Welsh Hays Recruitment

“In relation to skills shortages, they’re occurring at two levels,” says Ged. “One of them is the actual increase of demand for new skills in Townsville and that’s been predominately led by the increase in the mines in the Bowen basin and Mt Isa, which is driving the growth of manufacturing in Townsville.

Then another is that there is a real lack of talent in middle managers and that’s those people with exceptional people management skills, digital skills and soft skills.”

Ged adds to this, saying that if there were 300 boilermakers in the Bowen Basin right now then certain businesses could potentially take them. However, he warns that the increase in demand for digital will only grow stronger.

So why are we facing a skills shortage in digital? The youth of today are pretty savvy when it comes to social media, so it should be a simple fix, right? Well that’s where things go pear-shaped.

Due to the complete misconception that there is “nothing in Townsville”, our talented workers are leaving this city in search of bigger, better and more congested roads, meaning businesses are struggling to hire skilled staff.

We’ve found the problem, now how do we go about fixing it? Whilst there is no ‘quick fix’ Ged says there are several things we can be doing to entice our experienced workers and potential employees to stay. The bonus?

Businesses won’t have to go bust by putting up crazy wages and workers could see huge benefits themselves.

“We’re not saying that you should be paying more but what you need to be doing is aligning your talent strategy of retention and recruitment, not just with management of, or increasing of salaries, but very much aligning it to developing the capability of your staff,” says Ged. “The reports and surveys that we’ve done recently related to staff engagement and talent retention, suggest that the employees in North Queensland are asking for their companies to invest in their capability at a level of 87%,” he finishes.

Another report done by Hays suggests that 87% of employees actually want to view their boss as a friend and a confidante, as opposed to a leader or a director, which Ged says is “only the beginning of the understanding of this new relationship between employee and employer.”

“What we’re finding is that over the last five to six years the real decision makers have actually had an exceptionally tough time. They’ve been downsizing their departments around HR and marketing and they’ve lost a high level of senior people in their businesses.

What tends to be left – especially in small to medium sized companies – is that quite often the employees, owner or general manager need to rebuild those relations. Salary increases are not the answer; it’s about investment and capability. It’s about investment in skills. It’s about treating the employee as a friend and as a confidante because that’s how they want to be treated. My advice is that you almost have to throw caution to the wind. If that employee leaves having been upskilled by you and treated well by you, in the long run they’re only ever going to talk well about your business and your leadership,” says Ged. Townsville has a plethora of conveniences that the big cities simply can’t compete with, so the next step for our city is retaining our skilled staff so that we can keep moving forward as the best version of our city. Pay increases aren’t the answer – which is going to be music to a lot of small to medium business owners – so it’s about time we all jumped into the upskilling ring. After all, more knowledgeable staff can only ever benefit your business, so there’s no real reason to delay! www.bdmag.com.au

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Networking The North

> Featuring North Queensland Club, Green Apple Entrepreneurs, Townsville Enterprise & Townsville Chamber of Commerce

Townsville has one of the strongest business communities in Queensland – you just need to ask any professional in the industry to see that. However, connecting with professionals and fostering those relationships is equally as important as making them – so how do our city’s leaders do it and which one is the best fit for you? Here are some of the best options in Townsville that will suit businesses of all shapes and sizes.

NORTH QUEENSLAND CLUB Networking, learning, advising – these are some of the incredible benefits that come with joining a local business network. However, there is one aspect that is sometimes overlooked and that is the highly valuable social aspect. This is something that North Queensland Club excel at as their president David Kippin explains.

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“Members get a chance to enjoy social and networking opportunities through regular Club events such as the Business Luncheon Series, held once a month with a variety of interesting guest speakers, the monthly Sundowner

Social Sessions – a casual after work Friday night networking opportunity for Members and guests only – the Governor’s Dinner, Bastille Day Dinner, Gourmet Wine Dinners, whiskey, wine and rum tastings, Calcutta Dinner, Melbourne Cup Lunch, and our annual Christmas Celebration to name just a few,” David says.

Gaining 30 new members a year and counting, it’s no wonder Townsville business leaders are attracted to this more relaxed style of networking which also comes with another host of social perks.

“Some of the benefits include utilising the members only restaurant or boardroom for meetings or client lunches, gaining free parking to take the hassle out of gathering everyone in the one place and even having access to over 70 clubs worldwide,” David says.

“There are reciprocal clubs in Brisbane, Sydney, Melbourne, Canberra, Hong Kong, Bangkok and London.”

This is perfect for well travelled professionals looking for a home base in some of the world’s biggest cities but equally as great for locals looking to find a place to network, relax and connect with others in the industry.

GREEN APPLE ENTREPRENEURS Networking events have so much potential when it comes to providing value to the attendees and the businesses they run. Yet Filitsa Kounias, from Kounias Lawyers and Mitra Maggs from MindBodyMitra had a very important and much queried concern – how are you sure you’re getting the most value out of it, both for you and the people you’ve met? This led them to create Green Apple Entrepreneurs (GAE) – an open-minded, innovative group that worked to solve this exact problem.

“We were leaving networking events with heaps of business cards but no real idea of who the people behind the cards were,” says Filitsa, co-founder of GAE. “We both had a vision to see Townsville businesses collaborate more and help each other out but no one really wants to do that unless you get to know them. When you know and trust someone and can recommend their business to others then it helps grow our city. ” When it comes to their networking style, Mitra and Filitsa say they are “adaptive and open to change”, which creates a welcoming atmosphere for all their participants.

“We have members who love an early morning breakfast and others who prefer to come along to an information session and lunch. Previously, we have

run successful lunchtime seminars whereby local businesses come and present and give value to our members.

It is a great way for them to showcase what, how and why they do what they do,” says Mitra, adding that they “keep the groups small so that everyone gets the opportunity to develop meaningful relationships.”

When it comes to the benefits that business owners receive from attending smaller group sessions, Filitsa touches on several.

“Some of the benefits are genuine relationships, meaningful conversations and collaborating with people who actually want to help,” Filitsa says.

“We have also found that even after one meeting, local businesses are collaborating or doing business with each other. Most of the time, they didn’t

even know the other existed. One of our members developed such a great business relationship with another that things moved to a national scale for that business. You just never know who you are going to meet, who they know or how their connections might open doors for you.”

“One of our members developed such a great business relationship with one another, that things moved to a national scale for that business” Neither Filitsa nor Mitra plan to slow down in 2018 either, with huge plans ahead for the innovative duo.

“We have an exciting year planned for 2018, with networking breakfasts and information sessions planned and being planned,” Mitra says, adding that they have even decided to break into the marketing arena in order to push Townsville businesses forward as a whole.

“In 2018, we have information sessions and workshops for business owners to learn and implement Instagram and Facebook strategies to grow their businesses. We believe that if we can get all Townsville businesses to use social media to show our city in a positive and thriving light, then more and more people would want to come here and do business here too,” Filitsa says. “Of course, that can only benefit the whole community.” www.bdmag.com.au

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Resources Industry Forum and an event at Parliament House Brisbane, which was attended by over 150 of our local business representatives and 150 from various capital cities.

On top of this, the organisation has a dedicated focus towards strengthening international links for our members and the Townsville North Queensland community. This has been facilitated over the past 12 months through business delegations with our members to Singapore and Papua New Guinea.”

However, creating such a strong membership and community base would be considerably more difficult without the incredible community we have come to create it around, something that Patricia says is especially unique to North Queensland and Townsville.

It’s not just for established businesses either, with Patricia saying that even small to medium businesses could see benefits.

their faith in the region by basing their operations here and not in the capital cities,” Patricia says. “Business relations forged in Townsville last the test of time, strengthened across the challenging years recently experienced, where instead of competing, our business community is collaborating – something you would not see in the major business centres of Australia. We have a very special business landscape up here in the north and one that Townsville Enterprise is proud to be a part of.”

“In Townsville North Queensland there is a real sense of loyalty between businesses and a mutual appreciation between business owners who instil

TOWNSVILLE ENTERPRISE When it comes to passion and commitment to both our business and our broader community, you can’t look much further than Townsville Enterprise, who dedicate themselves to pushing our region and industries forward.

Despite tough economic times in the last financial year, Townsville Enterprise noted an 8% growth in its membership base, something that CEO, Patricia O’Callaghan, says she is proud of.

This growth can only mean positive things for the members involved, with its vast array of networking events offering great opportunities for everyone involved.

“Due to the extensive networking opportunities on offer to members across a plethora of events Townsville Enterprise holds each year, the potential for businesses to connect with established and emerging business representatives and industry leaders is significant. This in turn is generating new economic outcomes and opportunities for our members,” Patricia says, adding that Townsville Enterprise has initiated several new networking events and opportunities for both its members and the broader community.

“These have included a Mining and

“Townsville Enterprise can also assist emerging local businesses with taking their organisation to the next level, providing the tools, support, connections and industry guidance to ensure their business goals can be achieved in the short, medium and long-term future,” Patricia says.

CORPORATE VISUAL STORYTELLING Need videos & photos for your business? www.bluekino.com.au BD mag 28 BDmag

TOWNSVILLE CHAMBER OF COMMERCE

and lots of information from thirdparties throughout the year. Most events are free and included in a membership fee,” Marie-Claude says.

For over 135 years, Townsville Chamber of Commerce have been supporting local businesses by providing networking and information opportunities to their members through a series of free or low-cost events.

This incredible number of events has certainly sparked interest in the community as well, with Marie-Claude saying that Chamber have been able to consistently maintain seven new members a month, even during tougher months when membership is usually the first thing to be sacrificed in the budget.

When it comes to being involved in their network, Marie-Claude Brown – CEO at Townsville Chamber– says it’s an investment that both small and largescale businesses benefit from.

“For small business, it is a way to widen their marketing mix. Besides networking opportunities, our organisation provides information on business improvement, promotional opportunities and ways for businesses to connect with other businesses not in their current network.

For larger employers or corporations, belonging to a grassroot network like a Chamber of Commerce is a demonstration of their support of the local small business community; it’s part of their social license to operate,” Marie-Claude says.

Benefits are provided during informal or formal meetings designed to neatly package together quality information from some of the city’s most knowledgeable leaders.

“We have three free networking events every month that are open to all. We have business development information sessions once a month, the Business Matters events. Again, it’s free and topics vary from subjects in the “here and now”, like social media, to topics every business should know about, like company structures.

We hold keynote speaking events on leadership and success and deliver lots

and ‘pale blue’ collars, a lot of owner/ operators in non-traditional sectors like applied creative arts, technology-based business, and boutique organisations like small-scale farming. We are also seeing more indigenous businesses becoming members, which we’re very proud of.”

“We’ve worked hard to maintain our ‘value for money’ proposition,” says Marie-Claude. “People do see the return on their investment.”

Two thirds of their members have purchased goods or services from another member through a relationship they developed at Chamber. MarieClaude credits this to the unique business community of Townsville.

“I often joke that in Townsville, it’s not six degrees of separation; it’s more like two or three. The advantage of a small business community is that you really get to know the people around you, and it’s easier to reach out to networks outside your natural ‘silo’. You don’t get that in a big city.”

On top of this, Marie-Claude says disruptive technology like social media is changing the way generations connect. “Baby Boomers don’t network like Gen X and Y, and networking is a completely different proposition for Gen Z and Millenia” says Marie-Claude.

“It profoundly impacts how every membership-based organisation around the world engages.”

“Chambers of Commerce traditionally attract white collar professionals, but over the past 18 months, the Townsville Chamber has seen a change in new members signing up– a lot more orange

This ever-increasing pool of knowledge broadens the horizon for members involved and opens the door for a whole new world of opportunity and information. If strong networks in Townsville continue to attract a diverse mix of members, all sharing knowledge in fields that can only benefit their business – and by association, our city – then this could see a new age of how business is done in Townsville.

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A Family of Entrepreneurs “We just wanted a hobby for when we were on school holidays and it just took off”

> Dana, Brittany & Mackenzie Founders of CTK Boards & ARLO

SISTERS

Brittany, 22, Mackenzie, 20, and Dana, 18, are absolutely nailing it when it comes to small business. The three sisters started their first venture five years ago when they were all still in school and have been finding and filling gaps in the business world ever since.

“CTK Boards started off when I was in year 12,” says co-founder and marketing manager Brittany Falco. “We just wanted a hobby for when we were on school holidays and it just took off.”

The sisters have been selling their sustainable, raw timber platter boards all over Australia ever since, sending bulk orders to Byron Bay, Coolangatta, Brisbane and Mackay this year.

It’s not just the number of orders that have changed though, with the sisters streamlining their process as the business has grown.

“Every year we’re getting better and creating more of a systematic process,” says co-founder and CTK Boards artist, Mackenzie Falco. Mackenzie explains that the trio set up separate accounts for the business, streamlined their design and selling processes, and even refined

their marketing techniques to suit social media as it became bigger.

After the success of CTK Boards – which is still running smoothly – the sisters saw another gap that the market wasn’t acceptably catering to and decided to test the niche. This resulted in the business taking off faster than they expected, selling over 100 ARLO t-shirts in the first two weeks of operation.

“Arlo means Accept, Respect, Live, Organically,” says Brittany as she talks about expanding the range if the success continues. “Obviously the CTK Boards we make are recycled timber, Australian made, they have organic food-safe paint and they’re sustainable, so we thought that the ARLO t-shirts could have the same message.”

In terms of business lessons along the way, both Mackenzie and Brittany say putting out posts on their personal social media has helped them immensely.

“It’s funny how you think people will judge you but we realised that if you push it, people will jump behind you and help and support you,” says Mackenzie. They’ve also tried and tested several methods for getting their

boards out into the community. From markets, to dropping them to coffee shops, and finally settling on a viewing and delivery system that is looking to go online this year.

On top of that, they say finding a niche market that wasn’t being effectively catered to helped them more than anything when it came to the ARLO t-shirts.

“Friends and people we network with around Townsville love that we’re doing something different,” says Britt.

“Having the ‘live organically’ part at the end of the tees has been such a big deal to a lot of people and they have bought the shirt purely because of those keywords. That’s why I think the messaging has to be really clear on what you’re doing if you have a business.”

Creating the boards and the ARLO t-shirts is a full family affair, with every member having a job. Yet it’s not the innovative family mindset that is so inspiring, it’s the intuitive ability to find a gap not being serviced in the region and then filling it so successfully. These sisters have certainly proved that you’re never too young to start doing business. www.bdmag.com.au

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> Continued CTK Boards & ARLO

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QUEENSLAND COUNTRY CREDIT UNION service up-time? Well, it turns out we don’t have to stress about that either, as NPP is able to support a 24x7 digital economy.

Before we get too excited about this though, there is one important drawback that needs to be noted. Only 8 of the 13 participating financial institutions that offer NPP will launch on the same day, so it will take a little time to roll it out to customers. Even so, those customers who bank with participating financial institutions will likely see Osko by BPAY – which will see you receive funds in your account in less than a minute – or NPP payment options in their mobile or internet banking apps from launch.

Real-time bank payments are coming > Sean Anderson, Queensland Country Credit Union

Technology – and the pace of business – is moving faster than ever. So why on Earth do our bank transfers still take as long as a test cricket match? Well, a new initiative bought on by the RBA is set to turn this on its head and create a new benchmark for payment processing thanks to the aptly named New Payments Platform (NPP), set to roll out early this year. Thanks to the NPP, we no longer have to accept that long weekends, holidays and after hour transfers will take extra time to clear. So what are we in for?

The real time payment processing is set to be a game changer for businesses of all sizes and shapes, says Shawn Anderson, Chief Risk Officer at Queensland Country Credit Union.

“With businesses at the minute, payments take time and when you’re a small business operator, that directly affects your cash flow,” Shawn says.

“With the NPP, it’s 24/7, 365 days. So it doesn’t matter if it’s the middle of the night, public holiday or Christmas day; it’s money in real time.”

On top of getting payments in real time, Shawn says businesses will also be able to use easy to remember IDs. “From launch, people will be able to use a PayID rather than have to remember their BSB and account number. So you have the opportunity to associate their BSB and account number with PayIDs such as a mobile number or an ABN if they’re a small business,” Shawn says.

“Osko by BPAY is what makes your payments speedy. It was developed specifically for NPP so you don’t have to wait hours or days for a payment to be received. This service will come in handy when paying at a group dinner, socialising, or even paying the plumber on the spot,” Shawn says. “When it came to us hearing and looking at this, it really was a no brainer for us in making sure we had the technology and the platform available for our Queensland Country Credit Union members to access real time payments from day one.”

Most financial institutions, including Queensland Country Credit Union, will

“With the NPP, it’s 24/7, 365 days. So it doesn’t matter if it’s the middle of the night, public holiday or Christmas day; it’s money in real time.” be able to offer NPP from launch but it may take time for widespread use by consumers and businesses to occur, similar to other new payment methods such as contactless payments.

This new technology will not only improve cash-flow, it will also streamline the entire payment process and take a huge headache out of the equation for businesses everywhere.

This is no doubt something the entire industry can celebrate – and the best thing? We can pay for our party in realtime while we’re at it!

All of this is incredibly promising for the future of payments – but what about www.bdmag.com.au

33

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RAPID GROWTH

Keeping a business alive is one thing, but creating a business in an already dense industry and keeping on top of it whilst it undergoes rapid expansion is a whole other ball game. These three businesses show how they weathered rapid growth whilst still maintaining their goals and keeping true to their values.

F45 TRAINING Since it’s inception, F45 Training, as

a brand, has been the fastest growing franchise in Australian history – even beating McDonald’s. However, it’s no fluke that this new style of training has been so well received, with Co-Owners Emily and Daniel talking about their rapid expansion in our city.

F45 exploded onto the Townsville gym scene in 2015 when Co-Owners Daniel Di Mascio and Emily Hinshelwood saw a gap in the fitness market. Unlike conventional box gyms, Daniel and Emily say F45 has a completely different offering, which is certainly one of the reasons it’s seen so much success. “I akin working out at F45 to going on a tour while on holidays because everything is already organised for you,” says Daniel. “All the workouts are really heavily thought out by PTs and exercise physiologists and there’s a focus on specific muscle groups and outcomes with each exercise.

So people just have to show up, participate and before they know it they’re getting results in all areas.”

When F45 in the city first started out, it was just Daniel, Emily and one casual staff member. However, they have since grown to accommodate seven additional staff, including a full-time manager.

“Our goals were to be in a position where neither Daniel or myself were needed to take classes,” says Emily. “I continue to take the occasional class to stay in touch with the members who have become like family but we’ve certainly met this goal.”

Now, the duo hopes to grow their base by an impressive 25% over the next six months and have even started looking at overseas markets to grow the franchise even more.

“F45 as a brand is the fastest growing franchise in Australian history – even beating McDonald’s,” Daniel says, as he talks about the gyms rapid growth. However, some truly valuable lessons have been learnt along the way.

“Business always looks easier when someone else is doing it,” Daniel says. “However, there are no sustainable shortcuts in business; your clients will only be as good as the service you deliver.”

It’s this strong belief in what they do, paired with a unique offering and dedication to both staff and members that have seen F45 Training thrive in such a dense market. This proves that regardless of how established the industry is, there is always room for disruption.

www.bdmag.com.au

35

MR PARAMEDIC

In 2013, Mr Paramedic was a twoperson operation offering first aid and water courses solely in Townsville. Since then, they’ve moved from an at-home business to a new training venue in South Townsville, seen a 350% increase in staff numbers and even had a 600% increase in location offerings. Believe it or not – that’s just the beginning!

The idea for Mr Paramedic was born out of a desire to create better first aid courses for attendants after Caleb Love, founder of Mr Paramedic, had his girlfriend Mia Hayes leave a first aid course with blanks in knowledge still apparent.

Originally staffed by Caleb and his partner Mia, the twoperson business grew just as quickly as demand for their courses did.

“The business is constantly evolving and changing almost daily at the moment,” Caleb says. “The core of our business is still there – that is, teaching first aid and water courses.

However, since we began, the range of services we provide keeps growing. For example, we offer more courses than we did when we first began. This developed out of clients wanting other services and also our interest in different areas of first aid.”

It’s not just courses that have seen a boom in growth either, with both their staff and their service offerings seeing an exponential increase since 2013.

“In 2017 we launched our ‘Every Minute Matters’ initiative whereby we gave free defibrillators to schools and businesses so they would be equipped to save a life. This was brought about by the staggering Sudden Cardiac Arrest statistics in Australia. We also created a childcare and school incursion ‘Students Save Lives’. These 45 minute workshops teach children BD as young as three vital life-saving skills,” says Caleb.

mag

36 BDmag

“Regarding staff, we now have nine, which includes myself as the head trainer in Townsville, two office staff that look after the daily operations of the business and six other course trainers servicing Cairns, Brisbane, the Sunshine Coast, Gold Coast, Rockhampton and Melbourne. In terms of equipment, our mannequin family has extensively grown as well. To cover all the courses we run in the different regions we now have over 60 mannequins.”

If the 60 mannequins weren’t enough, the team have also added two ambulances to their fleet and added an online shop where the team sell and audit defibrillators, first aid and sports medicine equipment.

Whilst both Caleb, Mia and the team have huge goals for the future, they say they have never wavered from their original goal of providing comprehensive, easy to understand and interactive first aid courses.

“I started this business because I believed paramedics had the knowledge, skills and passion to teach people first aid and I wanted them leaving a course with confidence that they could act in an emergency if they had to. We are proud to say most comments/reviews of our course say something like ‘this is the best CPR course I’ve ever done,’” Caleb says. From here, Caleb hopes to keep expanding nationally whilst still keeping the quality high, something he is very passionate about.

“We are always getting enquiries from Paramedics across Australia wanting to join our team and become a course trainer, so in 2018 we will continue with our expansion.

However, our business is specialised, to be a course trainer you have to be a current Advanced-Care Paramedic. So our biggest challenge with expansion is finding current paramedics who are also fantastic educators. We will continue to expand nationally as long as we have qualified and suitable trainers to front our courses.”

LIGHTEN UP STUDIO

Sometimes being smart about business doesn’t involve treading the same track as everyone else, which is exactly why Lighten Up Studio has evolved from a small boutique Studio in Townsville’s CBD to a thriving Yoga and Pilates Studio with two locations and over 30 classes on offer each week.

When Rebecca Dore first opened Lighten Up Studio, her peers advised her to start small and grow. However, Rebecca took a different approach to business that has seen incredible success ever since.

“I noticed that Townsville was missing a studio that offered a combination of classes from a variety of disciplines,” Rebecca says. “Many students that like Yoga, also love Pilates and Barre classes to so I wanted to create a full service offering straight away because that’s what I would want if I was a student. I decided to back myself, take on a lease in the CBD and ensure that there were at least two classes on each day.

I think we started with about 11 classes per week and now we have over 30 on offer with seven teachers working at the studio.”

When Lighten Up first opened its doors in 2015, Townsville was still booming at the time. However, 2016 saw a real drop for many local business owners. “We had to work a lot harder to maintain what we were doing, so we added quite a few different offerings, honing in on what our clients were looking for,” Rebecca says. “At first, it didn’t feel like I got any benefit from my hard work because it was just maintaining the status quo but now I feel like it’s starting to pay off.”

After great success with the initial location, Lighten Up expanded into the Douglas area in April last year.

“We had a number of students wanting classes closer to home,” says Rebecca. “Many of our clients work at the Townsville Hospital and James Cook University so it seemed an ideal location. We had also been considering a bigger location for the City studio, but we weren’t quite there yet.”

By late 2017, the large range of classes had caught the eye of local workers, with dozens of people voting to have Lighten Up Studio in the Fitness Passport program. The program, which is supported by large employers such as Department of Main Roads, Townsville Hospital, James Cook University, Australian Taxation Office and many more, was the tipping point that gave Rebecca the confidence to move into her dream studio in the CBD and expand once again.

“The Fitness Passport created a lot of growth towards the end of the year, which is usually a quieter time for the fitness industry,” says Rebecca. “I was borderline looking at a new place but I didn’t want to move based on potential growth, I wanted to know it was there.”

Perhaps one of the biggest reasons Lighten Up Studio was so popular comes down to its relaxed atmosphere, huge array of classes, teachers and flowing vinyasa style sessions. All of this, combined with a strong social media presence and positive word of mouth promotion has resulted in a strong foundation for Lighten Up. It also proves that there’s always going to be more than one way to run a business. While expanding as you go is perfect for some, backing yourself and knowing what your audience truly wants is a brilliant way to motivate customers and continually move your business forward. www.bdmag.com.au

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KOORCA CRIME APP COULD SAVE LIVES “IT’S A WORLDWIDE PROBLEM AND WE HAVE A WORLD FIRST SOLUTION”

Imagine a two-button app that could save lives in an emergency as well as take away a criminal’s anonymity in a scary situation. It sounds too good to be true, right?

Wrong. Welcome to KOORCA – an app designed to turn ‘a crook’ around.

The idea for KOORCA came to life when two Queensland graziers – Russ Broad and Ben Callcott – heard about the shocking murder of Jill Meagher in Brunswick, Victoria.

“We just couldn’t believe that we didn’t have the technology at our disposal to try and stop that from happening. After all, 80% of us walk around with the equivalent of a personal computer in our pockets. So why can’t this device help us to stop opportunistic offenders?” says KOORCA Co-Founder, Russ Broad.

It’s a solid point. After all, Jill Meagher had her phone in hand before the assault but it was of little use as a deterrent. Taking a photo is problematic as the attacker can delete it. Making a call can’t prevent an attack and it takes longer to dial than it does to fully utilise KOORCA. So how does this app work?

Users simply unlock their phone, open the app and secretly, or openly, take a photo of the suspect. The photo or video is stamped with the time, date and location, and instantly lodged in a database made accessible to the police. It sits in BD mag storage like CCTV for just 14 days. It 38 BDmag

doesn’t notify the police, it doesn’t save it to your phone and if nothing happens it simply rolls off the system.

72 seconds to progress his call past the location question. That’s a lot of wasted time – but that’s just the tip of it.

On top of that, if you travel, KOORCA can still help – and not just with the crime aspect. The ‘Call Emergency’ function automatically calls the correct emergency number regardless of where you are in the world. It can also take a picture of what you are seeing and make both your pinpoint location and the photo available to the operator with just one click.

> Ben Callcott Queensland grazier, Koorca Co-Founder

> Russ Broad Queensland grazier, Koorca Co-Founder

Why is this important? Because even if you are aware of your exact location, it’s far more difficult to communicate it to an emergency operator than you could imagine. It took Tori Johnson, Manager of the Lindt Café in Sydney,

“The US Federal Communications Commission forecasts that if they can reduce the call time to 911 by one minute, it will save 10,000 lives in America every year.” Russ says. “That translates to 670 lives in Australia every year. Or, two lives today, two lives tomorrow and two lives every day until this thing is up and going.” He says gravely.

I don’t know about you, but I’m ready to start putting the power back into the victim’s hands – isn’t it time?

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39

We’re opening up new opportunities for young talent and grassroots innovators to contribute to North Queensland’s growth.

To find out about the I-TAP NQ partnership between local government, education and industry contact: Myles Coker, Partnerships Manager myles.coker@ghd.com

Are you inspired by the next generation of industry and community leaders?

Smart Seeds is a global innovation program connecting young talent with today’s leaders to inspire innovation in infrastructure.

Launching in Townsville from March to May 2018, the program brings together early-career* participants, experienced mentors and influential judges from across North Queensland. Show your support for North Queensland’s young talent as they generate fresh ideas to tackle complex challenges facing the region.

Register your organisation’s young talent at www.smartseeds.org/north-queensland. For more information about Smart Seeds contact Jake Pether jake.pether@ghd.com. *talented individuals with

up to seven years’ working experience and a passion for the region’s future infrastructure are eligible to participate.

BD mag 40 BDmag

THE STARTUP SOCIAL-SPHERE STATS, UPDATES AND MORE FROM THE ONLY STARTUP SURVEY IN AUSTRALIA – STARTUP MUSTER According to Startup Muster, the number of first-time founders of startups has increased, the revenue of startups grew, the share of startups whose employees have equity or options went up, and the proportion of startups benefitting from incubators or accelerators also increased since 2016.

47%

OF STARTUPS HAVE APPLIED FOR A GRANT SCHOLARSHIP

37.2%

OF STARTUPS HAVE SECURED AT LEAST ONE INVESTOR

79

STARTUPS HAVE ACCESSED OUR GLOBAL LANDING PADS*

OUT OF THESE OF THOSE STARTUPS HAVE SUCCESSFULLY RECEIVED A GRANT OR SCHOLARSHIP

37%

29.2%

OF FUTURE FOUNDERS ARE FEMALE

THE GOVERNMENT RECENTLY INVESTED INTO THE INDUSTRY*

$50M

25.9% REVENUE GENER-

OF STARTUPS HAD ATED FROM EXPORT SALES IN THE LAST 12 MONTHS

134,000

QUESTIONS OVER ANSWERED BY ROUGHLY 1,600 RESPONDENTS

A MESSAGE FROM THE CO-FOUNDER:

MONICA WULFF

WHAT IS STARTUP MUSTER? “The easiest way to describe Startup Muster is we’re the ABS for startups. So we collect quality data, disseminate the results and leave it up to other people to analyse it. We’re proudly supported by Google. Our data is used by the Commonwealth department of industry, innovation and science and we’ve been used by over 17 different organisations. From corporates to government, to foreign interests, investors and media – all the people you want to have knowledge about this community.”

WHY SHOULD I TAKE PART? “It is an investment. If you want to continue to have your startup in Australia and you want a sustainable growth pathway for that community, taking part in something like this is very important.

From now on, startups and supporters that take part they will receive a curated list of supporters that have identified that they can help a startup like theirs. So a mentor will go in, undertake the same questions and response that the startup

receives and find out what shape their ideal startup is that they can assist them. Then they are seen by that startup and they can choose whether they want to connect or not, so the onus is very much on the startup.

Do you want to grow your business? Do you want to grow it quickly? With the right kind of support? You should be answering yes to all three questions. If so, see Startup Muster as that tool that’s going to assist you. *Stats provided by Hon Craig Laundy MP Assistant Minister for Industry, Innovation and Science www.bdmag.com.au

41

THE TOWNSVILLE GRANT CHANGING BUSINESS LIVES PHILIP LEONG YOUTH PROGRAM IN BIG CITIES securing $10,000 to kick-start your idea could cost you a slice of your business before it’s even successful. Yet here in Townsville we have incredible grants and highly skilled mentors at the Philip Leong Youth Program who can take your idea from a backyard garage gig to a citywide success. Your dad gets his garage back and you get to boost your idea – there’s really no downside here!

Even those who don’t take out cash prizes have the chance to be mentored by industry leaders involved with Philip Leong. Yet, despite all this, Jaquie says that general grant myths often stop startups, businesses or young entrepreneurs from applying, which has seen previous years with no applicants or winners at all.

“The idea that it’s too hard to apply is a big myth,” Jaquie says. “Another is that you have to have an established business. You don’t. You just need a business idea or you need to be studying or working towards your business idea.”

What really cemented this program for us was the dedication that they had to the community with winners expected to give back to Townsville through employment, purchases, services or more. However, no one quite sums it up like Jaquie.

“If you’re reading this and thinking of someone who should apply, just encourage them. Where else would you get $10,000 towards your business, plus mentoring and business advice? Don’t pass it up.”

To see how the Philip Leong Youth Program is benefiting our community we spoke to a variety of past winners and gained a whole new level of appreciation for this local initiative.

“THE BONES OF A GOOD IDEA IS ALL YOU NEED TO APPLY, PLUS THE DETERMINATION TO SEE IT THROUGH” BD mag 42 BDmag

“The idea of Philip Leong is to support youth in the community by getting them involved with business ideas,” says Jaquie Goldsack, past winner and current Philip Leong Deputy Chair. “A lot of people feel like they aren’t good enough to apply, but the committee sees the potential in people. We don’t expect you to come in with this beautiful, thought-out business that is perfect. The bones of a good idea is all you need to apply, plus the determination to see it through. When it comes to the application process, we can help you.”

Jaquie Goldsack Past winner, current Philip Leong Deputy Chair

Since 2005, Philip Leong has given almost $200,000 towards Townsville’s future businesses. Two recent winners, Kate Thomson and Tyler Giudes have made their mark on a local scale and already have plans to expand beyond Townsville.

PHILIP LEONG YOUTH PROGRAM MAKING A MARK IN FASHION Before Tyler graduated high school he had already won competitions for his wearable art pieces. Now, his clothing designs have been seen on politicians, Fashion Festival runways, in pop-up stores at Brisbane and even on women

workplace employing four locals and looking to branch out even further.

“We’re looking at putting on another person early next year in Townsville,” Kate says. “We are also opening a clinic in Mackay and formalising our outreach to Mount Isa and potentially Palm Island. Eventually, we would like to have a clinic in most regional towns.

The long-term goal is to have one in Rockhampton, Cairns, Mount Isa, Mackay and here.”

Although the idea to start SpeechEase Speech Therapy was already around, Kate says Philip Leong gave her the confidence to get started and give it a go.

“I thought it was a good idea but I didn’t think anyone would believe in it.

If I didn’t start when I did, who knows where it’d be.” Kate says.

Tyler Giudes Recent winner, fashion designer

internationally. Tyler heard about the bursary from a friend and said it forced him to sit down and think about where he wanted the business to go.

He worked around his full-time job to perfect the application and eventually won $6,300 through the bursary.

“I used a local business to get me onto the World Wide Web and then I invested in visiting my international manufacturer,” Tyler says. “The bursary literally gave me the ticket to grow my production.”

When it comes to the bursary, Tyler says the biggest thing is not to feel like your idea isn’t worthy. “I really want people to look in to the bursary because no idea is a dumb idea. It might be under-developed, under-researched or not all the questions have been asked yet but it’s never a dumb idea. It’s a great opportunity for the city and there’s nothing like this anywhere else.”

SPEECH THERAPY

Kate Thomson Recent winner, speech therapist

However, through the help of the Philip Leong leaders and bursary, Kate’s business thrived – and she says others can too.

“I would say just back yourself, because I doubted myself throughout the entire process and then I ended up winning the major bursary, which I couldn’t believe,” she says. “Don’t doubt yourself, back yourself and stick to one idea so you can give your all to something rather than spreading yourself across different ideas.”

PHILIP LEONG FAQ’S HOW CAN I GET INVOLVED? Jump onto their website, download an application form, put on some motivational music and get typing!

WHAT SCHOLARSHIPS ARE AVAILABLE? Stop selling odd household items on Gumtree to fund your bright ideas. Philip Leong has two scholarships available. One to help with the cost of study, rent, tutoring and textbooks and another designed to assist startups with a current business or business idea. Startups can apply for any amount from $500 up to $10,000 depending on the amount of financial assistance they require.

WHAT ARE THE CONDITIONS? Are you a young spring chicken aged 15 - 26? Do you live in the gorgeously humid paradise that is Townsville? Are you a citizen or permanent resident of Australia?

If so, you’re ticking all the boxes.

Look at you go! Check out their website for the full criteria.

AM I GOOD ENOUGH? Yes IS MY IDEA GOOD ENOUGH? Yes WELL I FEEL A LITTLE BETTER NOW… Good. Use those positive feelings to put together a cracking application!

In just eight months, Kate Thomson’s speech therapy business, SpeechEase Speech Therapy, has gone from a one-woman operation to a successful

www.bdmag.com.au

43

AECOM FLEXIBLE WORK ARRANGEMENTS

Is this Townsville’s most flexible workplace?

The days of Dolly Parton’s “working nine to five” are long gone for both future and current employees at AECOM, with a new 12-week initiative giving parents the reprieve they need to work and enjoy holidays with their children.

Shayne Hanran, Area Director for North Queensland and Northern Territory, says the initiative is just one of many flexible work arrangements designed to bring parents – and predominately women – back into the workforce.

“We’re really big on gender diversity at AECOM,” Shayne says, noting that while the company is currently 35% female there’s always room to improve. “It’s a great chance to get women back into the workforce to try and attract mid-level senior leaders.”

Blending senior leadership roles with a happy, healthy work/life balance is exactly the sort of change that Townsville and the workplace in general needs to see. The best thing is, you won’t be taking a huge cut to achieve it.

“With this 12-week initiative, the pay is prorated down to about 85% of their full time salary,” Shayne says. “However, they are allowed to get every school holiday off and have a consistent pay every month, which means no more applying for leave without pay, missing out on super and all that.”

The initiative is set to roll out at the start of 2018 with a mix of both new and internal jobs available. If that’s not enough to get you and the kids smiling, Shayne says AECOM also embraces a series of other flexible arrangements that make the daily grind a whole lot easier for everyone.

“We cater around school pick- ups, we have early start and finish times, you have the ability to work from home on some days and you can even get additional purchased annual leave which means you can have up to two months if you want,” Shayne says.

“We’re really trying to be a flexible workplace that can attract good quality staff because we need a mix of both genders.”

BD mag 44 BDmag

This proves that the work structure has evolved in the last 30 years.

Parents – who play an integral role in any business structure – no longer have to choose between family and work, making for happier employees and families, which is the new gold standard we need to stick to.

HAYS & GLENCORE POWERING THE WORLD OF WORK IN NORTH QUEENSLAND In the last 10 years, global zinc prices have reached a record high and the pace of development in existing zinc assets across the Mount Isa region are set to continue. At the forefront is Glencore Zinc’s George Fisher Mine and Processing Plants. Ensuring committed production levels are met is critical to Glencore Zinc’s growth plan and at the core of this plan is planned investment in people and careers. Partnering with Glencore, the Hays Mount Isa offices has committed to Glencore’s vision and are proactively sourcing a variety of mining professionals to commit to their career development with a global mining house.

These roles provide unique access for qualified mining professionals to enter or re-enter the zinc metalliferous mining sector within the Mount Isa region. Individuals with drive and ambition will be rewarded with career defining opportunities, ongoing development, fast tracked career growth and rewarding remuneration with relocation allowances.

Hays are recruiting for the following roles: • Senior Maintenance Personnel • Drill & Blast Specialist • Safety & Training Advisors

• Mining Engineers • Metallurgists • Geologists

For more information, contact: Hays Mount Isa T: 07 4960 1121 E: mtisa@hays.com.au

hays.com.au

TALENT MANAGEMENT WHAT FACTORS RETAIN & DEVELOP STAFF? Find out by requesting a copy of our Talent Management report which provides tips on how to manage, develop, retain and plan talent effectively.

Some of the topics covered in the report include: • The secret to talent management planning • How to establish if a potential manager will succeed • Are we letting down middle managers?

• Do we need a ‘right to disconnect’ from work?

• Performance reviews - are they as dead as the dinosaurs?

To get your copy of the Hays Talent Management report, visit hays.com.au/talent management

hays.com.au www.bdmag.com.au

45

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POSITIVE NEWS & STORIES POSITIVE NEWS & STORIES ABOUT TOWNSVILLE? ABOUT TOWNSVILLE? YEAH, YEAH, THAT THAT WOULD WOULD BE BE NICE NICE :) :)

BD mag 46 BDmag

Want the good news straight to your inbox? We thought so.

Want theyour good newsand straight your inbox?

We thought Send us details we’llto send you the good stuff. so.

Send us your details and we’ll send you the good stuff. info@BDmag.com.au info@BDmag.com.au

HOT DESQ This is brilliant news for regional cities such as ours, as it means we can both learn from and collaborate with a whole new world of entrepreneurs.

“We need to open ourselves up, invite them over and see what other potential things we could do with interesting companies, what can we learn from them, how can they help us improve our business, how they can modernise our practices and how they might be able to inspire our own people to come up with new solutions or how we can partner with them to create new solutions,” says Myles. “It’s as much cultural exchange as it’s a technology and innovation exchange.”

Making North Queensland an Entrepreneur Magnet > Featuring Myles Coker

Innovation in Townsville has thrived in the past couple of years, with several startups seeing incredible success since their inception in our regional city. Now, entrepreneurs from all over Australia and the world are being invited to innovate and grow in our slice of paradise thanks to the combined efforts of Hot DesQ, iTAP and the Government’s Innovate Queensland program.

When it comes to innovation and starting a business in Townsville, we are exceptionally lucky. We have the perfect sample size population for rolling out products and doing so is incredibly affordable. However, translating that to startups has always been quite difficult – until now. Myles Coker – Partnerships Manager for Innovation Programs over at GHD – says the government is working harder than ever to put a spotlight on innovation in Queensland.

“I think there’s a dual focus. There’s one on fostering entrepreneurs and startups who are homegrown and also a clever strategy to attract more from elsewhere as well,” says Myles. “Part of this strategy is to attract high calibre entrepreneurs and startups from outside to Queensland. I think their tactic there is to inject some talent and some mindset of an entrepreneur into the state, which will act as a catalyst. The more people who understand what it means to be an entrepreneur and what challenges you might face as a startup, the bigger the chance for larger organisations to add some value to entrepreneurship and maybe partner or buy services from new startups.”

Aside from the affordable living and strong business network, entrepreneurs and startups who gain entry into the Hot DesQ program and move to our sunny side of the world will also see huge benefits for their business. One of these is monetary, with a minimum of $50,000 equity-free funding available and a maximum of $100,000.

Successful applicants will also receive six months worth of free co-working space for 6 months as well as access to support and mentors to achieve Hot DesQ Network points, which are activities that measure your contribution to the Queensland startup ecosystem.

Helping to foster the exchange of ideas and create a healthy startup environment is iNQ, who are working closely with Hot DesQ and iTAP in order to provide a creative hub for successful applicants.

One such startup is Zentivo, an Insurtech startup, focusing on digitising the life insurance claims process, who was enticed from New South Wales to iNQ in the latest round of Hot DesQ applicants.

Mayor Jenny Hill also sees the valuable potential for both our city and startups, saying that council are taking huge steps to stamp our city as the digital capital in northern Australian – something that will be hugely appealing for tech startups wanting to move.

“Part of this strategy is to attract high calibre entrepreneurs and startups from outside to Queensland” “We’re building a data centre as part of our disaster management centre that will give us capability through all events to maintain contact with the digital world,” Mayor Jenny Hill says. “In terms of resilience and recovery, it also means that if someone’s business has gone down because they don’t have power we may be able to allow access through our own digital centre for them to be able to have business continuity. That in itself aids companies if they are looking to move north, to know that no matter what the event is, they will still be able to do business even during the worst disaster you can think of.” www.bdmag.com.au

47

The Best

CO-WORKING SPACES In Townsville

01

Townsville has always had a strong community mindset. This mindset has filtered into the startup eco-sphere, with amazing co-working spaces popping up all over our city. Below are some of the most modern, fun and welcoming spaces this great city has to offer. There’s everything from shipping container hackspaces to re-vamped, mix-use offices and art spaces bright enough to put a smile on every creatives face. If you’re a startup, stay-at-home business or entrepreneur looking to get your foot in the door without the hassle of an expensive lease, this is perfect for you.

iNQ

InnovationNQ (iNQ) is the Pinterest perfect workplace. Exposed architecture and modern offices mesh perfectly with the bright and talented minds who reside there. Since opening, iNQ has fostered several notable startups; from Applied Inspirations – who graduated from the space and now have offices in the UK and Melbourne – to BlueKino, JESI, FierceVentures and many more.

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“Grow up and get out. Incubate here, get your feet going and then move out and give back to the community,” says iNQ’s co-founder, committee member and community driver, Joe Hoolihan.

The space is connected to NBN and has a variety of hot desks and private office spaces available as well as a meeting room, large kitchen space and open, light-filled area to relax in. The close-knit community is nothing short of brilliant too, with iNQ workers often gathering for Wednesday geek nights or pooling their talents together to help out.

“One of the benefits is having connections without having to sign an expensive lease. It’s the ability to have access to ‘what do I do next’.

Collaborative sharing really is a key part,” Joe says.

The iNQ community extends beyond the workers too, with over 30 different events – ranging in topics from Fintech and Blockchain to fashion and information nights – held in the space last year.Looking around at the classic community feel and the modern layout, you can see why this tried and true workspace has consistently been a hub for some of Townsville’s sharpest minds.

MIXHAUS

Remember watching those renovator shows where people would build amazing spaces out of shipping containers? Well now we have one right here in Townsville called MixHaus. The idea stemmed out of a three-year digital participation research project and took the title of our city’s first maker’s space.

“It was cheaper, portable and at the end, if it didn’t go anywhere you could just sell it. It wasn’t like leasing a whole space,” Warren Cheetham, Library Coordinator at City Libraries Townsville says. “To activate the idea, it became a partnership between Library, QUT, JCU, the researchers and Laluna Youth Arts.”

The space has deliberately been left neutral so that those interested can come in and truly make the space their own. Inside, you’ll find loads of storage, tables, chairs and even facilities to attach a generator so you can power your ideas. “It’s only limited by your imagination,” Warren says. The space has been used by Laluna Youth Arts for coding and IT projects, which saw kids learn how to stitch and program conductive thread, events like Lux Luman and so much more.

MixHaus will be used in the 2018 Commonwealth Games as part of the mini ‘shipping container city’, which will see it spray-painted by local, national and international street artists.

As if this isn’t exciting enough, Warren says the opportunities for hackers, makers and creators are endless. “It’s unique for Townsville and it’s a space that can be moved. It can be put on a train or a truck and moved out west or to regional areas. It’s really a space that is available for our region.”

The Hub

Innovators in Townsville have a new home for business thanks to The HUB Creative Space – a sensational makers space dedicated to bringing artistic and imaginative ideas to life. There’s a huge gallery for your workshops, secure lockers for your materials and a wet lab for everything messy and crafty.

What makes this space unique – apart

from the incredible artwork – is the huge array of classes there. You’ll see everything from feng shui and mosaic classes right through to healing touch clinics and workshops plus visibility coaching for small businesses and more. One of the most popular classes, however, is the art and wine nights where you can sip wine, get creative and enjoy great company – seriously, does it get much better?

“I can cater for messy right through to corporate. So you can use it as a venue and hire it or you can see what classes are suited to you,” says owner Sue Bright. “I encourage people to just come in and see it. Don’t ring and enquire. Come be inspired.”

Sue says that corporates have even fallen in love with the space, making it entirely their own by utilising their many different rooms for “breakout areas” so groups can break away and have meet-ups in various rooms.

When it comes to creative and aweinspiring areas that will get any artists’ heart racing, The HUB Creative Space certainly takes the cake (or the paintbrush!).

What’s Next?

Co. Habitat Co-working Space: The Townsville Transit Centre is currently going through some major redevelopment, part of which is the Mckenzie Street mezzanine which is being converted into Co. Habitat Co-working Space - a vibrant and fresh shared office space. Once complete, the shared space will have an open desk style shared area, a conference room, a meeting room with en suite, kitchenette, chill out area and a mixture of small and large private offices; all filled with amazing natural light. Depending on renovations, Co. Habitat Co-Working Space is expected to open it’s doors between late February and mid March so keep an eye out!

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The Last Word

> Chris Briggs - General Manager, SeaLink Queensland There are plenty of reasons to be very optimistic about the future of tourism in Townsville and the region. With the reputation of Magnetic Island rapidly on the rise as one of the most quintessential laid back tropical island getaways in Australia, its draw for international and domestic visitors continues to grow year on year.

Other signs that tourism’s future looks bright and will play an important role in supporting the economic future of Townsville is the renewed confidence in tourism related projects across the city. The extensive redevelopment works at ‘The Ville’ being undertaken by the Colonial Leisure Group, the announcement of Hilton Hotel’s 175 bed Double Tree property to be built alongside the new Stadium, SeaLink and the Honeycombe Property Group’s plans for a new $56 million marine tourism precinct, $3 million in funding already secured for a Museum of Underwater Art, growth in cruise ship visitation and direct flights between Melbourne and Townsville swelling our visitor numbers to name a few.

The diversity of tourism experiences on offer within the region rivals any destination. The charm and history of Charters Towers, the tranquil beauty of Paluma National Park encompassing Crystal Creek, Jourama Falls and Hidden Valley, the family magnet that is The Strand, and of course our iconic islands; Magnetic Island and the Palm Island group, which are all on our doorstep. When it comes to tours and activities we have some of Australia’s best diving on the wreck of the Yongala and on our local reefs, tours to Orpheus Island and Cape Cleveland Lighthouse. There’s

also whale watching, sky diving, jet skiing, sailing, fishing, mountain biking, museums, aquariums, great restaurants, markets, galleries, wildlife parks, indigenous culture, military history and a whole host of other unique North Queensland adventures.

Townsville is also one of the best event destinations in Queensland with iconic events including Magnetic Island Race Week, Townsville’s Running and Triathlon Festivals, Multisport, Fashion and Cultural events, the Australian Festival of Chamber Music and of course the Townville 400 Supercar weekend. These events and many more within the region are all major drawcards for visitors.

On the back of increasing airline seating capacity with Tiger Air, last year’s influx of Victorians was great to see and with a little collaboration there are significant visitor numbers waiting to be drawn from Sydney, across New South Wales and South East Queensland, especially in the winter months when our region really shines.

With so much to do and see it is no wonder many of our first time visitors to Magnetic Island say to our vessel crew ‘why didn’t I know about this place earlier’ and ‘I had no idea about how good this island is’. Most rewarding is the often-repeated visitor comments of ‘see you next year’ and ‘we’ll be back’ and from the locals we hear ‘it’s so good to leave the mainland worries behind’ and ‘why have I left it so long’.

So with tourism poised to make a growing contribution to Townsville’s economy, make sure you don’t leave it too long to reacquaint your family and friends with what is on offer in the region and on Magnetic Island and most importantly, be sure to tell everyone just how good North Queensland really is.

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