BUSINESS & NETWORKING: Frankston | Mornington Peninsula | Dandenong
DECEMBER-JANUARY 2014/15 | free
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the thoughts and deeds of an australian of the year
libs ousted frankston on a knife edge ; dandenong remains safe for labor
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ISSUE 52 / DECEMBER-JANUARY 2014-15
FRANKSTON / MORNINGTON PENINSULA / DANDENONG
TONY MURRELL KEITH PLATT MARG HARRISON DAVID HILET MELANIE LARKE SIMON BROWN Design MARLON PLATT Finance ANITA HILET
Publisher / Director Editorial Director Sales Director Managing Director Material production / Prepress
features
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VICTORIA VOTES: The Coalition Liberal-National Party government ousted after just one four-year term.
Columns Networking: Ivan Misner Health: Mike Ellis Markets: Richard Campbell Managing: Hamish Petrie
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HOSPICES WINE AUCTION:
More than seven million euros paid in a day for some of Burgundy’s best wines.
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DISCLAIMER: Information in BusinessTimes contains general advice only. No article or column has been prepared taking into account any individual reader’s financial situation, investment objectives or particular needs. Readers should personally consult professionals for advice on any matter, including investment, health and the law. While all care is taken, BusinessTimes accepts no responsibility for errors or omissions in the published material. Views expressed are not necessarily those of BusinessTimes Pty Ltd. All content is copyright.
COVER: Simon McKeon, chairman of AMP, CSIRO and Melbourne chairman of Macquarie Bank, says chatter on the sandbelt trains pointed to the Liberal win in 2010 . PAGE 12 Cover photo: Keith Platt
2014/15 |
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thE thoUg AN AUstRA hts AND DEEDs of liAN of thE YEAR
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fRANkstoN DANDENoNgoN A kNifE EDgE ; REMAiNs sAfE foR lABoR
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PROFILE
n Bizzquiz Ron Chowanetz has been a vehicle and equipment finance specialist with Money Resources for more than six years. Before that he spent 20 years with Nissan Finance in vehicle finance and, “in between”, a stint as assistant manager at Metropolitan and Heidelberg golf clubs. Chowanetz is on the committees of Peninsula and Mt Eliza business networking groups and still plays cricket. He says he is “passionate” about helping businesses find “the best finance solution” when borrowing money for assets. “A business owner doesn’t have the time to take away from running their business to source the funds when borrowing for vehicles or equipment. This is where I can help.”
Ron Chowanetz Finance specialist
I dreamed of being … a chef. Coming from a European background, my mum and grandmother were amazing chefs and so I grew up being surrounded by food. My first job was … at the Coles variety store at Chadstone shopping centre. The shopping centre has certainly changed a lot since then. In 10 years I will be … enjoying the independence that the previous 16 years in business has created. Our business planning entails … matching the assets a business is looking at financing with the client and the funder. Many businesses think their own bank has the all answers, but that may not always be
the case. We can source a beneficial and tax effective structure as an alternative to their bank. Tips for success … be persistent and never give up. Take courage. A mentor or a coach is also a must. I am inspired by … people who work hard and gain success. Those that have the big picture in mind – think Branson, Jobs and Gates. After being diagnosed with a head and neck cancer three years ago, I got to understand how extremely inspiring are the health professionals at Peter Mac. They are salt of the earth. Anyone starting a business should … be passionate about what it is and love it; that will get them through the tough times. I’ll know I am successful when … I continually assist business owners to achieve their business success and their own goals. A client recently commented that an investment of $500 a month on a machine had given them the opportunity to add more than a million dollars worth of turnover to the business. My mother and father always told me … treat people how you want to be treated, enjoy life, good friends, good food and wine. I wish I had … lived by the motto “live every moment like it’s your last” before being diagnosed with cancer. I wish I had not … taken so long to decide to go into business.
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victoria votes
Labor sweeps in The Labor Party was carried into power at the Saturday 29 November state election on the back of seats along the Frankston rail line and Sandbelt areas. In a reversal of the 2010 election, which saw an unexpected win for the Liberals (who later swapped leaders – Denis Napthine for Ted Baillieu), seats toppled in Mordialloc, Frankston, Bentleigh and Carrum. Dandenong and Mulgrave stayed true to Labor, helping provide the incoming Daniel Andrews-led government a healthy multi-seat majority – something denied the Liberal-National coalition. Former Liberal turned independent Geoff Shaw, problematic for the Coalition, failed to regain Frankston, won by Labor’s Paul Edbrooke in a close tussle with Liberal Sean Armistead. In Carrum, Liberal Donna Bauer lost to
Labor’s Sonya Kilkenny and in Dandenong Gabrielle Williams, Labor, defeated Liberal Joanna Palatsides. The poll result restored the line that begins south of Frankston: Labor above (north) the line and Liberal below (south). The three peninsula MPs were all assured of being back in their old jobs long before the vote count was finished. David Morris, Mornington, Neale Burgess, Hastings, and Martin Dixon, Nepean, felt little pain from the statewide swing to Labor. Morris, with a 62.44% of votes (after distribution of preferences) holds the third safest seat in the state. Dixon, education minister in the Napthine government, was re-elected for the sixth consecutive time. Burgess, who campaigned strongly on the need to build a major container port at Hast-
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ings, sustained the lowest swing against him of the three peninsula Liberals. In neighbouring Bass – an electorate covering the north and east coasts of western Port – Liberal Brian Paynter successfully replaced party colleague and former Speaker Ken Smith, albeit with a more than 7% swing to labor. Bass includes Phillip and French islands, home to community groups opposed to the port expansion. The future of the container port must now be in doubt as Labor throughout the election campaign promoted a site in Port Phillip, near Geelong, as its favoured site for Melbourne’s second port - the so-called Bay West option. The other major Coalition-backed project on the peninsula – luxury accommodation and a geothermal spa within Point Nepean National Park – may also come under scrutiny by the new Labor government. Former Labor premier Steve Bracks on election night said Labor would be looking at the lease agreed to by the Napthine government and the Point Leisure group, headed by developer Richard Shelmerdine.
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2014-15 Frankston / Mornington Peninsula / Dandenong BusinessTimes | 5 Accounting team membersDecember-January - Jason Beare, Dereen Wallace,|Amy Bignell and Irena Lioudvigova.
BUSY BITES
Business program wins
new mayors elected
Mornington-based community radio station RPPFM has named its weekly Taking Care of Business show its top program in 2014.
New mayors have been elected in Dandenong, Frankston and on the Mornington Peninsula. At the City of Greater Dandenong Lightwood Ward councillor Sean O’Reilly takes over from Cr Jim Memeti. Cr O’Reilly, an information technologist, who lives in Springvale with his wife and two children, will receive a mayoral allowance of just under $88,000. He was first elected to council in 2012 saying he wanted to “improve local cleanliness and ensure fairness for all”. Cr Sandra Mayer is the new mayor of Frankston. A single mother, Cr Meyer was mayor in 2012-13 and succeeds Cr Darrel Taylor. She will receive a mayoral allowance of just over $90,000. Cr Bev Colomb has been elected mayor of Mornington Peninsula. A Briars ward councillor, she receives a mayoral allowance of $88,000. Councillors in Greater Dandenong receive an allowance of $27,514, Frankston $28,202 and Mornington Peninsula $27,514. All three mayor’s receive 9.5% superannuation on their allowances. The Monday 10 November meeting that saw the election of Cr Colomb as mayor of the peninsula also saw councillors pay tribute to long time CEO Michael Kennedy. Dr Kennedy opted to take outstanding leave and effectively left the shire on 14 November after being told by councillors that he was not among the three short-listed applicants for the job he had held for the past 15 years. His replacement, Carl Cowie, took up the position as CEO on Monday 30 November.
Presenter Jacki Mitchell, a management consultant, said that “we want the listener to feel like they are eavesdropping on a really interesting café conversation”. TCOB is broadcast live Friday from 11am – noon on 98.7FM, or online at rppfm.com.au
Retailers predict Christmas spending Christmas spending projections – including gifts, food, liquor and dining – released on 25 November by the Australian National Retailers’ Association (ANRA) show the four weeks before Christmas is the busiest of periods for retail businesses and a busy time for shoppers. “Nationally, more than $32.6 billion in total sales is expected for the four weeks, with the average family expected to spend $4154”, said Anna McPhee, CEO of ANRA. “Victorian shoppers are expected to spend about $8.1 billion.”
Former Greater Dandenong mayor Cr Jim Memeti has been quoted by the Dandenong Journal as saying the theme park “would absolutely work” as two million people lived in its customer catchment area. When mayor, Cr Memeti was part of a council delegation in October to Dandenong’s sister city in China, Xuzhou, which visited Chongqing Meixin’s Chinese theme park. Cr Memeti was quoted by The Journal as saying the company’s CEO Ming Xian Xia had bought a house in Melbourne and “just wants to contribute to Australia”. Expressions of interest were sought for the land in February by Kaikura Land Sales, Cranbourne. The land was described as a “future development opportunity”. The triangle-shaped block fronting Frankston-Dandenong Rd is just north of Harwood Rd, with East Link running close by to the west and Bunurong Memorial Park to the south. The land is subject to an Environmental Significance Overlay and any development plans are sure to be opposed to by community groups concerned at the “nibbling away” of the 93 square kilometre south-eastern green wedge.
employers ignore youth: report A joint report by AMP and the National Centre for Social and Economic Modelling shows that the education, skills and talents of young Australians are being wasted in a workforce that has turned its back on young employees. Nearly a third of all under 20 year olds are unemployed, and the number of highly-educated youth in unskilled jobs is proportionally higher when compared with the older workforce. Jack Delosa, 2014 BRW Young Rich Lister, founder of The Entourage and author of Unprofessional, believes that Australian businesses are undermining their own success by ignoring young Australians. “When I picture a business that doesn’t have young employees in it, they’ve probably been slipping behind for the last five to 10 years” Delosa said.
theme park plan at bangholme Plans for a theme park by the CEO of a Chinese door manufacturing business may test restrictions on building within the green wedge between Dandenong and Frankston. A 43 hectare block near Bangholme was bought for $5.3 million in August by Meixin Australia, a company registered in July by two Chineseborn residents.
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Selling agent, Linda Ellis: “The marketing campaign created a great deal of interest and our use of catchy headlines added further interest.” Nichols Crowder also won the category for the best marketing sales campaign with a budget between $5000 and $15,000 for an older style warehouse at 37 Well St, Brighton. “Both campaigns received high numbers of inquiries, the primary objective of marketing,” Michael Crowder said. “The greater the inquiry levels the better the opportunity for us to generate multiple buyers and achieve the highest price.” “We have a dedicated and experienced marketing team that carefully creates an individual marketing program for each property.”
Two more effective marketing awards this year brings the total number of trophies won by Nichols Crowder since 2007 to 22.
marketing wins for nichols crowder real estate
Three quarters of small business owners in Australia say it’s getting harder to run a small business, with two in five admitting they’re not sure they’ll be around in five years’ time. This is the finding of the Australian Attitudes to Small Business report, commissioned by American Express as part of its national Shop Small campaign. The campaign aims to reconnect consumers with small businesses. The report identifies what small business owners are doing to remain competitive. Comfortably leading the list of strategies is investing in an online or social presence. Of the small business owners surveyed, 41% said they would be beefing up activities associated with digital platforms. Other strategies favoured include: • price discounting (29%) • increasing marketing and advertising (26%) • negotiating better deals with suppliers (26%) • increasing the range of products sold (26%) • forming alliances with other businesses (23%) • investing in new technology (19%) • considering longer opening hours (15%)
Braeside company Ego Pharmaceuticals will create 63 jobs in an export-boosting $14.6 million expansion. The skincare products business will extend its flammable goods production capacity, increasing exports by $40 million. Ego’s biggest selling brand worldwide is QV Skincare. The expansion, helped along by a $250,000 state government manufacturing technology grant, will see the company double its bottle filling capacity. In February Ego will start its first night shift, allowing 24-hour production. Managing director Alan Oppenheim said the company’s 120 skincare products are developed, made and tested in Victoria. Ego has 430 staff worldwide (270 in Victoria) and exports to 23 countries. The flammable goods facility will reduce the risk to the site by consolidating all flammable manufacture and filling in a purpose-built, four-hour fire resistant enclosure. This year, Ego announced it had purchased 9.5 hectares of land in Dandenong South – cementing the future of the company in Victoria and catering for predicted future growth.
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Commercial and industrial real estate agent Nichols Crowder has racked up more marketing effectiveness awards. The latest Real Estate Institute of Victoria marketing awards presentation saw the company win two trophies. Nichols Crowder has won awards every year since 2007 and the trophy count now stands at 22. Director Michael Crowder said the “highly competitive” awards are judged on the property being sold or leased, the client happy with the outcome and an effective marketing outlay. The properties involved in this year’s awards were both sales. The winner of the best marketing sales campaign with a budget under $5000 was for two shops at 49 and 51 Mt Eliza Way, Mt Eliza.
small business getting harder
Ego expands skincare production
December-January 2014-15 | Frankston / Mornington Peninsula / Dandenong | BusinessTimes | 7
NETWORKING gallery
1. Frankston Wine and Food Society held its spring lunch at Stillwater, Crittenden’s, Dromana, on 29 October. Pictured from left are Bruce McClintock, Karen Garnett and Shane White, of Peter Young Shoes, Mornington. 2. Larry Reed with Brendan Collins, of Austral Anglo Insurance Brokers. 3. Crittenden Estate winemaker Rollo Crittenden with Ken and Sue Rowe, of Mt Eliza.
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4. Brooklands of Mornington launched its new restaurant, 1878, on 8 November. Pictured are Laurence Hearsman with Lorraine and Duncan McGregor. 5. Peninsula Business Network (PBN) met at Mornington Golf Club for its monthly get together on 11 November. Pictured are Amanda Alderson, of Alderson Financial Services, and Lane Burdett, of Trade Marketing. 6. PBN guests Nonie Harvey and Carly Suttie, of Hair on Barkley, Mornington, Denise Jefferies and Andrea Haynes, of Sarina Russo Job Access, Rosebud. 7. Glenn Hull, Online Solutions for Your Business, with Claire Geddes, of Clever Colour Design. 8. A breakfast at Mornington Golf Club on 9 November saw the launch of one of Australia’s 18 Work for the Dole regions. Pictured are, Sarah Ebbott, of the Schaefer Group, Denise Garnock, staffer for Flinders federal member and Environment Minister Greg Hunt, and Sonia Berton, of Karingal. email marg@businesstimes.net.au if you have something to share.
Networking Galleries
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9. Work for the Dole launch guests are Karin Hann, CEO of Frankston Business Chamber, with Shane Murphy, business development manager for Mornington Peninsula Shire Council.
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10. Dunkley MP and Minister for Small Business Bruce Billson with Trish Keilty, director of Advocare, which is running the Work for the Dole program. 11. Paul Collier, owner of Mornington wine bar Brass Razu, with his finalist certificate in the hospitality category of Frankston and Mornington Peninsula business awards. He hosted the latest meeting of Mt Eliza Business Network on 12 November.
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12. Peninsula Business Network’s Mix and Mingle night at RACV Cape Schanck on 25 November. From left, Relly Bruce, of RACV Cape Schanck, Helen Aughey, of MP Kids, and Ren Goddard, of Flowers by Ren. 13. RACV club guests Andrew Batch, of First Class Accounts, Nancy Findlay, of Five Oaks Holiday House, and Chris Watson, of Card Planet.
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14. Frankston and Mornington Peninsula Business Breakfast on 27 November at Mornington Racing Club was addressed by Carolyn Creswell, right, founder and managing director of Carman’s, with BusinessTimes sales director Marg Harrison. 15. Business Breakfast guests Kay Jeffs and Natalie Davies, of Jacobs and Lowe, Mornington. 16. Geraldine Turner, HR manager of Moondarra Cheese, Dandenong, with Dash Bartikova, of Chisholm.
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If you’re reading this, so are your prospects.
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NETWORKING
Choices in business and life When my doctor sat with me following some medical tests in 2012 I wasn’t expecting him to tell me I had cancer. I remembered Charles Swindoll’s quote: “Life is 10% what happens to me and 90% of how I react to it.” I’ve always loved that quote but I haven’t always lived up to it as well as I could. So, on that day I decided that the first thing I should do to address my diagnosis was to write a list. It became my list of the possible “Positive side effects of my health challenge.” Some of the points included: 1. Lose weight. 2. Beth and I will get closer. 3. I’ll make better health choices. 4. There is an opportunity to cut back on those things that aren’t working as well as I’d like or that I don’t enjoy. 5. I will expand the limits of what I am willing to eat (maybe even grow to like
Dr lvan Misner*
Networking specialist
some things I didn’t like before). A focus on these positive side effects became the first of four key themes that I followed on my road to recovery and health. I can’t pretend it wasn’t difficult, but one by one I was able to achieve the goals I set for myself. The second key theme was to talk to people who have experience with cancer and health issues. The subsequent conversations were invaluable. It also put the fear of God in me because of the serious side effects from not only the various treatments, but also from
the diagnostic tests (biopsies) themselves. It gave me the motivation I needed to completely change my diet and lifestyle. The third key theme involved researching alternative treatments. My wife and I did a massive amount of research (OK, my wife did a massive amount of research and I read almost everything she gave me). We attended the Prostate Cancer Research Institute’s annual conference in LosAngeles where we learned so much from doctors who are on the cutting edge (no pun intended) of emerging trends in prostate cancer diagnosis and treatment. We read books, watched videos, and read many, many articles. We became lay experts on prostate cancer. The fourth key theme was psychological and this became the most important lesson from the whole experience. I came to understand that I was the “captain of my own experience”. The choices ahead of me were difficult, the information was, in many cases, contradictory, and the possible impact of those choices were long-lasting.
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However, the truth was that I was in charge of the choices I would make. My doctors were advisors, some, very trusted advisors. Others, not so much. Other men with the disease were also trusted advisors. I quickly found out that I could learn much from what they did, and did not do. My wife was my best advisor. But I was still the one responsible for my health care decisions. I realised that I am not my diagnosis, but I am the captain of the ship navigating the confusing waters towards health. Today, I am pleased to say that I am fully in remission, 20 kg lighter, less stressed, and closer than ever to my bride of 25 years. Oh, and the company is doing just fine, thank you very much.
Eighteen78, the stylish new restaurant at Best Western Plus Brooklands of Mornington opened last month. More than 150 guests including clients, suppliers and community representatives joined general manager Marreck Head to celebrate at the official launch party on 8 November. Enjoying the evening are Geoff and Lyn Johnstone with Geoff Mahoney, general manger of strategic development for Best Western Australia.
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*Dr Ivan Misner is a New York Times bestselling author. He is founder and chairman of Business Networking International (BNI), the world’s largest networking organisation. Dr Misner is also senior partner for the Referral Institute, an international referral training company. Email: misner@BNI.com
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WORDS AND PICTURES: KEITH PLATT
TOP END OF TOWN The thoughts and deeds of an Australian of the Year AS A HIGH FLYER SIMON MCKEON GETS CHAUFFERED AROUND A BIT. THE CHAIRMAN OF AMP, CSIRO AND MELBOURNE CHAIRMAN OF MACQUARIE BANK IS IN DEMAND AT THE BIG END OF TOWN AS WELL AS ALL OVER AUSTRALIA. However, the day before speaking with BusinessTimes, he takes the train to Dandenong to speak with volunteers and staff at the citizens’ advice bureau. Going there must be like time travelling; it is the town where he lived with his parents and went to primary school. His father, a pharmacist, wanted the best for his son so when primary school ended, the young McKeon was enrolled at Melbourne Grammar, catching the train each day out of his working class home suburb to the solid and traditional surrounds of one of the nation’s top-rated public schools. “It was a fantastic contrast, really,” McKeon recalls from the 23rd floor meeting room of 101 Collins St, Macquarie’s Melbourne headquarters. “I had kick-arse school days.” His father eventually sold the Dandenong pharmacy and moved to one of Melbourne’s more leafier inner suburbs. But a taste for public transport stayed with McKeon (“It’s where I can get my thoughts together”), who has homes at McCrae on the Mornington Peninsula and at Brighton and regularly catches the train from Sandringham or Frankston to the city. The ride is a bit of a leveller and, at the time of the 2010 state election, it taught him a lesson. He was sure the John Brumby-led Labor government would get back in. The Liberal-led coalition with Ted Baillieu at the helm seemed too far out in the polls to catch up. History shows Baillieu was duly installed as the state’s 46th premier. Among the “train chatter” overheard by McKeon in the lead up to that election were repeated statements to the
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Melbourne city at his feet ... Simon McKeon, board chairman, world class yachtsman and 2011 Australian of the Year.
effect that “I’ve had enough” with the Brumby government. And Frankston, as voting history shows, had a dramatic effect on the outcome of the election. The rail line passes through several Labor-held seats in the Sandbelt area, which fell to the Liberals, including that of Frankston, claimed by the then Liberal Geoff Shaw. Shaw eventually went off on his own tangent, resigning from the parliamentary Liberal party (just hours before Baillieu stepped down as premier to be replaced by Denis Napthine) and, by holding the balance of power when it came to voting in the House, becoming a thorn in the side of the government. With just under four weeks to go before the 29 November election McKeon is yet to tune into the latest train chatter, although the polls suggest (justifiably as it turns out) that Napthine’s government is about to be thrown out after just one term. He feels “sorry” for state Liberal MPs who might suffer electorally “at the end of the first year of a very right wing federal government”. “They have no control over the federal timetable, which may be a very defining factor”. This digresses a bit from the story of McKeon’s rise to the top, but I suspect that’s the fate of many conversations from a room with a bird’s eye view over much of Melbourne, including south to the botanic gardens, Shrine and concert hall spire. In fact, talk bounces between McKeon’s chairmanship of 14 the CSIRO and his physical closeness to samples of
December-January 2014-15 | Frankston / Mornington Peninsula / Dandenong BusinessTimes | 13
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COVER STORY: simon mcKeon
the Ebola virus at the highly quarantined Australian Animal Health Laboratory at Geelong; to his early contacts with the research organisation. We eventually get back to the Dandenong citizens’ advice bureau, which McKeon sees as being at the coalface of people with a need. The bureau receives 10,000 calls a year and is coordinated by paid people backed up by volunteers. Earlier in the same week that he spoke at the bureau McKeon was in Canberra where, for two nights running, he dined with Prime Minister Tony Abbott. He took the third night in the capital off to go to the cinema. The first dinner – McKeon was one of four or five at Abbott’s table – involved McKeon’s work on the Labor-inspired Strategic Review of Health and Medical Research report which, since its election, has led to the Coalition being embroiled in an argument about its recommended introduction of a co-payment for medical visits. The money raised by the proposed co-payment would go towards the medical research future fund. Abbott used the dinner of the Association of Australian Medical Research Institutes to urge researchers to lobby senators to back the proposed $7 GP co-payment. “I have to listen to both sides,” McKeon says, adding that “nothing is perfect, but we’re a lot better off than others”. “My view, as an investment banker, is to resolve [the issue] and move on.” Resolution, he adds, may involve enlarging the number of people who don’t have to pay after a specified number of visits. The second night, although “close to Abbott”, McKeon was one of 429 at a Business Council of Australia dinner. “Although we did have a very good conversation about Ebola.” Which brings McKeon back to his visit the previous year to the “totally isolated and insulated” five-storey CSIRO research centre at Geelong, “the only place you’ll find Ebola in this part of the world”. McKeon says research into the deadly virus “is now in high gear – the Hendra virus was found in record time thanks to work at Geelong – no one else in the world was interested”. McKeon sees himself as “incredibly lucky” to head the CSIRO, an organisation he’d heard about as a child because it is where an uncle worked. His next contact came in the early 1990s when he approached the CSIRO to find a resin suitable for laying-up carbon fibre for an
attempt on the world sailing speed record. Luckily, the Commonwealth Aircraft Corporation (now Boeing) factory at Port Melbourne was also interested in using the lightweight carbon fibre to make aircraft “and we gave the CSIRO a reason to test it”. McKeon acknowledges that he and his team were “their guinea pigs”. “The boat fell apart and there were some injuries, but it was better than losing a plane.” McKeon and his sailing partner Tim Daddo eventually set the world record (86.16 kph), which remained unbeaten for 11 years. In the four years as CSIRO chairman McKeon has overseen the organisation shedding 1000 jobs – 20 per cent of its workforce. The $111 million cut to the organisation’s budget over four years in the government’s May budget controversially includes a number of researchers at the Geelong laboratory. “It’s been a tough period – budget cuts over four years – to find efficiency dividends. It started under Labor and accelerated under the Coalition.” McKeon admits it has been one of his “toughest exercises” but, with “some retrenchments” still to come next year, says “the worst is over”. The year was also notable for the appointment of Dr Larry Marshall as CEO of CSIRO. McKeon is certain Marshall – who takes over in 2015 after being “incredibly successful” working in Silicon Valley – will be a “fabulous” CEO. The chairmanship of the CSIRO is a non-renewable five-year appointment. Avoiding a direct answer when asked if he would like to stay on, McKeon merely comments: “Very few in the private sector understand this rule.” “The organisation is a scientific enabler … I don’t have a PhD [he has a Bachelor of Commerce and Bachelor of Law from the University of Melbourne in the mid-1970s], but I’ve always made it plain that I have the biggest regard for science. “As a nation we under-invest in research and development. The rest of the world often leaves us behind in accepting return for innovation. We have pockets of brilliance, but we’re very wary of investing in innovation.” McKeon lists his “main paid roles” as chairman of the CSIRO, chairman of AMP and chairman of Macquarie in Melbourne. His unpaid roles are extensive, ranging from World Vision and MS Australia to
14 | BusinessTimes Frankston / Mornington Peninsula / Dandenong | December-January 2014-15
Poverty Project Australia and red Dust Role Models to the Melbourne edition of The Big Issue and as ambassador for National Disability Services (Victoria). He was appointed to the AMP role earlier this year after being approached by a recruitment firm (“headhunters”). “They’re always on the look out to fill board positions. I’ve had a number of approaches over the years but will never take on more than four or five [board roles].” McKeon enjoys participating in not-forprofits, whether they are providing overseas aid or health and medical research. In January 2011 he was named Australian of the Year and made 250 speeches in 12 months. Many of the speeches, like the one to the Dandenong advice bureau, were made to volunteer service and community groups. “They were tailored to each group,” McKeon says about content and topics. “I ask for a topic and try to make it relevant to each organisation.” He gets “a good feeling” from these talks and helping not-for-profits. “When you’re committed to a community space, without being arrogant, you’re making a difference. “You will not be the best manager you might be unless you are connected to common garden variety Australians, that’s why I keep catching the train.” McKeon self deprecatingly describes himself as “a really average person” who focuses on “trying to be part of really good groups in business and not-for-profits – the secret is to be with very good groups”. He formed one such group when asked by the Howard government to supervise a management and development plan for the Point Nepean National Park. Amid public protest McKeon forged ahead for the park to include, in a seemingly ever-changing plan, luxury accommodation, respite for families with disabled children, cafes, shows, a national maritime education centre and an Aboriginal interpretive centre. That all came unstuck with the election of the federal Labor government led by Kevin Rudd which, unlike its Liberal predecessor, handed the park over to Victoria unencumbered by a management plan. But, as with many political issues, Point Nepean is back on the public agenda with the Coalition state government leasing part of the park for a private developer to build a “$100 million resort” based around a thermal spa and luxury hotel. McKeon says he has not
‘You will not be the best manager you might be unless you are connected to common garden variety Australians, that’s why I keep catching the train.’
had any contact with proposer Richard Shelmerdine, who heads the Point Leisure group, “but I know he wants to get together [with me] to compare notes”. (The incoming Labor government has signalled it will “have a look” at the lease.) Elsewhere on the peninsula McKeon is leading a consortium to build a chairlift - Skylift - up Arthurs Seat. The proposal includes all-weather gondolas and will replace the 50-year-old two-seater chairlift first closed early in 2003 and then, finally, in 2006 following a series of equipment failures. McKeon’s consortium won the bidding for a new chairlift with a $16 million plan but then encountered opposition to a terminal being built at the summit. The outcome of a hearing by Victorian Civil Administrative Appeals tribunal (VCAT) in November against the permit issued by Mornington Peninsula Shire is unlikely to be known until early 2015. McKeon says the need for the larger, more complex, chairlift was pushed by Parks Victoria. “Parks said the new lift would be different
to the old one, with shelter and able to take wheelchairs.” The criteria of the lease meant that the Skyway would cost four times more than a conventional chairlift and, he adds, from a profit point of view “it would be better to invest in BHP”. Named Australian of the Year by then Prime Minister Julia Gillard in 2011, McKeon said the experience had provided “an amazing opportunity to spend a year with a giant megaphone permanently attached to my mouth” and promote causes close to his heart. In March 2012 McKeon told this reporter the year’s highlights had been “generally away from the big events and capital cities … where I met the thousands of Australians who work in the engine room of our great non-for profit sector”. An example was taking his youngest son Sam to the Aboriginal community of Areyonga, a six-hour drive west of Alice Springs, through the Red Dust Role Models program (McKeon is a director of the organisation). Along for the ride were Geelong
footballers Jimmy Bartels and Tom Lonegan. McKeon’s “chauffer” was Essendon coach, James Hird. “There is obviously an intoxicating experience to it [being Australian of the Year]. One receives many A-list invitations. I think there were times when I did allow my head to swell a little – but I hope these were fleeting and, in particular, I hope that they didn’t take me away from the important causes that needed promotion.” McKeon was made an officer of the Order of Australia (OAM) in June 2012. Back on the 23rd floor of 101 Collins St, McKeon muses that the “The only thing I do by myself is sail.” Then, gazing out across the expanse of Melbourne towards the bay, he adds that his A-class catamaran has been in mothballs at McCrae Yacht Club since February when he won a warm-up to the New Zealand nationals and then came second in the over-55s (Great Grand Masters) world championships. “I was very pleased with myself.”
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December-January 2014-15 | Frankston / Mornington Peninsula / Dandenong BusinessTimes | 15
hospices de beaune wine auction
The Oscars of wine selling
Stephen Liney* Wine and food consultant
a better expression, and ending with the grand crus. If you’re wise and you know something about Burgundy wine, then you choose the wines you wish to taste and, if you intend to make it to the end of the day, spit out the wine after swirling it in your mouth. These are wines that have just been put into the barrels and are far from the finished product. They are very young, so have high tannins (dryness) and high acidity (pucker) and only a true professional would be able to guess how marvellous these wines will turn out. Next meeting point was the Hotel le Cep, a two-minute walk from the Hospices auction room for the pre-lunch aperitif.
The reception room was privatised by Bichot and we were served the wine house’s famous “crémant de Bourgogne rosé” or sparkling rosé wine along with an array of delicious canapés. Alberic Bichot, president of the Bichot wine house, admitted to a small amount of stress. Being responsible for the bidding for a dozen clients, who are determined to secure their barrel without paying over-inflated prices seems to me like a pretty stressful captain’s role. In a corner of the room, international wine merchants were comparing notes on the quality of the barrel-tasted wines and eventual bidding prices. Alberic Bichot was being interviewed by the press…an electric atmosphere was building…the importance of the event was becoming even more apparent. Crowds had gathered outside
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An invitation to attend a full-day celebration of the oldest and most prestigious wine auction in the world is like a lottery win. It’s the third Sunday in November and on a mild but wet day, I head from my home in Dijon to the beautiful small city of Beaune for the most important day in the wine calendar year in Burgundy: the 154th annual Hospices de Beaune wine auction. The Hospices was built as a hospital for the sick and needy in 1443 by Nicolas Rolin, chancellor of Burgundy. The wine auction first started in 1851, when wealthy benefactors donated vineyards to the hospital that is now a non-profit organisation owning 150 acres of prime Burgundy premier and grand crus. When I was officially invited by the famous Bichot wine house (established in 1831 and the biggest buyer at the auction), my first reaction was that this was like being invited to the wine world’s equivalent of the Oscars. Entry invitations are like gold – or a bottle of the famous Romanée Conti – to use a more appropriate aphorism. But even better than an entry ticket to the auction, which in itself is the highlight of the day, I spent the best part of 10 hours, living the life of a potential buyer thanks to the Bichot wine house and its Hospices auction playmaker, Jean-David Camus. Pre-auction barrel tasting of the 47 “cuvées” (or wines) started at 8.30 am in the “cuverie” (winery) where dozens of potential buyers slalomed their way through the labyrinth of barrels starting with the lower appellations, for want of
16 | BusinessTimes Frankston / Mornington Peninsula / Dandenong | December-January 2014-15
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the hotel to catch a glimpse of the colossal world judo champion and Olympic gold medallist Teddy Riner, a guest at the auction. Lunch was next to the hotel at the restaurant L’Oiseau des Vignes, from the famous Bernard L’Oiseau chain of gourmet restaurants. Delicious dishes were paired with the Bichot house’s flagship wines including le Chablis Grand Cru “Moutonne” 2007, a Beaune 1er cru 2008 and to finish a Grand Echezeaux Grand Cru 2001. Needless to say, no one spat. At 2.30pm the covered antiques market, which serves as the auction hall opposite the Hospices, opened its doors to the “who’s who” of the Burgundy wine trade. Bidders mixed with local dignitaries and famous wine houses. Familiar faces included Frédéric Drouhin, Louis-Fabrice Latour, the Boisset and Picard families and of course Alberic Bichot, accompanied by their illustrious guests, took to their seats near the front of the auction. In typical French tradition, the auction started 30 minutes late, when the Christies auctioneer dropped the hammer for the first time. Up on the auctioneer’s platform stood celebrity guests representing charities and adding extra charm to the event. The celebrities were TV personality, Michel Drucker, ex-model and TV personality, Adriana Karembeu and Teddy Riner. Christies managed to mix in some grand crus bidding early on, which guarantees some excitement, especially when after selling the first barrels for around €7000 ($10,200) a shot, the first grand cru Clos de la Roche reached a staggering €70,000 ($102,000). The true highlight is the auctioning of the President’s barrel, for which the proceeds go to two different charities. This year they were the Foundation Imagine, which diagnoses genetic illnesses and the association “tous à l’école” (everyone at school), which provides a school and education for underprivileged girls in Cambodia. The President’s barrel was a grand cru (the highest appellation) Corton Bressandes pinot noir. Excitement built 21
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Opposite page: The wine auction at Beaune gets underway. Above left: Tasting glass. Above right: A place at the table for M. Liney.
December-January 2014-15 | Frankston / Mornington Peninsula / Dandenong BusinessTimes | 17
health
A hijacked pagan festival A half century of Christmas days has taught me many things. One is that the quality of conversation over family lunch boils down to the number of extroverts at the table and the temperature in the kitchen. Everyone gets so swept up in the rush of Christmas preparations that by the time the hot and bothered sit down to eat and relax, the conversation is already mired in irritations and trivialities. So last year, as a contingency measure, I went online to research a topic on which I expected all family members would be versed: Christmas itself. My resultant QI lunch quiz was a bit of fun – with a points system as suitably unfathomable as Stephen Fry’s – but revealed not how much we all understood but how little. Of course we’re familiar with the Christian fable of the immaculate conception, but none of us had stopped to wonder much about the origins and relevance of the other Christmas phenomena – Santa, reindeer, open sleighs, chimneys, puddings, carol singing, card sending, and so on. And let me tell you, it took only a few minutes of Googling to confirm that this “tradition” is a cross-cultural hotchpotch. The first thing to understand about Christmas is that it is a pagan festival hijacked by the Roman Catholic church in about the 4th Century. Over the years it became muddled with Scandinavian and Germanic legends, took on some British flavour and then of course escalated to new heights courtesy of the gods of capitalism. Long lost – in a place like Australia – is any appreciation of the “primitive” impulse to celebrate at this time of year. Most – probably all – ancient cultures, reliant as they were on the natural rhythms of the land, marked the winter solstice with fertility rituals surrounding the renewal of life. In the northern hemisphere the solstice is on 21 December and festivals naturally revolved around this date. The solstice, the shortest day, marks in nature the most “yin” time, the turning point in the cycle of death becoming new life. Among the pagans of ancient Rome, Saturnalia was a week-long festival during which the city suspended its laws. It involved much feasting, drunkenness, and sexual indulgence and, at the end, a human sacrifice (of an
Michael Ellis*
Chinese Herbalist
For most of us, Christmas is a noisy, neon-lit rush. Summer is kicking in, the days are long, work pressure increases, our food and alcohol intake multiplies, shopping is frenetic… it’s all heat, all activity.
unpopular person, as an offering to any gods offended by the proceedings). Of course the Catholic church, trying to convince a pagan population to eschew such earthly pleasures in return for eternal bliss in the afterlife, could not compete. No-one was buying what it was selling. Eventually it adopted a pragmatic position. “OK you ignorant pagans, confess your sins, praise God, serve the church and obey its officials, and get your reward in the next life – and in return we’ll throw in Saturnalia. Yes, that’s right, you can keep your debauched holiday. Deal? OK but wait, there’s one catch.
18 | BusinessTimes Frankston / Mornington Peninsula / Dandenong | December-January 2014-15
We want you to sober up for the last day – 25 December – and we’ll call it the birthday of Jesus. Look, this whole thing is about rebirth, so what the hell?” What a deal! This was the greatest win-win in the history of mankind. Enjoy all these pleasures – at least for a week – and still get your ticket to heaven. So the church got its converts and the boozing and feasting went on (although the church did put a brake on people bursting into houses naked while singing drunken songs, the Saturnalia origin of carolling). Since then, the customs of Christmas have had many influences, especially Germanic (flying reindeer, trees in houses), English (puddings, Christmas cards) and American (Santa’s image). If you’re interested, Google is your friend. And of course it eventually took on the redeeming influences of Christianity: the emphasis on goodwill, unselfish giving, family reunion and “peace on earth”. In our culture, however, at this time of year, we are not so much peaceful as manic. For most of us, Christmas is a noisy, neon-lit rush. Summer is kicking in, the days are long, work pressure increases, our food and alcohol intake multiplies, shopping is frenetic… it’s all heat, all activity. Too much “yang” energy, the Chinese sages would say – and unlike in the northern hemisphere, it’s being expended at the most yang time of year, the summer solstice. No wonder we feel hot and bothered over lunch. And burnt out when it’s all over. It is quite incongruous to be celebrating new life – the return of the light – in Australia in December. But does it matter that we adopt customs and beliefs of varying coherence from the northern hemisphere and observe them here, rather than to align ourselves with the rhythms of our world? Does it matter to the health and wellbeing of modern educated human beings that we are so permanently out of sync? The ancient sages of China would have answered yes. All this can be quite damaging to our psyches. But hey, lighten up Michael! Christmas is just a holiday, a nod to Christianity and a piss-up, right? Has been right from the start. Merry Christmas. *Michael Ellis is a registered Chinese herbalist in Mt Eliza. Visit www.mtelizaherbal.com
MARKETS
For decades China has needed materials for its modernisation – steel, copper, nickel, lead and zinc. This phase is slowing as high debt, excessive construction and duplication reveal the hollows in demand. One in five housing units is empty and it is a toss-up whether air or water quality is worse. Contrary to the comforting assumption that China plans for the long term, much recent investment was rushed, poorly planned and now unused. The centrepiece of its social policy is urbanisation, but rather than using rigid Soviet style planning, Beijing has offered guidelines and directions rather than detailed prescriptions. Satisfaction of GDP targets was more important than the specifics or quality of investment which explains the duplication and over-capacity in almost all industries. As the retiring Premier Wen said last year:“China’s economy is un-coordinated, unbalanced and unsustainable.” There are rules and regulations, but since they are often policed by the same authorities evasion is common. If the chairman is both party chief and the largest shareholder, it’s not hard to guess whose interests come first. There are outstanding successes like China’s adaptation of France’s fast rail, but also spectacular failures like the deforestation of the river catchments, new cities that lack rationale or people, development before services, over-extraction of ground water and abuse of the rivers and lakes. The Three Gorges Dam is an engineering triumph, but the engineers were allowed to overrule the physical scientists who foresaw
Richard Campbell* Stock Analyst
There are outstanding successes like China’s adaptation of France’s fast rail, but also spectacular failures like the deforestation of the river catchments, new cities that lack rationale or people, development before services... what would happen when floods swept down from denuded hills. Silt would gather upstream of the dam ensuring that the capacity of this national icon would steadily shrink. Less capacity means less flood control and also in less hydro power. A recent study reported that 16% of China’s soils are polluted and 2-3% unusable. Half the rivers are rated “poor” and 20% severely degraded. In the north about half the ground water is too contaminated to drink. There are hundreds of “cancer villages” and even “cadmium villages” where pig litters are born headless. There are no cranes, fish or fisherman where rivers run pink. The relevance of all this to us is that China is changing. The free-for-all is nearly over.
* Richard Campbell is Executive Director of Peninsula Capital Management, Tel. 9642 0545. rcampbell@peninsulacapital.com.au
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China: opportunities in the aftermath
Last year nearly 3000 officials were shot for “economic crimes” ranging from plain embezzlement to fraud and food adulteration. Air, water and soil will take years to remediate, but as abuse slows and the clean-up phase begins new opportunities are arising. The Ministries of Land, Environment and Water Resources have dared to present the unpalatable facts and start the long process of remediation. This offers investors new opportunities. Much of our food industry is now in foreign hands but some new listings offer promise. Bellamy’s Australia markets organic milk products, with sales largely local, but expanding rapidly in China. When imported infant formula and long life milk sell at six or seven times the Australian price, there is clearly an almost desperate demand. Huon Aquaculture’s 25-year history makes it a experienced fish farmer with rising profits and growing capacity to export. Select Harvests is also riding the clean food wave. It is one of the world’s largest almond producers at a time when California’s crop is constrained by a 14-year drought. In water technology the solitary choice is CleanTeQ. It is preparing to tackle China’s pollution head on in joint venture with a water engineering research Institute controlled by the powerful China Three Gorges Dam Corporation, the Ministry of Water and the Shanghai city government which like Beijing has grown beyond it water resources. CleanTeQ’s system can select nitrates, salts and toxic metals from factory, farm and refinery discharges and return clean water to the land.
0408 598 767 tony@tpgd.com.au www.tpgd.com.au
December-January 2014-15| Frankston / Mornington Peninsula / Dandenong BusinessTimes | 19
proudly frankston long lazy lunch
Drinks in the betting ring before lunch are Carolyn Heale, Grahame Gordon , of the Proudly Frankston Committee, and Raffaela Del Matrto.
Humming along ... Alan and Clint Comelli, owners of Hummer Limousines. A ride in the Hummer was one of the raffle prizes on the day.
Commercial real estate firm Nichols Crowder was well represented. From left are Michael Crowder, Graham and Linda Ellis and Trish Panoff.
Michael Crowder with staff member Josh Monks with partner Alicia Freeman and Michael’s wife Lisa.
Mainline Development partners Daryl Henwood and Tony Fly.
Lynda and Phil Jones of Frankston International. Phil helps Proudly Frankston and hosts regular meetings of the group.
A sell-out crowd of 500 was entertained by international jazz star James Morrison and two Frankston High School showbands at Proudly Frankston’s second annual Long Lazy Lunch on 16 November. Uncertain weather prompted organisers to shift the function from Frankston Oval to Mornington Racing Club’s Gunnamatta Room. The capacity audience enjoyed a lunch prepared by Mornington Peninsula company Wise Choice and wines from peninsula suppliers. Proudly Frankston president Alan Wickes said profits from the day would be spread among Frankston charitable organisations. He said Proudly Frankston’s aim was to encourage citizens to feel better about their community.
Andrew Easton with Chris Thogay, general manager of Mercedes Benz, Mornington.
Soloist Sophie Tversky with international jazz star James Morrison. Sophie, a former Frankston High School student, was a hit with the audience again this year.
Frankston High School Stage Band with conductor Leon de Bruin, second from left, and James Morrison.
A toast among friends ... Ann Munns, Sharon Sayers and Gill Gordon.
20 | BusinessTimes Frankston / Mornington Peninsula / Dandenong |December-January 2014-15
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MANAGING
Creating your business culture Every business will develop its unique culture based on an amalgam of its shared values, beliefs, systems and behaviours. The leader has the greatest opportunity to shape this culture towards wat will help them achieve their goals and aspirations. But, how much time and effort is required to do this compared to just getting the business to run and grow? When entrepreneurs build their initial business plan, they are usually focused on developing their product or service proposition, together with their financial aspects and goals. The development of an optimum culture is often overlooked as something to do later, when, in reality, it is probably the most important aspect for long-term success. An initial business plan should encompass the aspects that will define your culture: vision, values, strategies, competitive advantage and definition of your ideal state together with a list of behaviours that will not be acceptable. The first step towards implementation of your culture plan is taken when you decide to hire your first team member. Normally, you will be seeking specific hard skills like technical training, job knowledge and experience. Of course, these hard skills are important, but it is the soft skills and personality that will contribute most to the formation of your business culture. Choosing the right people during this early stage is absolutely critical and early hiring decisions should not be rushed or made on first impressions. The more diligent you are in this process, the more likely you are to develop the right culture and achieve optimum results. Remember that new hires bring a lot more than their specific hard skills; they also bring all of their experiences – good and bad – as well as their prejudices and learned behaviours that will shape their future behaviour. Naturally, most job candidates work to make themselves as attractive as possible during the hiring process, but many struggle to tell the truth and the whole truth. Embellishments are often made to their contributions to prior results and it can be very difficult to get a straight read on their actual capability. With today’s social media, you can be more effective in doing your research to develop a clearer idea of their true behaviour and past experiences. Use social media to check their history, attitudes and behaviours.
Hamish Petrie*
Business consultant
With today’s social media, you can be more effective in doing your research to develop a clearer idea of their true behaviour and past experiences. It is also well worth taking time to talk to some people outside their provided references to get wider confirmation of their fit with your culture. Despite being very cautious in your hiring decisions, there is still a reasonable chance that you will make an error and hire someone who really does not fit with your desired culture. When this occurs, it is best to face the issue as early as possible and make whatever tough decisions are required so that your whole team can move forward. Compensation design is a key issue during this start up phase as it represents a substantial risk for both the business and new hires. It is always tempting to move more of the compensation to long-term alternatives based on profit sharing, stock options or actual stock. While these can help to build an ownership mentality and can sometimes bring bonanza results, more often that not, they bring results that can frustrate everyone and are negative to the culture. Staging the compensation design through the first year can be effective, so that you have the opportunity to understand an individual’s contribution before adding in long-term rewards. Recognition is an important aspect of successful cultures and effective leaders will go out of their way, both privately and publicly, to show appreciation to their people who help to achieve difficult results. As your team grows, diversity becomes a substantial issue so it is important to integrate your diversity strategy into your initial hiring plans. While there are a few businesses that
22 | BusinessTimes Frankston / Mornington Peninsula / Dandenong | December-January 2014-15
can justify operating with a monoculture of people with similar backgrounds and experience, nearly all businesses with perform better with people of diverse backgrounds and experiences. All businesses encounter operating problems and the way that you and your people handle them has a huge influence on the culture. Ideally, you encourage the early identification of problems, reward the people who find them, and challenge them to be part of the problem solving process. If you shoot the messenger who brings the problem to you, then you are likely to get people who will suppress problems until they are so big that they will do real damage. Toyota was an early developer of the strategy to encourage workers to identify problems that prevented them from following their standard work processes, as they saw these as learning opportunities, provided that they could solve the problem at its root cause. Team cultures require blurred lines of responsibility where team members look for problem solving ideas from everybody in the team. In team cultures, no one is precious about their job or title as long as the team is winning. Creating your ideal business culture takes considerable time and focus by the business leader, but when it is done well, it will be scalable and grow and adapt with the business as it evolves towards its ideal state. Action Planning Questions: 1. Does your business plan include an analysis of the soft skills needed to develop your ideal culture? 2. Have you designed a long-term compensation plan that can be progressively introduced once you are confident of individual contributions? 3. Is your diversity strategy integrated into your hiring plans as your business grows? 4. Have you reflected on your problem solving experiences to ensure that you are building a culture that learns from every problem? 5. If your business is established, have you reassessed your culture and identified actions that will help move it towards your ideal culture? *Hamish Petrie had a 37-year corporate career including 25 with Alcoa Inc. His latest position was VP People and Communications for the Global Alcoa Corporation based in New York. He can be contacted at hamish@nitroworld.net or on 0404345103. © Hamish Petrie 2014
hospices de beaune
s s
17 quickly as the barrel bid went from €2000 to €110,000 in three minutes. Each celebrity worked their hardest to woo the crowds and increase the bids, from promises of dinner with François Holland (boos) or Brad Pitt (cheers), Adriana offered her diamond-studded glasses to the bidder who topped €200,000 and an intimate dinner if it made €300,000 and Teddy Riner promised a private judo lesson with physiotherapist thrown in…literally. Five minutes later Alberic Bichot promised the €200,000 amid applause and was offered the diamond-studded glasses by the beautiful Adriana. He braved the flashing cameras and tried not to look too embarrassed when trying them on. But bidding wasn’t finished and Alberic finally bid €220,000 to secure the barrel for Canadian clients. At 8.08 pm the total bids for the afternoon passed the €7 million and the hammer resounded in the hall for the last time at 8.11 pm. The final total had reached €7,347,242, an increase of 5.52% on 2013. The white wines (chardonnays) although only representing about a fifth of the wine sold, showed the highest gains of 14.08% whereas the pinot noirs showed a more modest 3.34%. This proves once again the quality of chardonnays made in Burgundy and the excitement that surrounds them. Those auctioned undoubtedly represented some of the finest chardonnays in the world.
the first female winemaker at the Hospices. It’s my turn to thank Alberic Bichot and Jean-David Camus for making this a remarkable day for me, too. *Stephen Liney is a food & wine consultant based in Burgundy, specialising in Burgundy, Rhone & Provence wines, brand marketing, wine tourism and international export. Read Stephen’s blogs and articles at www.burgundybeyond.com
The
Mornington
Mornington
ART Exhibition
This proves once again the quality of chardonnays made in Burgundy and the excitement that surrounds them.
Sat 17 – Mon 26 Jan 2015 Open daily 10am – 6pm
This year’s auction proved that the average selling price remains fairly reasonable. The Burgundy wine markets needs quantity and quality. The former has been lacking due to difficult weather conditions in the past four years. The latter, fortunately, is still in abundance. There is still some way to go before the Burgundy estates can feel comfortable about the future of their prestigious yet fragile wine region because they have suffered considerably from four years of hailstorms, but the 2014 vintage has hopefully just started to put this right. So as the “three glorious days” festivities (les trois glorieueses) in Beaune bid “farewell” to the 2014 Burgundy wine season, it’s also time to say “goodbye and thank you” to Roland Masse as the head winemaker of the Hospices for producing some exquisite wines over the past 15 years and to say “welcome and bonne chance” to the young and highly talented winemaker Ludivine Griveau, who will be
PeninSula COMMunity theatre Cnr nepean hwy & Wilsons rd, Mornington
Town Planning
Showcase Opening Night Friday 16th January from 6.30pm
Urban Design Landscape Design WATSONS ARE LEADERS IN THE CREATION OF INNOVATIVE, QUALITY LIVING ENVIRONMENTS IN VICTORIA
Opening night tickets at: www.morningtonartshow.com.au or Farrell’s Bookshop, Cnr Main & Barkly Streets, Mornington
Since 1946 Watsons Pty Ltd has served the development industry throughout Victoria consulting on land-related issues and estates in the urban growth corridors and regional Victoria, with a historical emphasis on the Mornington Peninsula. Combining Town Planning, Land Surveying, Civil Engineering, Urban Design, Landscape Design and Project Management skills and experience allows us to take great pride in delivering to our clients a distinct market advantage. Watsons turns challenges and complexities into solutions producing high quality returns and products for our clients.
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The Urban Development Industry of Australia has recognised four of Watsons residential developments with environmental and urban design awards for excellence. Watsons is presently designing and managing a number of prestigious Victorian land projects including Martha Cove at Safety Beach.
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December-January 2014-15 | Frankston / Mornington Peninsula / Dandenong BusinessTimes | 23
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