Toowoomba Chamber of Commerce - Board and president


Toowoomba Chamber of Commerce Inc
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President and Board

EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE

NAME	EMAIL
President - Shane Charles	shane@condoncharles.com.au
(see President's Message below)
Vice President - Geoff McDonald	geoff@crackerpp.com
Secretary / Treasurer - Adrienne Leonard	adrienne.leonard@dingleco.com.au

DIRECTORS

Past President - Rod Scott	rods@rjscott.com.au
Vikki Seekamp	vseekamp@eldersre.com.au
Scott Playle	scottp@thechronicle.com.au
Marcus Osborne	osborne.m@hbs.net.au
Melissa Taylor	melissat@chessmoving.com.au
Mark Adamson	email to come
Joe Stark	email to come
Jeremy Townend	email to come
Col Watson	email to come

Mouseover photo for board member names

The 2008 - 2009 Chamber board was announced following the organisation’s Annual General Meeting on 14 October. Managing Partner of Condon Charles Lawyers, Shane Charles, continues in his role as President and he is joined by ten Board Members. The four new members are: Mark Adamson, Chief Operating Officer, McNab; Joe Stark, Group General Manager, Craig Black Group of Companies; Jeremy Townend, Managing Partner, NAB; and Col Watson, Chief Operations Officer, Easternwell Group.

Six former Board Members were re-elected and they are: Adrienne Leonard, (Chair Future Leaders) Graduate Accountant, DC Accounting; Geoff McDonald, Company Manager, Cracker Print and Paper; Marcus Osborne, Manager Advertising and Promotions, Heritage Building Society; Scott Playle, Sales and Marketing Manager, Toowoomba Newspapers; Vikki Seekamp, Owner, Elders Real Estate; and Melissa Taylor, General Manager, Taylors Removals and Storage.

The new Board held its first meeting on Monday 20 October and agreed to appoint Professor Allan Layton, Dean of the Faculty of Business at the University of Southern Queensland as a Special Business Delegate to the Board.

President's Report - AGM October 2008

President Shane Charles presented his 2007 /2008 Report at the October Annual General Meeting.

The end of the world - or is it?

Shane Charles president's message - at the 28 November breakfast
It's still all happening this month, the world is coming to an end due to the Global Financial Crisis, or is it? The front page of the Courier mail yesterday gave us the headline "D Day - The impact of the global financial crisis has grown from a trickle to a flood. It is now sweeping across the world". The crisis is certainly having an effect but how much is media coverage contributing to a pessimistic sentiment? I am certainly no expert in the area and nor do I pretend to be. There is obviously some pain to be experienced, but does it depend on which industry you are in? If you were in the car industry I would imagine that you would say that the crisis has had a huge impact.
The Chamber of Commerce and Industry Queensland (CCIQ) business confidence survey that was released a couple of days ago gave the following key findings:

The largest issue for business at present is not the availability of credit and is instead the devastating impact that the GFC is having on consumer and business confidence and accordingly their willingness to spend;
One in four businesses has experienced a major to critical impact from the GFC with a commensurate downturn in their sales revenue.
Fortunately despite the significant impact on sales the majority of Queensland businesses are currently reporting no impact yet on their employment levels. However 42% of businesses regard as likely the need to lay off staff over the next six months as a consequence of the GFC.
In looking forward there exists a real perception that things will get worse before they improve particularly from the March quarter 2009 onwards. Two thirds of Queensland businesses believe that their growth prospects over the next six months will be weaker in light of the GFC.

The survey conducted in the last few weeks by this Chamber revealed that by far the majority of our members anticipate:

No reduction in turnover
No change in the number of full time employees
No change in staff turnover
43% of respondents anticipated that their profitability would decrease. Correspondingly 57% thought that there would be no change or an increase in profitability.

In speaking with many of our members and the business community at large, there is a sense of optimism that Toowoomba is a little isolated from all of this. Talking to some valuers and real estate agents, there is a sense that the housing market is immune from some of the difficulties experienced by our capital centres, largely because we are one of the most affordable places to live in Australia. Are we immune from the GCF - I am not sure. There is a perception that a large proportion of thought that the Financial Crisis although a significant problem for the world economy is being exacerbated by media reporting.
However, I think it is fair to say that the impact of the GFC really depends on the level of your business and the industry you are in. In my role as a lawyer, I have seen a few deals fall over due largely to the uncertainty of times. However, I also have clients who foresaw what was about to happen and sold off a number of surplus assets so that they could take advantage of this time of opportunity.
I was speaking with builders yesterday who feel that they are busier than ever and are having trouble finding staff. Yet, from what I am led to believe over 30 builders on the Sunshine Coast have closed their businesses or been forced into receivership. Kelli McDougall of McDougall Smith, a local recruitment firm advised me that they have seen no reduction in new placements. Similarly they have not noticed any increase yet in the quality or number of applicants. They are hopeful that the impact of the GCF may in fact lure more people to Toowoomba.
What does all this mean? Is the worst yet to come? What does the future hold - I have absolutely no idea - but being the chief economist of NAB - I am sure Spiros has all the answers. I might take this opportunity to plug another event we hope to hold early in the New Year. We hope to have Richard Wood, a local economist who is nationally recognised, look at our region closely and give us some specific detail on how the crisis might impact upon Toowoomba and our surrounds, More importantly, he can provide some tips for not getting caught up in the crisis.
The board of your chamber has chosen to place large emphasis in the next twelve months on economic development. We cannot do this alone and although we have some ideas on how it might be improved, it is something that we need to work in conjunction with the Toowoomba Regional Council. Together we are keen to see a real push for economic development for the region. We have a preliminary meeting with the council within the next few weeks to start the ball rolling on this and no doubt we will be back to you with more information in the months ahead. I might take the opportunity to welcome Jo Molin for those of you that do not know her. Jo is the long awaited Director of Strategic Services at the TRC - Jo has been in town for about 4 weeks and I am sure will add a great deal to the Council.
For those of you who came to the Surat Energy province tour, which incidentally was a great success, you will recall that the Port in Gladstone has been approved and that they expect it will be operational by 2015. This means that the more coal companies will start gearing up in about 2010 so that they can be ready to take advantage of the opening of the port. My concern, which we have discussed with the local council (not that a lot of this is their problem) is that with the State and Federal Governments clearly downgrading surplus expectations as a result of the GCF, that infrastructure will once again be given a low priority.
The federal government has already put aside funds for infrastructure, and you will recall that we are listed as one of the top 12 projects put forward by the Council of Mayors as a priority but it also appears that there will not be funding available for all of those projects on the list. We are also grateful that the State Government has also listed the bypass as a priority as well.
However, the bypass is one of many projects that will require significant funding ¡V others include: a second airport, water infrastructure costs, Charlton Wellcamp Industrial Area, rail networks, City Centre Revitalisation and the list goes on.
Toowoomba is such an exciting place to be at the moment. We have so much potential and I cannot wait to see what we look like in 15-20 years time - there should be good times ahead. However, if we fail to take advantage of the opportunities that are coming our way, by failing to resource appropriate infrastructure, I wonder what our city will look like. Will we move forward, but just at a slower pace, or will we miss out on some opportunities - who knows? We need to continue to put pressure on governments - local, state and federal, but we also cannot be just a squeaky wheel. Rather than just whinge about lack of funding for infrastructure, we need to be coming up with real and practical solutions on how the infrastructure might be funded. We can make this city an even better place to live and work. I cannot do this, the Chamber cannot do it, the Regional Council cannot do it. But together, with assistance from important corporate partners such as the UDIA, the USQ and others we can make a difference to the place we love. We all have the opportunity to work out of town but we are here because we love the lifestyle that Toowoomba offers - and it is up to us to do something about it.
I mentioned the USQ - you will also recall that at our last breakfast we signed a memorandum of Understanding with USQ. We aim to hold our first meeting pursuant to that agreement shortly and we will start the discussion of what projects we intend to work on over the next 12 months. If anyone has suggestions for research or collaboration with the University, please do not hesitate to contact me, or any of the board.
Can I take the opportunity to thank my board members for their work and I will introduce those here today. You will recall that they are all volunteers and put in a tremendous amount of work for the Chamber because they are keen to give something back to the community, and in particular, the business community in Toowoomba. All of you will also know Marlene Halter, our manager at the Chamber and if you need any assistance I encourage you to speak to her. We are also keen to attract new sponsors to the Chamber and I am sure that if you speak with any of our current sponsors you will be informed that you certainly do get value for your brand - if this is something that tickles your fancy, please contact Marlene for more information.
Finally, can I wish you a Merry Christmas for those of you that I will not see again. It is not December yet but the festivities have already started. I am unable to attend the last networking function for the Chamber on 12 December and as such can I thank you for your support over the past 12 months. Your chamber is still going from strength to strength and we are registering up to 20 new members each month. We continue to be the voice for business in our region.
Have a great December, don't be bloody idiots, play like there is no global financial crisis, don't put on too much weight, don't embarrass yourself at the office Christmas party, remember to exercise, play safe, and finally remember to be good otherwise Santa won't come. See you in the New Year.
- Shane Charles

Shane has drafted a Fact Sheet on the pros and cons of Sunday trading for consideration by the business community. Shane has put a good deal of thought into this complex matter and you can download his information here.

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