Boosting our business
Bridging digital divide hot topic at chamber event
A DIGITAL expert based in the city to help small to medium businesses embrace the online space will be a main topic of talks between the State Government and Toowoomba Chamber of Commerce in coming weeks.
Chamber CEO Jo Sheppard said securing a resident digital expert would help business operators implement strategies to boost their operations and therefore bottom lines.
Ms Sheppard said the chamber would hold talks with the relevant State Government ministers in coming weeks following a robust and engaging business breakfast with Deputy Premier Jackie Trad at Picnic Point yesterday.
About 180 business owners and operators took the chance to mingle with 12 government ministers at the chamber event yesterday where nothing was off the table, Ms Sheppard said.
“It was really well engaged, well attended and local businesses really took the opportunity to discuss matters,” she said.
“The deputy premier expressed how impressed she was with Toowoomba as a community with reference to our region’s export capabilities.
“It is so valuable for the business community to engage with so many ministers from cabinet.”
Ensuring local operators secured work on major projects, specifically the Inland Rail build, was a key focus of questions from the floor during a panel session.
Ms Trad was joined by Employment and Small Business Minister Shannon Fentiman and Toowoomba Mayor Paul Antonio on the panel.
“Nexus came up quite a lot because they have been so successful in achieving local content,” Ms Sheppard said.
“There was discussions with the State Government supporting local content and taking learnings from Nexus, the good work that has been done, through to projects going forward like the Inland Rail.”
After a breakfast including locally-grown strawberries in a show of support in the wake of the needle scandal, Ms Fentiman announced four regional businesses had secured $50,000 grants under the Business Growth Fund which will help buy and implement specialised equipment or services.
Lockyer Valley-based businesses R&F Steel Buildings and Petrik Soil Technology, as well as Auspring Industries in the Southern Downs and Condamine’-based Construction Services each received the grants.
“The four local grant recipients are among 14 Queensland (businesses) which will share in almost $700,000 in the latest round of grants,” Ms Fentiman said.