Designing your own career path
corporate world rather than a small business like ours. When I was younger and working in the corporate field it was pretty standard. It does not generate anything for businesses working on small residential projects.
WHO IS ON YOUR BUSINESS MOBILE’S SPEED DIAL? The people I use for most projects including: Mark Lacy at Hickey Lawyers for all things commercial; Bede Emmett at Planit Consulting for all things town planning on the Gold Coast and Adam Smith at Planit Consulting Kingscliff for NSW; Scott Oakes and Mark Thomas at Coastline Certification for building certification; and Mark Traucnieks for engineering.
IF YOU HAD A $1 MILLION SPARE, WHAT INDUSTRY WOULD YOU BE INVESTING IN NOW? My interests and specialist skills are in building so as a conservative investor I’d probably invest in building a residential project. A million would get me half a smallscale residential project.
WHAT SHOULD GOLD COAST PRIMARY STUDENTS BE STUDYING? The botany of the Tweed Volcano and caldera, which is centred on Mt Warning. If children understood it they would realise what an amazing place they live in, which in turn would give them reason to protect the area.
YOUR BIGGEST FRUSTRATION DOING BUSINESS ON THE GOLD COAST? AND HOW TO FIX IT? The lack of understanding of the value of good design. My hope is that now that we have two architecture degrees at Griffith University and Bond University, the next generation will be more educated regarding design principles. THIS image has nothing to do with the former Star of the Sea convent site in Southport where a multi-tower development is planned.
Rather, the Bulletin’s eagleeyed picture editor spotted this sign in Nha Trang, Vietnam, on the south central coast.
The destination is one of Vietnam’s most popular tourism hubs and boasts beaches, a tropical climate and luxurious resorts and waterparks.
Some travellers have called it a mini-version of our own Gold Coast.
Vietnam getting in on Coast’s act