Specialist employment services offered by APM for people with a disability were the focus of the Kingaroy Chamber of Commerce’s June meet’n’greet.

APM is located in the former video store building in the Youngman Street complex near Supercheap Auto.

Guest speakers on the night included APM business manager Jarrod Mewton who explained some new programs APM would be offering to match employers with people with a disability.

More information will be available at the TAFE Careers Market which will be on July 25 at the Kingaroy campus.

Community capacity building team leader Teri Oastler said APM was inviting employers to think about creating a role for employees with a disability, jobs which meet the needs of the employer.

APM also provides post-placement support for both employers and employees.

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Upcoming Events 

• June 19 – KCCI Business Breakfast with the Department of Employment, Small Business and Training – 6:30am at the Commercial Hotel, Kingaroy
• July 19 – Regional Finals of the Queensland Training Awards at the Kingaroy Town Hall
• July 23 – KCCI Meet’n’Greet – hosted by South Burnett CTC at the South Burnett Enterprise Centre

Proudly supported by the Business Queensland, Queensland Department of Employment, Small Business and Training.

Who is this course for?
Micro and small business owners
Based in Queensland
With fewer than 20 (full-time equivalent) employees
Operating for 12 months or more

How is the course delivered?
7 x 90 minute weekly workshops followed by 30 minutes of networking
Onsite delivery locations rotate around Queensland throughout the year
All sessions are fully supported for online delivery so if you are not located near the onsite location, please feel welcome to join online

What will you learn?
How to integrate the principles of strategic management into your business
Develop a customised business plan that is suitable for sourcing funds from banks, investors or used for grant applications
Receive expert panel feedback specific to your business
Network with like-minded business owners and industry experts

Course overview
Week 1: Overview of Small Business Planning
Week 2: Organisation and Industry Analysis
Week 3: Marketing Strategy
Week 4: Business Structures, Operating Plan and Risk Management
Week 5: Succession Planning and Human Resource Strategy
Week 6: Financial Management
Week 7: Communications Skills and Preparing for the Presentation

Get certification and credit
On successful completion, receive a Certificate of Completion and one elective course credit towards the Graduate Certificate in Business Administration at UniSC.

Register or learn more here: www.usc.edu.au/bpc

The business association is urging its members to draft capability statements which the KCCI will share with the contractors and sub-contractors engaged on the upcoming wind farm, battery and solar farm projects.

Progress on various KCCI projects was shared at the group’s latest meet’n’greet which was held in the courtyard behind the Hunter Gatherer Trader café in Kingaroy on Tuesday night.

The café and three adjoining businesses – Resonate Regional Radio (4SB), Kingaroy Accounting and Tax and ATC Engineers & Project Managers – hosted the get-together for local businesspeople.

The KCCI is also collecting data from its members which it plans to collate to use while lobbying Council, State and Federal governments on local issues.

A mini-survey was conducted at the meet’n’greet which found  the majority of businesses present used Telstra as their internet supplier, followed by Optus.

The data collected during this project will enable the KCCI to work out where it can better support its local businesses, and will also be shared with the media.

Another KCCI project is the collection of information for its South Burnett Regional Identity Project.

All South Burnett residents have been invited to fill out an online survey … but it must be completed this week.

The KCCI will be hosting a working group as part of this project to help unearth the “region’s true identity”. This will be held at the Kingaroy Red Ants Clubhouse on Thursday, May 23, from 8:30am to 4:00pm. Bookings can be made online

* * *

Guest speakers at the meet’n’greet included representatives from each of the four host businesses:

• Emma Page and Sally Lynch, from Hunter Gatherer Trader, opened their café in 2020 – in the middle of the pandemic – and in the middle of the Kingaroy Transformation Project. As well as serving coffee, the pair do catering as well as running a boutique stocking local products.
• Peter and Pauline Janz, from Kingaroy Accounting and Tax, have been in Kingaroy for 31 years, initially with Griffin Jones Kingaroy; they bought the business in 2002.
• Resonate Regional Radio operations manager Geoff Speed said 4SB had been part of the Kingaroy community since 1938, but now the building was the hub for 39 transmitter sites and 11 Resonate stations across Queensland, all being operated and programmed from Kingaroy. Advertising manager Deb Gillespie invited the businesses present to record a free, short radio clip as part of the station’s support for Small Business Month.
• Allen Christensen, from ATC Engineers & Project Managers, spoke about the projects that the business has been involved in recently, including the sealing of the Maidenwell-Bunya Mountains Road and the construction of the John Peterson Bridge on Mundubbera-Durong Road.

* * *

Representatives from Kewpie Stockfeeds reminded the audience that the business is planning to hold a Rural Industry Field Day later this month.

The field day will be held from 9:00am to 3:00pm on Thursday, May 23, and will feature about 30 trade displays, presentations, food and drink and competitions.

This is the first field day that Kewpie has held since 2015.

* * *

The next KCCI meet’n’greet will be held on June 10, at a venue to be advised.

The Kingaroy Chamber of Commerce and Industry’s new strategic plan for 2024-25 will tighten the business group’s focus more firmly on to Kingaroy – “the commercial hub of the South Burnett” – and benefits for KCCI members.

The plan, developed by the KCCI Executive and Push Pull Marketing, was released at a meet’n’greet held at the KCCI’s Kingaroy Business Hub on March 26.

Push Pull Marketing’s Sheena Lindholm presented an overview of the document, which has three major themes: “Our Members”, “Development Engagement” and “Business Unity & Identity”.

KCCI president Damien Martoo said the Executive would be reviewing the KCCI’s regular meet’n’greet events to ensure continuous improvement and relevance for members.

The Members theme also sets out a strategy to create a system for members to reward other KCCI members for spending with them.

The “Development Engagement” theme commits the KCCI to advocating for local suppliers and fostering partnerships with government and developers.

This includes the establishment of a Supplier Capability Catalogue, aimed at enhancing opportunities for local businesses to participate in major projects.

KCCI Executive member Mitch Gray, from AMG Electrical Solutions, explained the concept, saying an index of local businesses’ capability statements would provide information to encourage local procurement in the projects which were coming into the area.

The third theme is “Business Unity & Identity”.

Under this, the KCCI will seek to unify the region’s commercial and aesthetic identity through various activities, including the South Burnett Unique Identifier Project, which is already under way.

“With these strategic initiatives, the KCCI reaffirms its commitment to supporting and empowering the local business community,” Mr Martoo said.

“Through collaboration and advocacy for local suppliers, and promoting the region’s unique identity, the Chamber aims to propel Kingaroy towards its rightful place as the commercial centre of the South Burnett.

“The Chamber believes that it’s this work that will bring prosperity to the entire South Burnett region.”

* * *

The March meet’n’greet was hosted by NBN Co.

Other guest speakers on the night included NBN Local Regional Development and Engagement Manager (and former Kingaroy resident) Scott Rowe who updated KCCI members on NBN technologies and the advantages of the different options.

Mr Rowe highlighted the surge in data consumption over the past decade, and the efforts that have been made by NBN Co to keep up with this growth in demand.

Average users had seven connections in their home 10 years ago, now they had 22; and users formerly spent an average 1.5 hours online daily, but now it was 6hrs 13 minutes.

Netflix and Disney Plus had no subscribers 10 years ago in Australia; now they have 9.8 million; and Kayo, Binge, Stan and Optus Sport have also grown from zero subscribers to 6.5 million.

Finally, the average NBN household data consumption 10 years ago was 40 Gb. Now it was 443 Gb.

• External links: Cyber Security and Identity Theft 

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We take a moment to thank our members southburnett.com.au for their ongoing contribution to reporting on news, matters and issues that are relative to the South Burnett community. Thank-you Dafyd and Anne Martindale, we sincerely appreciate your support and reporting.

South Burnett Support Alliance will provide all the takeaway
containers, paper plates, cutlery and serviettes. We will also promote
your group/business efforts on our FB page and website.
You, your organisation, business or charity provides the food, already
cooked to serve (something you can prepare at home(s)) and the friendly faces to serve the food. Feel free to put up a little sign to advertise your group/business.

Numbers will be small at the start, until people hear about this service. We will let you know how many people turned up the previous week, to give you a guide as to how many might turn up when it is your turn.

What you offer is your choice. To be nutritious a main meal has
protein and vegetables. Some ideas are: pizzas, hamburgers, roast meat and veges, spaghetti bolognaise, a BBQ, lasagna……..? or you can get it catered. Note we are a DGR status charity for tax purposes.
For dessert, something that will not spoil when taken home i.e. not ice
cream. Remember, the people who come here, probably do not have a refrigerator. E.g. apple slice and custard, pudding and custard, cheesecake, chocolate cake, fruit, ……

Rotary, Lions, SB Hire, SB Care, Bunnings and the Salvation Army have
already made the commitment.

Will you join them and put your name down, too?
Contact Lee on 0432 111 562
Or email secretary@supportalliance.org.au
ABN 75 687 834 850

• Applications OPEN 9am Friday 1 March 2024.
• Online community forum 1 10am Tuesday 19 March 2024 more information available here.
• Online community forum 2 10am Thursday 4 April 2024 more information available here.
• Applications CLOSE 5pm Friday 12 April 2024.

Successful applicants will be announced in late June – early July 2024

International Women’s Day holds special significance in Kingaroy, as it provides an opportunity for us to recognise and appreciate the talents, resilience, and entrepreneurial spirit of our local businesswomen. From family-owned enterprises to innovative startups, these women embody the essence of leadership, creativity, and determination, driving growth and prosperity in our community.

President Damien Martoo said, “Under the theme of “Inspire Inclusion,” the KCCI want the women in our business community to know that you are included and valued. When you thrive, our community thrives. I am seeing first-hand how powerful women in our business community are inspiring the next generation of business leaders. My own daughters are completing a diploma of business in their final year of High School in preparation to one day owning their own small business. They often talk about the businesses in Kingaroy and who owns them and ask the big questions of how those women came to be in the position they are in. The answer is obviously always through hard work and dedication and it is wonderful to see that their strong leadership is not going unnoticed by others around them.”

Vice-President Jacqui Trace said, “The women in businesses across Kingaroy are critically part of the workforce here in Kingaroy. This IWD is here to cheer those women on, congratulate them for stepping over the barriers they face to work for and in our community. We see you.”

Damien Martoo said, “On International Women’s Day 2024, we invite the Kingaroy community to join us in celebrating our local business women and inspiring inclusion in our community. We’re encouraging the public to say thank-you to women-owned businesses, or share their success stories on our Facebook page https://www.facebook.com/KingaroyChamberofCommerce Each of us has a role to play in creating an environment where every woman feels valued and empowered.”

Together, let us support the Kingaroy businesswomen in our community in their efforts to continuously improve. Together let’s collaborate and continue to encourage inclusivity for long-term sustainability.

This is a signature event which celebrates training and our local businesses.

Categories include:

–  School Based Apprentice of the Year

–  School Based Trainee of the Year

–  Equity Award

–  2024 Apprentice of the Year

–  2024 Trainee of the Year

–  2024 Business of the Year

Nomination forms for entry can be found at:

https://southburnetttrainingawards.net.au

Or by using the QR Code below.

Our evening for the South Burnett Training Awards will be held on:

23 March 2024  at the Wondai Town Hall

For further information, contact Mark Pitt 0407 662 388 or Nicola Pitt 0427 467 393 or imogene@imogenenix.net or pitty604@gmail.com

Thank for your assistance and consideration and we hope you pass on through your networks and that you can join us for this celebration of local training and vocational excellence. 

Pride of workmanship information will be circulated in the New Year which will again be awarded on the same night.

Kind regards 

Mark Pitt

Chair 

Rotary Satellite Club of Kingaroy Sunrise