Commerce Warrnambool is back in business – two years after the group fell into disarray.
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The group has a new committee brimming with ideas and a fresh vision for the city and the region, president Karen Foster says.
“We’ve spent a lot of time thinking about what value we can bring, and it’s probably less about getting involved in local politics and more about rising above all of that and providing that motivation and aspiration,” Ms Foster, who is the director of o2 Media, said.
“We also think we have a role to play in terms of bringing businesses together for networking and for sharing ideas.”
A previous chapter of Commerce Warrnambool was put on hold after its proposal for a promotional strategy, which required businesses to contribute financially, was met with division.
Ms Foster said the organisation’s first step would be getting local businesses on board as members.
“This is ground zero for us,” she said. “We’re staring with zero members and zero resources – so we really need to get members and find out from them what they want us to do.”
The organisation will have a big picture focus, with Ms Foster describing its vision for “a world-ready Warrnambool”.
“Warrnambool’s been successful for many many decades but we’re now competing in a global space,” she said.
“We feel that the value we can add is around helping to inspire, motivate and connect businesses around Warrnambool so that they’re not working in isolation and they’re not competing in traditional ways.”
Ms Foster said some of the ideas the committee had already developed included emphasising Chinese New Year in Warrnambool to attract and welcome Chinese tourists, attracting quality professional development and creating an online portal with information about services and products available in the region.
The new Commerce Warrnambool committee consists of nine members – including president Karen Foster, vice-president Helen Bayne, Richard van Bergeijk, David Turner, Donna Gladman, Catherine Kelson, Mark Bridge, Rachael Hoffman, Roy Reekie and Bron Levett.
“It’s about reconnecting ourselves with what we have and the talent we have here and the skills we have here – instead of always defaulting to big cities,” Ms Foster said.