Maroondah 2010 Business Lunch with Tara Moss

The 2010 Maroondah Business Week was held from the 4th of October through to the 8th and offered a range of events to develop skills and business promotion, concluded with a networking lunch, featuring model and author Tara Moss, as the guest speaker.

The lunch is aimed specifically at women in business and Tara spoke about her life growing up in Canada, as well as her transition into modelling and her development as an author. Tara discussed the need to persevere with dreams and highlighted her passion for writing, which she developed as a student in primary school.

Alex with Tara Moss and Phil Turner, Director City Development, at the 2010 Maroondah Business Lunch
Alex with Tara Moss and Phil Turner, Director City Development, at the 2010 Maroondah Business Lunch

The lunch marks the conclusion of the 2010 Maroondah Business Week and the speech I provided to welcome guests to this event is available within this post:

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Maroondah Business Week Breakfast with David Schwarz

Maroondah Business Week is an annual Council initiated program that aims to promote and enhance businesses within the municipality. The Week consists of workshops, tours and networking events offering a range of activities to cater to the business sectors within Maroondah.

One of these events is the Maroondah Business Week Breakfast, which featured David Schwarz as the speaker. David was a former footballer and Vice-Captain for Melbourne Football Club and discussed the challenges he faced during this career, including a gambling addiction, which he spoke about candidly during the breakfast session.

Alex with David Schwarz and Cr Rob Steane at the 2010 Maroondah Business Week Breakfast
Alex with David Schwarz and Cr Rob Steane at the 2010 Maroondah Business Week Breakfast

David’s openness set him apart from some of the speakers of other years and he spoke candidly about the difficulties in establishing a post football career. David’s comments reflect the need for ongoing perseverance and the advantages of networking within businesses and provided a number of parallels between his experiences and the challenges facing business.

As part of the proceedings I had the opportunity to introduce Maroondah Business Week and the speech I provided is available in this post:

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Opening the mecu Eastland service centre

mecu is a credit union, which encompassed several other organisations including Maroondah Credit Union. As an organisation, mecu has a strong focus on sustainability, with expert advice provided to their board in regard to sustainability initiatives.

This morning I was invited to open their new Eastland Service Centre, mecu’s flagship store for the eastern suburbs. The Service Centre incorporates sustainable building materials and it is encouraging to see mecu’s commitment to sustainability. The Eastland Service Centre recognises Ringwood’s position as a regional centre, with mecu offering a full range of financial services as this flagship store.

Eastern Volunteers Business Booster Breakfast at Club Ringwood

Eastern Volunteers is a not-for-profit community based organisation, which provides transport services for eligible Home and Community Care recipients, as well as volunteer recruitment to provide pathways for people to participate in the wider community.

This morning Eastern Volunteers held its inaugural business booster breakfast, aimed to strengthen connections between the business and community sectors.  The breakfast introduced Eastern Volunteers to businesses within the community and launched Friends of EV, a program which will provide ongoing partnerships between the organisation and businesses.

Eastern Volunteers, which was formed in 1976  is a medium sized not-for-profit organisation, with approximately 20 staff members and over 100 volunteers, covering across Whitehorse, Maroondah and the Shire of Yarra Ranges.  Eastern Volunteers is clearly a sustainable organisation and one which is able to provide beneficial partnerships with the business community.

For further details please visit www.easternvolunteers.org.au.

The Footmen Club – Footy Luncheon with Peter Schwab

The Footmen Club is a service based club supported through the local Maroondah business community, which provides assistance to individuals and groups throughout the municipality.

This afternoon the Footmen Club held a Foot Luncheon, featuring AFL Victoria CEO and former Hawthorn Player, Peter Schwab. Peter spoke about his football career and his experiences as CEO of AFL Victoria. Peter discussed the challenges that were facing Hawthorn at the time and how his abilities in football complemented the team.

The Footmen Club holds regular luncheons through the year featuring a variety of guest speakers while also helping people in need. For further information please visit www.footmen.org.au

Media Release: Maroondah Business Week bookings now open

The Maroondah Business Week 2010 brochure is now available, detailing the range of workshops, seminars and networking sessions open to business owners and operators who wish to participate in this year’s Maroondah Business Week activities.

Maroondah Councillor Alex Makin said anyone considering attending the range of networking and information sessions during Maroondah Business Week should decide what they would like to attend, and book early.

“We have introduced closing dates for our key events, so it is more important than ever that people get their tickets early,” Cr Makin said.

“There are a lot of opportunities for business owners and operators wanting to network with other local businesses, or learn new strategies to improve your business. Maroondah Business Week 2010 should not be missed,” said Cr Makin.

“Running from Monday 4 October to Friday 8 October, Maroondah Business Week covers everything you could want to know about doing business successfully in this city,” Cr Makin said.

Maroondah Business Week 2010 highlights include three guest speakers who will entertain and move you with their wealth of experience in life and in business:

Former Melbourne Football Club player David Schwarz will speak at the NAB Business Breakfast on 6 October at the Karralyka Centre from 7am until 9am.

Since retiring from the Melbourne Football Club after 11 years, David has pursued an active media career, co-hosting the sports radio program The Home Run and was a part of Channel 7’s AFL commentary team, but his reputation was tainted after revealing his had lost more than $4 million through gambling.

In 2007, the reformed gambler was appointed the Responsible Gambling Ambassador of the Australian Leisure and Hospitality Group.

“By speaking about his experiences on and off the field, David will provide an insight into how he overcame his inner demons and transformed them into new opportunities,” Cr Makin said.

Peter Alexander, best known for his range of sleepwear, will share his secrets of success at the RACV Business Insurance Networking Event from 5.30pm to 7.30pm on 7 October at the Karralyka Centre.

Peter is a true entrepreneur, launching his range of sleepwear as a single man working from his living room table. His name is now recognised around the globe and at the height of success his business profits were growing at up to 40 per cent a year.

“At the age of 24 Peter made the tough decision to go out on his own. While the start up phase was difficult he overcame everything that was thrown at him. There is no doubt that Peter has a wealth of information to share about establishing brand loyalty,” Cr Makin said.

Then you can join author and model Tara Moss at the Eastland Business Lunch from noon to 2pm on Friday 8 October at the Karralyka Centre.

Tara had her first novel published at the age of 24, and has since become the number one crime writer in Australia. As a model she has graced the covers of more than 30 magazines.

“Tara lives her life by the motto ‘life is too short to live the same day twice’ and I think that is something we could all take on board. So why not come along and gain an insight into how to transform your passions into a successful career,” Cr Makin said.

The vast majority of business opportunities are found through networking, so bring along plenty of business cards and a willingness to connect with like-minded business people and meet some of Maroondah’s most influential and ‘up and coming’ business professionals.

Bookings can now be made for all events and workshops.

Further information on the complete range of activities during Maroondah Business Week 2010 can be found in the brochure available at all Council Service Centres, or by visiting www.bizmaroondah.com.au

– ENDS –

Eastern Volunteers – Business Booster Breakfast

Eastern Volunteers would like to invite you to our Business Booster Breakfast at Club Ringwood on 15th September, to launch our new business network, Friends of EV.

Our Business Booster Breakfast will offer the chance to:

  • hear Tom O’Dowd (Exclusive Distributor for Power Balance in Australia & NZ) speak on ‘The benefits for businesses of engaging with the community (and some strategies on how to make this a competitive advantage)’
  • hear from Alex Makin, Mayor of Maroondah
  • see the launch of ‘Friends of EV’ and find out more about it
  • meet Terry Macdonald, Chair of EV’s Board and other key staff, and
  • network with other like-minded local business-people

all while enjoying a cooked breakfast at Club Ringwood!

We will also discuss some of the synergies available and benefits to you of partnering with Eastern Volunteers and our networks. We are keen to hear your questions and needs and we encourage you to bring your thoughts to share in the discussion.

For further information please visit www.easternvolunteers.org.au/boosterbreakfast.php

June BizConnect Business Breakfast

The BizConnect Business Breakfast is a Maroondah City Council initiative designed to connect local businesses and to share knowledge and skills. This morning’s speaker was from Destination Melbourne who discussed the growing $2.6 billion market generated through tourism opportunities from visiting friends and relatives.

The friends and relatives tourism market is the largest segment of visitors into Melbourne’s eastern suburbs and provides economic benefits for local businesses. While Maroondah may not be seen as a traditional tourist destination, it does have a strong component of tourism generated through friends and relatives and the speaker outlined the need for businesses to target this growing segment.

As the Mayor of Maroondah I had the pleasure of introducing the June BizConnect Business Breakfast and the speech I delivered is included within this post:

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Maroondah Business Association – June 2010 Meeting

The Maroondah Business Association is a not-for-profit business network that aims to foster the growth of businesses within Maroondah. The Association meets on a monthly basis and features guest speakers that discuss various aspects of growing and operating a business.

Tonight’s speaker discussed marketing strategies aimed at business growth through effective marketing that clearly identifies the target market for the business. A business needs to clearly identify the characteristics of its target market to determine the best approach for marketing and reaching these potential customers.

It is encouraging to see growing interest in the Maroondah Business Association, with a large number of businesses attending tonight’s meeting. The Maroondah Business Association meets on the first Wednesday of each month, for details please visit www.homebiz.org.au

Development in Maroondah – Business Networking Event

Maroondah City Council holds regular events for the business community to provide information on Council’s policies and future trends. This evening we hosted an information session on the Ringwood Central Activities District to provide an update on plans for the revitalisation of Ringwood.

As the Mayor of Maroondah, I introduced the session and provided an overview of some of the projects council is initiating within Ringwood to support the Central Activities District.

The session was supported by the Department of Planning and Community Development (DPCD) and included Prue Digby, the Deputy Secretary (Planning and Local Government) of DPCD, who provided the State Government context in regard to activity centres.

Frank Dixon, Maroondah’s CEO and Phil Turner, the Director of City Development, both spoke at the session to discuss Maroondah’s involvement in the Central Activities District, including the preliminary plans for the redevelopment of the Ringwood Aquatic Centre, into a multifaceted leisure facility, as well as the Ringwood Library redevelopment, which will coincide with the Eastland redevelopment.

It is imperative that Maroondah delivers community infrastructure that reinforces Ringwood’s status as a Central Activities District and complements the redevelopment of Ringwood as a sustainable and accessible urban centre.