Q2 MAY 2017

Newsletter of the Parramatta Chamber of Commerce

The 27th Annual Western Sydney Awards for Business Excellence (WSABE) are pleased to announce that entries for WSABE are now open, Tuesday 2nd May to Monday 17th July 2017.

Proudly hosted by the Parramatta Chamber of Commerce, the WSABE Awards is the premier business event in the Greater Western Sydney region which seeks to recognise outstanding businesses by celebrating their success stories and showcasing their achievements amongst the business community.

We are excited to welcome back Commonwealth Bank as Principal Partner this year. City of Parramatta Council are our Major Sponsor for WSABE. Category Sponsors include TAFE NSW, DOOLEYS Lidcombe Catholic Club and Westfield Parramatta. We would like to express our thanks and appreciation for the support that these businesses have committed to the WSABE program, as well as all other supporting partners.

WSABE is pleased to announce eighteen categories for 2017 that recognise excellence in areas from innovation and leadership through to sustainability and human resources. This year’s WSABE will also be widening its recognition of outstanding businesses with the addition of two new categories – An award for the Social Enterprise of the Year and for Excellence in Training, Skilling and Development. Winners will be announced at the annual awards gala evening, which will take place on Friday 15th September 2017 in the presence of the Hon Gladys Berejiklian MP, Premier of NSW.

The WSABE campaign kicks off with the launch event at the Phoenix Restaurant in Parramatta, hosted by Westfield Parramatta on 2nd May, and will be held in conjunction with ‘Business After Five’. WSABE is proud to announce that Julie Owens MP, Federal Member for Parramatta and Shadow Minister for Small Business, will be our guest speaker for the WSABE Launch Event.

2017 WSABE Award Categories are:1. Business of the Year 2. Young Business Executive 3. Young Entrepreneur4. Business Leader5. Excellence in Innovation6. Excellence in Sustainability7. Excellence in Small Business8. Excellence in Business9. Employer of Choice10. Excellence in Export11. Start Up Superstar12. Social Enterprise13. Excellence in Work, Health and Safety14. Excellence in Marketing15. Excellence in Education16. Excellence in Customer Service17. Excellence in Training, Skilling and Development18. Patron’s Choice

Registration for award entries will be open online following the launch. All businesses across Western Sydney are eligible to enter. To enter, businesses must submit their proposals through an online portal from the WSABE website where more information is available about the various categories and eligibility.

Key dates to mark in your calendar:• 2nd May: WSABE ‘Business After Five’ Launch Event• 15th August: WSABE Finalist Event• 15th September: WSABE Gala Dinner• 1st November: WSABE Winners and Sponsors Event

The Parramatta Regional Awards for Business Excellence were established in 1991 and transformed into a fully regional awards program in 2009 when the program was renamed the Western Sydney Awards for Business Excellence. Established in 1991 by the Parramatta Chamber of Commerce, these awards are unique in that they are not voted on, rather, the winners are determined through rigorous assessment conducted by a panel of highly qualified and respected judges. This merit based process ensures that victors are determined solely on the extent to which their business activities weigh in comparison with a set of pre-determined criteria for business excellence.

“Recognising excellence in innovation, education, business ethics and community service amongst others, the Awards is a fully regional program that has helped hundreds of businesses generate millions of dollars” - WSABE Awards Patron the Hon Alan Cadman OAM.

Several success stories have followed the recipients of a WSABE Award, with notable winners such as Sparks + Partners Consulting Engineers being launched into the public eye following their recognition at the event. Leon Dimino, Managing Director of Sparks + Partners Consulting Engineers says, “Receiving the 2016 Business of the Year Award, among a few others, has been a truly satisfying experience that has catapulted Sparks + Partners into the spotlight based on genuine hard work, reward and recognition. Competing with so many other talented Western Sydney businesses was an honour and an opportunity to discover new connections and uncover the best in the west. We encourage anyone considering entering to take the plunge, the effort and experience is absolutely worthwhile.”

The Parramatta Chamber of Commerce would like to extend their appreciation to all sponsors, partners and supporters of the 2017 WSABE program.

If you would like to align your business with this prestigious event, please contact Romina on romina@parramattachamber.com.au or 9635 0022 to discuss sponsorship opportunities for WSABE 2017.

MEET A MEMBER: Charles BattCharles opened his MBE Centre in the heart of Parramatta CBD eleven years ago after a lifetime of corporate administration and marketing.

Initially, MBE Parramatta employed one staff member and provided a limited range of printing services. Since then the team has grown to 7 staff, some serious commercial printing capability, 4 brands and a wide assortment of products. MBE Parramatta has been the largest Mailboxes Etc Centre in Australia every month for over 3 years and continues to grow.

At the start of last year we created the Agility Print brand to give us fresh new look and allow us to focus on the needs of professional print consumers, like Marketing Agencies and Training Organisations.

In the past few months we have added a wide range of promotional products, uniforms and safety vests to our range. Our intention with this is to make us even more of a “one stop shop” for our customers; where you can get your printing and marketing collateral in a single location.

MBE Parramatta Charles Batt 29 Smith Street, Parramatta charles.batt@mbe.com.au www.mbeparramatta.com.au 02 9891 1144

New MembersWelcome this month’s new members

Walker Corporation

Ability Options

Aequcon

Defence Force Recruiting

Diocese of Parramatta

EnableSME

Excellent Power Solutions

Riverside Brewing

Get some eNRGy! Contact Chamber office for more details about our business building eNRGy groups.

eNGRy 1 Thursday 7.15am

eNGRy 2 Wednesday 7.15am

eNGRy 3 Tuesday 9.45am

eNGRy 4 Friday 9.45am

Key Dates

The Launch – May 2017A cocktail style event attracting major Western Sydney business and corporations.

Finalists Recognition – August 2017An event that honors and recognises our outstanding Western Sydney business finalists and celebrates their success stories before the awards gala.

Gala Awards Dinner – September 2017Join over 500 guests, including VIPs, celebrities and parliamentarians over a seated plated black tie gala dinner as we announce the award winners.

Winners & Sponsors Celebration – November 2017Join us over a celebratory evening with the WSABE 2017 winners, partners and sponsors over a relaxed cocktail-style environment.

Upcoming Events

Business After Five 2 May Westfield Parramatta

WSABE Entries Open 2 May

Charity Golf Day 9 May Oatlands Golf Club

Hospitality Industry Forum 17 May PARKROYAL Parramatta

Business Before Nine 18 May UNE Parramatta

Parramatta Chamber of Commerce appoints a new Board and President.

The Annual General Meeting held on Wednesday 19 April 2017 has elected a new Board for the Parramatta City Chamber of Commerce and Industry Inc. which will continue their great work in the community.

The Chamber Board consists of 15 elected board members including the President, two Vice Presidents and the Treasurer together with the Immediate past President.

The executive committee’s roles and responsibilities include planning, policy and legal and financial management of the Chamber, as well as the strategic alignment with the business community.

Parramatta Chamber of Commerce has been working with the community for over 105 years. The Chamber is a not-for-profit organisation which promotes business growth. The Chamber creates opportunities and platforms for networking for members and their guests.

These include: Four weekly referral groups (eNRGy), monthly Business after 5 events, quarterly Business before 9 events. Parramatta Chamber hosts a Charity Golf Day each year, supporting local charities as well as hold an annual BBQ for the Homeless. The Chamber is proud to host the 15th annual State of the City Address Parramatta and this year will be the 27th year as hosts of the prestigious Western Sydney Awards for Business Excellence (WSABE).

The recent success and sell out of the State of the City Address Parramatta event held last week at the PARKROYAL with keynote speaker The Hon Stuart Ayres MP was testament to the commitment from the business community to shaping Parramatta’s future.

Newly appointed President, David Hill has expressed his excitement in continuing the great work of the Chamber and working closely with the Board and the greater business community.

“We will make strong representation on behalf of the whole business community of Parramatta. These are complex and challenging times and The Chamber will do it’s best to assist existing and new businesses to grow, to export and to deal with our complex regulatory environment”. says David.

We welcome newly appointed President David Hill, Jennifer Vella and Radlee Moller as Vice Presidents and Eric Tjoeng as Treasurer, Michael Mekhitarian will continue in an executive role as Immediate Past President.

For more information contact Romina Bousimon on 9635 0022.

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wsabe.com.au2nd May - 17th July

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BUSINESS AFTER FIVELast month’s Business After Five event was co-hosted by Courtney’s Brasserie and Condon Associates Group. Given the unpredictable weather, our hosts provided beautifully decorated shelter with fairy lights and all. We had a full house as we welcomed new members, mingled with the business community and were kept up to date with market intel and upcoming events. Food was as generous as it was delicious and never disappoints, courtesy of the talented team at Courtney’s Brasserie. Thank you to Paul and his team for their service and hospitality and thank you to Schon from Condon Associates Group for providing their beautiful rooftop balcony that overlooks the heart of Parramatta and to Riverside Brewing Company for providing the wonderful beers.

Courtney’s Brasserie Condon Associates Group Shop12, 30-32 Charles St, Parramatta L6, 87 Marsden St, Parramatta www.courtneysbrasserie.com.au www.thecondongroup.com.au

STATE OF THE CITY ADDRESSThe annual State of the City Address Parramatta was held on Friday 21 April at the PARKROYAL Parramatta. Since 2002, this event has provided a platform for thought leadership which has helped shape the outcomes of our city.

The recent success and sell out of the State of the City Address Parramatta event was testament to the commitment from the business community to shaping Parramatta’s future.

Master of ceremonies Chris Bath shared her insight about life growing up in Western Sydney. Keynote speaker was The Hon Stuart Ayres MP with Guest Speakers including the Parramatta Chamber of Commerce, Deloitte, Sydney Business Chamber Western Sydney and City of Parramatta Council.

Chris Bath also facilitated the Panel discussion, with Guest Speakers including the Parramatta Chamber of Commerce, Walker Corporation, City of Parramatta Council and Parramatta Light Rail.

245 guests from the business community got the opportunity to submit questions to the Panel for discussion on topics such as Parramatta Square, Light Rail, WestConnex, Powerhouse Museum, North Parramatta heritage precinct, Western Sydney infrastructure and business and economic growth.

We would like to take this opportunity to thank our Sponsors, Supporters and Partners for this event.

Thank you to Major sponsor Walker Corporation, who will deliver the $2 billion Parramatta Square Redevelopment revitalising Parramatta - central city with new A-Grade office space, residential apartments, including the tallest residential tower in Sydney, twin commercial towers as well as civic facilities.

Thank you to our event partners City of Parramatta Council and Sydney Business Chamber, Western Sydney. Thank you to our support sponsor Macquarie Bank and MBE Parramatta.

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