2014 Rockhampton to welcome new business to employ 180 and see 20
families relocate to the region. Spokesperson for the business Ms.
Itwillhap Pen announced the decision to locate the business in the
Rockhampton region was made after an extensive analysis of a number of
possible Central Queensland locations; however the website
rockhamptononline.com was instrumental in helping change a perception of
the city compared to the more obvious locations of Mackay and
Gladstone. “We knew of Rockhampton as the Beef Capital of Australia and
naturally thought a reasonable size rural centre with stock and station
agents on each corner; there’s so much more to the city and surrounding
region, the web site certainly opened our eyes to the potential that’s
here”, said Ms. Pen.
This is a story I hope might appear in the media later this year (maybe
not the name of the spokesperson). I believe to help make stories
similar to this a regular reality a web site that contains or accesses
information on commercial and residential real estate offerings,
lifestyle offerings, education institutions, employment opportunities,
etc., will be very beneficial. Fortunately MECOBE agrees. MECOBE, a
dedicated meeting/board room facility being built on the corner of
William and Bolsover Streets are sponsoring the construction of the
site. This week, letters will be distributed to businesses, Council,
Development bodies and organisations that hopefully may consider
contributing relevant information to the site. I’m optimistic that we
will receive a good response. As this type of web site benefits both the
region and the individual organisations within it. Collaboration will
be the key to the success of the site though.
This web site is just one of the foundation blocks needed to attract new
businesses to the region. Available commercial space, transport
logistics, marketing, labour (skills) availability are some of the
others. Building a good foundation is not enough though; Rockhampton
needs to be more pro-active in projecting and living up to a ‘We Can’
image. The sight of cranes on our skyline is evidence that big things
are happening. A dedicated web site promoting the advantages of
Rockhampton will be another sign. Is it time we drop the Beef Capital of
Australia tag line in favour of an overall image of the city/region and
vision for its further development?