Job Creation Challenge
Newcastle Herald
Tuesday February 22, 2000
ROD Doherty has taken over as manager of the Lower Hunter Business Enterprise Centre (LHBEC) in time to oversee the completion of the organisation's unique business incubator.
Work on the third stage of the Business Enterprise Complex in Kurri Kurri's Barton St is expected to be finished in the first half of this year.
`It will provide space for around 30 small business enterprises looking for accommodation but without the high costs of infrastructure and the imposition of restrictive leases at start up,' Mr Doherty said.
A director of the LHBEC for the past seven years, Mr Doherty has had 28 years working in the public relations field in the Lower Hunter. Along with Brendan Brooks, David Baker and Lorna Tickle, he's out to lift the profile of his organisation in the Cessnock and Maitland local government areas.
`The team will be looking to contact the 6000 plus existing business enterprises in the Lower Hunter and working with the hundreds of budding entrepreneurs to successfully get their business ideas up and running,' Mr Doherty said.
`There are a number of challenges ahead for us with the closure last year of BHP, the winding up of National Textiles and mining job losses in the local area.
`But BHP has been excellent in providing funding for displaced workers who want to set up their own enterprises.
`David Baker has been the project coordinator for this venture and he's done an excellent job with 24 retrenched BHP employees creating new businesses over the past six months.'
Mr Doherty said he was confident the LHBEC team would deliver the services needed by the people of the Lower Hunter.
He has replaced Yvonne Cupples as manager.
Ms Cupples has moved on to take up the manager's role with New Hunter Business, a project sponsored by the Federal Government and called the New Enterprise Incentive Scheme.
© 2000 Newcastle Herald