Oprah’s PA on the way here
OPRAH Winfrey’s PA is planning a trip to Brisbane to share her life wisdom and, probably, a few behind-the-scenes tales of life with Oprah.
City Beat
Salaries up as AACo suffers loss
Australian Agricultural Co lifted the total remuneration for 10 board members from $1.55 million to $1.9 million last financial year despite suffering a $103 million loss.
Polo pulls in Menegazzo again
Cattle baron Brendan Menegazzo just can’t stay away from the ponies. The Brisbane-based rich lister is getting his helmet and mallet ready for another tilt at urban polo.
Pressure building on Equititrust
Equititrust liquidator Blair Pleash has told creditors of the failed Gold Coast fund manager that “the prospects of a substantial claim against former directors are firming’’.
Tangalooma Island Resort for sale
Gorgeous beaches, dolphins and wrecks have lured generations of holiday makers to Tangalooma. Now the family behind the island resort have put it up for sale.
Conman cash splash after scam
BMWs, Louis Vuitton gear, properties and jewellery are just some of the luxury items self-proclaimed day trader and conman Daniel Farook Ali spent his victims’ money on.
The couple behind ABC site’s legal wrangle
TWO rival parties are fighting a costly and protracted legal battle to decide the fate of the old ABC studios site at Toowong. We know a lot about the respondents but virtually nothing has surfaced about the applicant – until now.
Brisbane’s ‘next billionaire’ oh so close
A BOOST in Flight Centre stocks has put this man tantalisingly close to becoming Brisbane’s newest billionaire.
Uber claims major Brisbane taxi scalp
IT looks like Uber has claimed a big scalp in the Brisbane cabs industry, with a taxi management company being forced to appoint liquidators after blaming the ride-sharing competitor for a great deal of its financial unravelling.
Gym operator cops unfair grief
A BRISBANE gym operator has copped a whirlwind of grief after the previous operators of his business went bust, leaving dozens of outraged creditors across Queensland.
Why Shark Tank star is selling Brisbane startup hub
QUEENSLAND’S chief entrepreneur and sometime television star Steve Baxter is looking to sell the Brisbane business he describes as one of the most fulfilling things he’s ever done.
New start-up ‘amazing’ for small business
THE man who shook up the towing sector with his Tow.com.au, Dominic Holland, says his latest start-up would be “amazing” for small businesses … but perhaps not all clients will be so enthusiastic.
Things just got worse for Blue Sky
BESIEGED Brisbane funds manager Blue Sky Alternative Investments chose yesterday’s public holiday to lob the equivalent of a hand grenade into the lounge rooms of its shareholders.
Ballistic Beer launching 2nd venue
BRISBANE craft brewer Ballistic Beer will soon open its second venue giving its owner Dave Kitchen extra reason to raise a glass or three to celebrate.
Costly debacle hits Morgans
A COSTLY and embarrassing debacle has been playing out quietly behind the scenes at Morgans stockbroking.
Sarina Russo meets Michael Milken
SARINA Russo has been rubbing shoulders in Los Angeles with one of the most notorious US white collar criminals from the go-go 1980s.
25 years of Loaves and Fishes
The rather odd pairing of High Court Chief Justice Susan Kiefel as guest speaker and Wallaby legend Tim Horan as MC entertained attendees at the annual Loaves and Fishes luncheon.
Top real estate agency cops hefty Fair Trading fines
A VERY high-profile Brisbane real estate agency controlled by an agent “commonly regarded as the best in the business” has been hit with hefty fines by the Office of Fair Trading for false and misleading representations.
Sexpo sought relief and failed
SEXPO, organisers of an adult consumer exhibition, lost a Federal Court challenge in Brisbane against Collective Shout, a grassroots outfit which campaigns against “the objectification of women and the sexualisation of girls’’.
Brisbane identity helped bring Bogut home
THERE was plenty of fanfare this week when it emerged that basketball legend Andrew Bogut had signed a two-year deal with the Sydney Kings. And it was a Brisbane businessman that sealed the deal.
Wild rumour hits Blue Sky
City Beat has heard plenty of wild rumours but this one about Blue Sky and Jordan Belfort, AKA the Wolf of Wall Street, really grabbed our attention.
Troubled Blue Sky seeks rainmaker in new CEO
KIM Morison, the man in charge of troubled Brisbane investment firm Blue Sky following the resignation of Rob Shand, knows about doing it tough.
Past catches up with former Hastie executive
THE Porsche-driving Brisbane bizoid stepped down in December as MD and CEO of electrical contracting giant J&P Richardson Industries and now faces a legal battle with ASIC.
REIQ chairman exits in shock move
THE chairman of Queensland’s peak real estate industry lobby group has stepped down unexpectedly but members have been kept in the dark about the real reasons for the move.
Bad news for Griffiths’ creditors
UNDER the best-case scenario, creditors of failed Brisbane hospitality identity Damian Griffiths will claw back just 5 cents on the dollar – with the best chance to recover money lying in a couple of apartments in Paris.
Qld mining icon misses milestone
THE LATE Peter Lynch launched Cokal in Brisbane nearly seven years ago and this week it finally announced the first sale of 10,000 tonnes of the black stuff.
Brisbane’s first coffee drive through closing
WHAT’S believed to be Brisbane’s first coffee drive through will be closing for good this Friday, with the company behind the business calling the impending shut down “a big loss for the team”.
Ace broker Peter Drew wins R&R
Hunter Green analyst Peter Drew snared the coveted top gong for best stock pick of the year at Wilson Asset Management’s annual Christmas lunch in Sydney this week
Diamond in the ring for Jeff Horn
Jeff Horn was presented with an 18 karat white gold ring sprinkled with more than 150 tiny diamonds and rubies last night at the Christmas party IT recruiting firm Recon Solutions
Ex-wife’s tell all after marriage breakup
WORD on the street is that the principal of a long-standing Brisbane public relations outfit has left his wife of more than 20 years for a PA less than half his age. And his ex-wife is not staying silent on the scandal.
CuDeco copper plant shut down
Brisbane-based copper hunter CuDeco revealed yesterday that industry regulators had shut down the processing plant at its flagship Rocklands Copper Mine over workplace health and safety concerns
Clive pitches new Queensland coal mine
EMBATTLED resources magnate Clive Palmer has progressed plans to launch a new coal mine in Queensland.
Suncorp exec heads to RACQ Bank
RACQ announced yesterday that Suncorp’s Michelle Bagnall would take over as CEO of the newly-launched RACQ Bank in February, replacing Steve Targett.
Maxine Horne splashes out
VITA Group boss Maxine Horne, Australia’s wealthiest female CEO, has splashed out another $460,096 to pick up 398,020 more shares in the telco and beauty group she co-founded.
Wind up bid hits entrepreneur
THE future of a popular Brisbane restaurant is up in the air, with the ATO seeking court orders to wind up the company behind it over an alleged debt of more than $400,000.
China stalwart says goodbye
THERE are some big shoes to fill at the Australia-China Business Council, with the departure of the organisation’s popular Queensland chief executive Nussara Smith
Cattle baron heads to polo field
Brendan Menegazzo, who runs Stanbroke Pastoral Group, plans to join the four-man Australian team taking on the formidable lads from Haiti in Polo in the City.
Brisbane Airport Corporation set to fly away
Brisbane Airport boss Julieanne Alroe will depart in July next year after overseeing a series of massive upgrades at Australia’s third busiest airport.
QUT Vice-Chancellor calls it time
Former premiers Campbell Newman and Anna Bligh were among the 200-strong crowd of pollies, bizoids and academics to honour retiring QUT Vice-Chancellor Peter Coaldrake.
Canavan and Nicholls make pitch
WITH not one but two pro-Adani pollies at the Brisbane convention centre on Tuesday, it was no surprise to see rowdy protesters outside and a heavy police contingent.
Heritage-listed CBD venue to reopen
One of Brisbane’s most astute and successful restaurateurs, Godfrey Mantle, has just secured development approval to open a new venue in a Heritage-listed CBD property.
PM parachutes into Brisbane to boost LNP
Turnbull is also going to swing by the LNP campaign launch despite a few misgivings from senior party figures
The craft beer guide to Queensland
THERE are now about 70 craft breweries – compared with nine in 2010 – churning out a huge variety of the beers across Queensland, and now there’s a way to get the lowdown on every single one of them.
Who Julie Bishop met with in Brisbane
FOREIGN Affairs Minister Julie Bishop has been doing plenty of meeting and greeting in Brisbane over recent days.
$10 million raised for CSG explorer
Having just raised $10 million, Brisbane CSG explorer Comet Ridge now hopes to raise a further $3 million from eligible shareholders
Damian Griffiths faces wind up bid
BRISBANE hospitality entrepreneur Damian Griffiths faces another big financial headache, this time from the tax man.
Conman gets state school IT job
Paroled conman James Kentwell Lovell spent part of the year delivering IT support to a remote Queensland school and is tipped to continue in the job next year.
Old girl changes hands after 15 years
ONE of Queensland’s oldest and best known pubs has changed hands after the sale of a 99-year lease settled last week.
When shopping at Myer was a joy
CABOOLTURE nonagenarian Valma Hacking has some advice on how billionaire Solomon Lew can improve Myer.
Collins House has a makeover
HERITAGE-LISTED Collins House is in the midst of a dramatic transformation into a pub thanks to high-profile restaurateur Matt Moran and his business partner, hotelier Bruce Solomon.
Original URL: https://www.couriermail.com.au/business/citybeat/page/31