Mackay, Whitsundays top 16 industry titans building the future revealed
From mining and property to tourism and fast food, these industry heavyweights have transformed the Mackay and Whitsundays into the bustling, world-class destinations of today. Find out who they are and how they got started.
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The population of Mackay, Isaac and the Whitsundays is growing rapidly and new developments, businesses and infrastructure projects are springing up to meet the influx.
From new highways to housing estates, the built landscape is evolving dramatically.
Leading the churn and change is a set of industry titans and visionaries whose dreams of a brave new future are coming into existence.
Some are well-established and well-known builders, while others are relative newcomers to the region.
Here are some of the men and women leading from the front to transform all of our lives.
We begin with the legendary Vic Vassallo, the man behind Pointglen’s Shoal Point housing development.
Vic Vassallo - Shoal Point visionary
Mr Vassallo’s vision for Shoal Point is to create a masterplanned beach community for about 4500 residents.
“The vision for the estate includes a nine-hectare lake with walking paths and landscaped trails, barbecue area overlooking the lake, Parkour natural play space and equipment and The Point,” he said.
“The Point’ is envisioned to include a modern childcare precinct, architecturally designed tavern and bottle shop which will overlook the lake, numerous other vendors such as grocers, health services and dining.
“We will then move into the beachfront precincts that boast some of the best waterfront living and elevated sea views on the eastern seaboard.”
Mr Vassallo is finalising his plans and taking expressions of interest from prospective buyers.
Mr Vassallo was born and bred in Mackay and when asked what he loved about investing in the city, he said it had everything that was needed.
“It is the gateway to the world-renowned Whitsundays” he said.
“It has a very diverse and strong economy with strength in a number of different sectors including agriculture, manufacturing and engineering, mining and tourism.
“Mackay itself has so much to offer with some of Australia’s best beaches, national parks, islands, one of Australia’s few blue water rivers to name a few.”
James Gilmour - Blasting off in Bowen
James Gilmour is a co-founder of Gilmour Space Technologies, the rocket firm set to build the Bowen Space Orbital.
The spaceport is pegged to launch two orbital space vehicles per year between 2022 and 2025.
From 2026 to 2032, launch frequencies are expected to increase to each month.
The company is going through the environmental review process, but Mr Gilmour is confident the project will get the nod.
“We’ve been compiling our technical and environmental considerations for quite some time,” he said.
“We are kind of trailblazing and so the onus of responsibility has been on Gilmour to facilitate the various federal, state and local regulations.
“It has been challenging, but adapt and overcome is what we do.”
If it all comes together, the company will have dramatically uplifted Australia’s sovereign space capabilities and the Whitsundays will be at the centre of it all.
Gilmour signed an agreement to work with LatConnect, an Earth observation and data fusion company based in Perth, to build and launch the first microsatellite in a planned high-resolution hyperspectral imaging constellation.
The smart satellites will be placed in 30-degree inclined orbits for frequent revisit data capture over the Earth’s equatorial and mid-latitude regions.
The HyperSight 60 constellation agreement was announced at the 37th Space Symposium in Colorado Springs.
LC60 CEO and founder Venkat Pillay said HyperSight would deliver geospatial insights for mid-latitude areas at a level of detail and frequency not possible with other commercial remote sensing systems.
Gilmour will develop the first 100kg satellite on its G-class satellite bus which will be launched on the company’s Eris rocket from the Bowen Orbital Spaceport.
“This agreement would be our second G-class satellite mission on Eris, and we’re excited to be working with the pioneering team at LC60 to bring this significant capability to market,” he said.
The first microsatellite is planned for launch in late 2024.
Once the entire eight-satellite constellation is operational, an hourly revisit rate will be possible at mid-latitude locations between 30 degrees north and south in Australia, Asia, South America, and Africa.
The Gold Coast-headquartered company has some 100 employees and will look to add another 100 across 2022.
Mr Gilmour signs off with, “To the stars.”
John Cotter - Urannah dreams
John Cotter is the Bowen River Utilities managing director, the proponent company for the massive $2.9bn Urannah project.
The project is divided into three parts: a $1.05bn dollar Urannah dam 80km west of Mackay, an irrigation precinct around Collinsville and a pumped-hydro scheme.
The federal government has allocated $483m for the dam, pushing the project closer to reality than it has ever been before.
Mr Cotter has spoken at length about his vision for the project and why he has pushed so hard for it.
In his mind, Australia is a “100 years behind” America in terms of infrastructure, and mega-projects such as Urannah will go some way to closing that gap.
He also hopes to replicate the growth Fairbairn Dam delivered for the Central Highlands.
“In Emerald, that water has provided a range of secondary industries to survive those commodity supercycles,” he said.
“And a lot of those benefits are very hard to quantify and are not accepted generally by regulators.
“The population doesn’t pack up and move every time coal gets below 100 bucks a tonne.
“That’s the same thing we’re applying in Urannah.
“Let’s put 2000 hectares of macadamias in.
“That alone is probably about 100-150 jobs during packing season.
“That puts a packing shed in Collinsville, it puts a plastic supply for the bags, it helps the refrigeration guy, he’s got more work.”
Amanda Pelagalli and Dan Probert — Mackay Adventure Lodge
Made for the explorer, the Mackay Adventure Lodge is tropical Queensland’s answer to a ski lodge.
The brains and brawn behind the new development are Wake House Australia owners Amanda Pelagalli and her husband Dan Probert.
Mackay born and bred, Mrs Pelagalli has always seen the potential in her hometown to become a major tourist destination, but said it was all about timing.
The couple took over the Andergrove wake park in June 2019.
Mrs Pelagalli said they had a range of pro wakeboarders coming through at the time and they took it upon themselves to show them the best our region had to offer.
“We would take them out to do sunrise with the wallabies, and out to the gorge and stop in at Pinnacle Pies for lunch, then they’d wakeboard in the afternoon,” she said.
With a background as a travel agent, Mrs Pelagalli said the experience highlighted a new demographic for tourism in Mackay.
The Mackay Adventure Lodge is currently under construction with hopes to open its doors at the end of July this year.
“[The Lodge] is being built for people who are going out to enjoy activities all day and want somewhere comfortable to stay at night and to mix with other people,” Mrs Pelagalli said
“It’s aimed at a youth adventure market, 18-30 year old bracket, from overseas or Australians that travel heaps, and love to be active and outdoors.
“It’s unique in the fact it’s not a typical hostel or backpackers, there are some rooms that are an eight-shared room but most are private.”
Mrs Pelagalli said the lodge will include a kitchen facility for guests, a deck and a lap pool and expects to employ about eight to 10 staff.
The couple is in the process of speaking to airlines and other tourism businesses in the region to secure three, five and seven day adventure packages for tourists coming to Mackay.
Mrs Pelagalli said she knew Mackay was the right place to launch her business and was excited to put it on the world stage.
“I saw all the opportunities that were here and it was just waiting for the right time,” Ms Pelagalli said.
“When tourists are looking to travel now in a post-Covid world, they’re looking for real experiences — we don’t want to go to tourist traps anymore.
“They want to feel authentic and part of that community, and Mackay has a great community, it really lends itself to becoming a tourist destination without losing that community feel.”
Russell McCart - Port of Airlie
Former professional yacht racer Mr McCart has developed 2000 apartments, marinas and retirement villages since starting his company Meridien, now known as Pacifica, in 1997, and created and sold 10,000 bed student accommodation business Unilodge in 2013.
Mr McCart announced plans for a $750m Port of Airlie development incorporating more than 350 units plus a resort, transport terminals, marina berths and residential precincts in the early 2000s.
The project was forced into receivership in 2011 after Meridien had already spent about $200m.
Whitsunday Regional Council in February this year approved the Port of Airlie development despite concerns it could ruin views and cause traffic chaos.
The council granted preliminary approval to exceed the statutory 12m height limit on a vacant lot on Port Drive to build three apartment blocks comprising 52 dwellings.
Blake Thomas - Whitsunday Paradise
GRW Group general manager Blake Thomas is the man behind the $400 million-plus master planned Whitsunday Paradise project south of Bowen.
The project would lead to the development of 2000 dwellings for up to 5000 people, an AFL club and a shopping precinct.
It would also add more than $1.1bn to the regional economy and create hundreds of jobs.
The project could also help the region overcome a drastic housing shortage to enable other major projects to proceed.
“We embrace a long-term approach to the creation of large-scale urban communities in the under-served regional areas of Australia,” he said.
“GRW Group’s focus is on developing projects comprising 1000 dwellings or more.
“This enables us to create exceptional masterplanned communities in which residents can work, shop, live healthily and enjoy a wide range of recreational activities during many different stages of their lives.”
Mr Thomas said Bowen had exceptional and unrecognised potential.
“The Whitsundays offers a world class opportunity at an attractive price,” he said.
“We believe the long-term rewards of investing in the region will be significant for both the company and for the community.”
David Argent - Dunes Harbour Beach
After securing a development lease in the Dunes Harbour Beach property almost 20 years ago, national construction, engineering and property company BMD is now transforming the land into waterfront paradise living.
Dunes Harbour Beach project director David Argent, who has been with the company for 16 years, said BMD managed to retain its interest in the site throughout the years, including through the GFC, in the knowledge it was such a unique parcel of land.
“The investment in that property was a nod to Mackay as a strong regional Queensland centre,” Mr Argent said.
“[It was] an opportunity to be part of the community and invest in the community on the back of Mackay’s resources, primary production and tourism industry.”
In March 2021, family-owned and Brisbane based BMD transferred the lease to a freehold title, with the development’s first lots on the market in June.
Mr Argent estimates there will be about 600 lots up for grabs.
“Up to 2000 people will call The Dunes home,” Mr Argent said.
An additional four lots consisting of 2.5ha of land also will be released for commercial use.
Mr Argent said he estimated the project had employed between 20 to 30 permanent workers in the past 18 months and an additional 50 subcontractors and consultants.
While BMD did not have any other projects in Mackay, Mr Argent said they would be keeping an eye out.
“The group would definitely consider further projects if the opportunities arose and it was suitable to our requirements,” Mr Argent said.
Paul Flynn - Making sure coal stays king
Coal extraction and export accounts for a substantial amount of the Mackay region’s gross regional product and one of the Bowen Basin’s most anticipated projects is the $1bn Winchester South project near Moranbah.
Whitehaven Coal CEO Paul Flynn is a key decision-maker behind it.
If the mine is approved, it will be a jobs bonanza for Mackay.
Winchester South boasts JORC reserves of 350Mt.
The mine would produce up to 17Mt of thermal and metallurgical coal annually over a 30-year lifespan and the company calculates 500 jobs would be created during construction and operations.
Tom Daunt - Aldi CEO
Answering Mackay region shoppers’ wishes, Aldi CEO Tom Daunt and his team responsible for bringing the German retailer to Andergrove would likely get a standing ovation the city over.
The retailer has lodged plans with Mackay Regional Council to build a supermarket at Andergrove Lakes in what is believed to be one of the chain’s largest stores.
It is understood ALDI hopes to have the supermarket open by the end of 2022.
The earmarked site is within the newly established Andergrove Lakes precinct on Cutler Dr to which it has frontage as well as Beaconsfield Road East and Superior Boulevard.
The proposed site is bordered by the North Mackay AFL Club and Whitsunday Anglican School to the north, Aqua Park Mackay to the east, and Mackay BMX Reserve, Baptist church and Mackay Gymnastics to the south.“There is currently an existing approval over the land for a 6000sq m GFA retail precinct which includes a 2500sq m supermarket,” documents state.
Nick Williams - Exploration in the Basin
Nick Williams is the founder and managing director of Vitrinite, a young, privately-held Queensland company with assets in the Bowen Basin.
Vitrinite’s $160m Vulcan Mine Complex has been granted federal environmental approvals and it is shaping up to be the next big mine to funnel wealth into the Mackay region.
The project between Moranbah and Dysart will create at least 150 full-time jobs.
It is an open-cut hard coking coal mine and will likely export through the Hay Point Coal Terminal.
The Connors Family - NE Foods
The Connors family enterprise NE Foods has evolved to now incorporate Brynes Good Food Ready to Eat, a cafe and corporate catering business and the latest diversification of an already established brand.
With matriarch Lyn Connors and sons Adrian and Damien Connors at the helm, this family is as Mackay as canefields.
Byrnes Good Food Ready to Eat Andergrove Village opened on February 23, 2022.
They are also in the early stages of upgrading the iconic Byrnes factory in the Mackay CBD.
The Connors can be credited with establishing the foundations of Mackay’s fine dining scene through what is now the Dispensary, a destination not afraid to offer culinary experiments in a city flooded with parmies and steak.
Mark Stockwell - Stockwell
Stockwell managing director Mark Stockwell has been developing the Northern Beaches portion of Mackay for more than 20 years.
“Our projects in this area have been shaped by the growth of the local population and their needs,” he said.
“Through a variety of retail and commercial projects at Northern Beaches Central and Showroom, as well as new offers coming to market, a childcare, Solana Lifestyle Resort and future entertainment and retail precinct, we are helping to provide solutions to answer the growing community demands.”
When asked to outline his development philosophy, Mr Stockwell said the company focused on building wealth for the community.
“We have a strong focus on creating community hubs that not only provide services for the locals but are also focused on building wealth for the community.
“By working with local businesses and people, such as builders, trades, business owners and essential workers, we help to support great local talent and provide economic support to this area that we are invest in.”
He said his vision for the Northern Beaches was to create a vibrant, affordable community that could cater to a person’s entire lifecycle.
“Whether it is childcare to grocery shopping, to exercising at the gym, to living in a naturally beautiful location for your retirement years, Stockwell are committed to the growth of the region and meeting the community needs for shopping choice, service, convenience, and liveability.”
Niki Ramsay and the Reseck Family - McDonald’s
The family that brought the golden arches to the sugar city in 1990 is keeping up the tradition of first jobs and philanthropy.
The McDonald’s empire that began with Ron Reseck is continually expanding with the family’s next generation in Niki Ramsay providing pathways to employment for hundreds of workers, from teens to adults.
The Andergrove store, set to open later this year, will generate 120 jobs – just more than half of the 230 positions to be created in a recruitment drive across the family’s stores in Mackay, the Whitsundays and Bowen.
Greg McKinnon and family - BIG4 Adventure Whitsunday Resort
The McKinnons have won countless awards for their tireless efforts over more than 25 years to transform a half-star property to a 4.5 star industry-leading family destination.
Set among 10ha of landscaped tropical gardens, the highly-popular water slide park is a major feature of the resort.
The family puts its success down to “hard work, passion, great teamwork and a daily focus on creating a special tourism experience”.
Craig Percival - Woollam Constructions
Woollam Constructions has reshaped the region in fundamental ways over many years and Mackay local Craig Percival has helped lead the transformation.
Mr Percival has been with the firm for more than 30 years after starting as a building cadet onsite in 1989.
He has worked for Woollam as a site labourer, foreman, contracts administrator and project manager before taking on the role of managing director in 2015.
The company has had an office in Mackay for more than 60 years and completed many landmark projects including the Mackay Entertainment and Convention Centre, the Botanic Gardens, the Bluewater Lagoon, Bluewater Quay, Mackay stadium and the Quest and Ibis hotels.
Woollam also is one of three businesses that formed ReNew Mackay, a consortium that won the tender to transform the CBD and open up the Pioneer River’s blue water with its $300m vision.
ReNew Mackay’s win on the project’s tender process will propel the consortium’s plan to revive and enliven six city blocks, creating more than 3000 jobs during construction and injecting $70m in economic activity into the region each year.
Another 800 ongoing jobs were also expected.
This year, the firm won a $5.5m council tender in January to take on stage 1 redevelopment of the waterfront.
In the same month, the building firm won a $31.5m tender to build a new hospital in Sarina along Brewers Road.
Mr Percival said Woollam would look to create local jobs and use local sub-contractors from Mackay, Sarina and the Whitsundays for the project.
“We see that as a great way of being able to combat things like the weather and resourcing,” he said.
Harrup Park
Mackay’s grand vision to become a sporting destination in its own right owes much of that success to Harrup Park and its redevelopment.
The $24.2m Great Barrier Reef Arena stage 1 development will include new additions to the arena as well as upgraded existing amenities.
Three men - Harrup Park chairman Terry Doolan, general manager Adrian Young and former CEO Matt Cielens - and the legacy of former Mackay MP Tim Mulherin, are behind the project.
Harrup Park general manager Adrian Young, who spoke at the official sod-turning at the ground, said it was an exciting time to be a sports fan in Mackay.
“Once we’ve got the stage one developments in it’ll be so much easier for elite sporting teams, international or domestic, to come in and play games,” he said.
Stage one of the redevelopment is expected to be complete by late 2022, with a two-level grandstand that can seat 1800 spectators undercover.
The developments will include a plaza on the northern side of the ground, named after late Tim Mulherin for his contribution to the plans.
Facilities for elite players, match officials and broadcast TV crews will also be built, as well as room for an extra 10,000 fans.
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