Coast businessman shines as new stores loom on horizon

A Coast businessman said his drive to “make a change” has lead him to success with former MKR contestant Scott Gooding.

James McGovern and Scott Gooding celebrating the opening of The Good Place Kawana in July. Picture: Supplied.

Starting his career as an owner of a Red Rooster store at 19, a Coast businessman said his drive to "make a change" has lead him to success with former MKR contestant Scott Gooding.

Good Place Kawana co-founder James McGovern has come a long way from his humble beginnings as a 14-year-old Red Rooster kitchen hand and is looking forward to opening three new venues in Caloundra, Brisbane and Sydney after unveiling a Kawana-based cafe in July.

With a "business with kindness" mantra the health food cafe sources sustainable and ethical ingredients for its menu and only uses local suppliers such as Forage Farms, Voodoo Bacon, Sunshine Coast Organic Meats, Suncoast Fresh and more.

Mr McGovern said he was driven by his ambition to make a change through his community and environmental values.

"Our mantra is what helps me get up in the morning and what drives me from day to day, I really genuinely enjoy what I do," he said.

"It's a bit of an unhealthy obsession, I have this drive that I need to succeed and to now have that combined with a cause and something I believe can make the world a better place has just compounded that obsession.

"It's not just about me, it's about what impact I can make on community and what impact it can make environmentally and where it can go from there, nationally and even globally."

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As a teenager the Coast local moved up the ranks at Red Rooster and bought his first restaurant at 19 before building the Nutrition Station from one to 30 cafes as a 25-year-old CEO and co-director.

 

The Good Place sources sustainable and ethical ingredients for its menu. Picture: Supplied.

Mr McGovern teamed up with MKR semi-finalist Mr Gooding over a mutual passion for nutrition to create The Good Place, a 100 per cent gluten-free venue.

The pair committed to using its neighbours as suppliers - including Maleny Dairies, Walker Seafoods Mooloolaba, Your Mates Brewery and more but were forced to close the store when COVID hit.

"We were only open for two weeks before the nationwide shutdown in March," Mr McGovern said.

When the cafe reopened three months later it went above and beyond to engage the community and support local businesses and recently took out the community category of the inaugural Smart Company Australia Resilience Awards.

They engaged with the chamber of commerce, organised tours on supplier's farms and teamed up with Buddina Community Garden and planted two garden beds to grow produce for the cafe.

 

The Good Place was recognised in the Smart Company Australia Resilience Awards. Picture: Supplied.

Mr McGovern said the win was just as much a credit to the Sunshine Coast community as it was to his business.

"Being located at a shopping centre with significantly slower foot traffic, we knew takeaways weren't going to be enough to keep us afloat."

"However, local businesses - especially gyms became such loyal supporters and advocates of our brand. Really without the continued support of these businesses as well as sporting clubs and community groups, there's no way we could have done it."

He said the COVID-19 pandemic reinforced the hyper local and hyper regional business model.

"The last six months wasn't really a super conscious decision to be doing all these things it was just something that we thought was needed," he said.

"That period really highlighted the positive side of community, people really got out and supported one another.

"So, we are trying to build a Sunshine Coast region where we can have a few venues all using local suppliers engaging local businesses and use that as a model for other areas that we want to grow into."

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