Why support for business owners is major key to town invigoration project

With Inland Rail and the Acciona Wind Farm in the pipeline, the next 12 months will be important for businesses across the Darling Downs. Here is how one group is supporting their town.

Businesses in Inglewood will have more opportunities for networking and professional development thanks to a small group of businesses advocating for the Goondiwindi Chamber of Commerce to extend their services to the Inglewood area.

Goondiwindi business owners have banded together in support of their neighbours to the east, advocating for Inglewood businesses to be included in the Goondiwindi Chamber of Commerce in order to invigorate small businesses.

After the old Inglewood Chamber of Commerce was disbanded, businesses were left without an advocate or support network close to home.

A town meeting in Inglewood reflected the need for support for small business owners, so the Chamber unanimously voted to include Inglewood businesses in the organisation.

Chamber president David Turner said businesses would soon be able to reap the benefits of opportunities like the Inland Rail and Acciona wind farm.

“This is a chance for Inglewood and Goondiwindi businesses to work together more closely and to nurture greater economic success across the region as a whole,” he said.

Leftover funds from the Inglewood Chamber will be used to offer businesses a free 12-month membership to the Goondiwindi Chamber.

Goondiwindi Regional Council mayor Lawrence Springborg said the next 12 months would be important for business owners as they continue to recover from last year’s events.

“Council has encouraged Inglewood businesses to take the lead in how they wanted to progress, whether it was to reinvigorate the old Inglewood Chamber, merge with the Goondiwindi Chamber, or look at other options,” he said.

“The Inglewood Chamber of Commerce certainly was an incredibly successful and functional organisation in its time and I’d like to take this opportunity to thank all those who have been involved over the years.”

The Goondiwindi Chamber is planning to host one ‘Business Breakfast’ and one ‘Meet My Business’ event in Inglewood over the next year, with an information session about the Acciona wind farm already lined up for later this month.

Interested businesses should get in touch with the Goondiwindi Chamber directly on [e-mail] or [phone].