TESTIMONIAL Facilitating Skills Attraction & Destination Marketing of International Education   
…. CCE has been instrumental in promoting SUNED to government bodies and the local community and providing extensive administrative assistance. The promotion and support received from CCE, through access of resources, sponsorship, guidance with marketing strategies and the development of alliances has been invaluable…  

Anne Jacobsen
Chair SunED

TESTIMONIAL
Strategic Support to the Tourism Industry  
Since its formation, Caloundra City Enterprises has worked closely with Caloundra Tourism.   While Caloundra Tourism’s charter is to market Caloundra as a tourism destination, Caloundra City Enterprises plays an important, complementary role in facilitating the development of new tourism infrastructure. Tourism, at 16 per cent, is the major contributor to the Gross Product of the area, but we consider it important for the viability of a robust local economy that the diversity of contributing industries continues to grow and strengthen.Caloundra City Enterprises, in a few short years, has played a significant role in this regard.  

Michael WilkinsonChairmanCaloundra Tourism 16^th June 2008    

TESTIMONIAL
Support to Rural Enterprise
On behalf of the members and Executive Committee of Maleny Commerce, the new trading entity of the Maleny & District Chamber of Commerce & Industry Inc, we would like to extend our sincere appreciation for the financial, logistic and moral support provided by Caloundra City Enterprises in the rollout and implementation of new business plan designed to drive business sustainability in the hinterland. Without the support of CCE it is doubtful that many of the strategies would have been able to have been acted on so urgently or effectively, and we as a Chamber would not have achieved the momentum we have, solely with our own resources.  

Geoff Butler
Vice President Maleny Chamber of Commerce

TESTIMONIAL
Community Engagement &Building Capacity in Chambers of Commerce  …
CCE is a valued partner in building the reach and performance of Kawana Chamber of Commerce…Our Chamber sees a stronger future for Chambers in Sunshine Coast . We are assisted in this vision by the energy of our members and the help of a partner like CCE…  

Maks Maskan
President Kawana Chamber of Commerce

Our AGM provides a time for reflection, and a time to celebrate the contribution of our company to the community of Caloundra, and to the wider Sunshine Coast region.  As Chair of Caloundra City Enterprises, now trading as Sunshine Coast Enterprises, I would like to thank my fellow Directors, past and present for the volunteer commitment of their time and energy, and the unstinting belief in the future of Caloundra and Sunshine Coast as a prosperous and sustainable lifestyle region. I would also like to acknowledge the support of Sunshine Coast Regional Council, including the professional support of individual officers, and the assistance of our Councillor Board representatives. Each individual has contributed in a positive way to moving forward in a year of changing economic circumstance and changing governance structures. 

A Challenging Year
2007/08 was a very challenging year for the company, due to the uncertainty generated by the Government’s announcement in April 2007 of the impending Council amalgamation.  The absence of job security in Local Government owned corporate entities resulted in the loss of all three of our staff members by January 2008.  The future of the Caloundra City Enterprises beyond 30 June 2008 also remained in doubt as we awaited direction from the new Council. We did not resolve from the task; our Board of Directors believe in the model for economic development pioneered by the former Council, so we kept our shoulders to the wheel during this process of transition. 

Losing Staff But Keeping Momentum
With the resignation of Ross Haby as CEO in January, Gerrie Carr-MacFie was seconded by the former Caloundra City Council to the part-time role of Interim CEO, at the same time retaining her role as the Council’s Economic Development Policy Manager.  The arrangement was that Gerrie would work in the CCE role for, nominally, three days per week. In fulfilling this “contract” Gerrie has demonstrated an outstanding personal commitment and has achieved considerable success, despite being unable to employ any permanent support staff until September 2008, when guaranteed base funding for 2008/09 was facilitated through the new Sunshine Coast Regional Council. Despite the dramatic changes to staffing, the achievements in 2007/08 have been many. Our ‘Calendar of Success’ contained in our Annual Report highlights the business support services and strategic projects that have kept our board fully functional and fully committed. Overall I am proud to say that Sunshine Coast Enterprises has used our base Council-derived funding as leverage to gain additional corporate and government grant monies for initiatives that are making a positive contribution to our community. 

Garnering More Dollars For Strategic Projects
In the past year we were privileged to work closely with business and corporates through the Caloundra Futures Forum. CFF focused on issues such as housing affordability, sustainability indicators, and employment and training needs for the new Sunshine Coast University Hospital. The corporate members of the Caloundra Futures Forum reached into their own pockets to fund these initiatives. I am proud to say that SCE garnered extra funding to enable the development of projects such as our mentoring program “Growing Creative Business”. SCE accepted Council funding of $35,000 and used this as the trigger to garner additional partnership funding to develop and deliver a training and mentoring program. SCE put together a project with an estimated value of $772,000. Of course we are hugely appreciative of the Australian Government commitment of $300,000 to this project.  

Working Smarter And Working Harder
SCE projects demonstrate what can be done collectively when business, community and government work collaboratively. Our reduced staffing saw us work smarter and collaborate more widely with our stakeholders including our local Chambers of Commerce, and the team at Department of Tourism Regional Development & Industry. As Chair I can only speculate that much more could have been achieved if it had been possible to hire permanent replacement staff several months earlier.  However, at the end of the year with enthusiastic new staff and a Board that is willing to step up and push harder to ensure we weather the economic downturn that is brewing I know we can continue to deliver value-for-money outcomes. 

Good Governance - Responsible Financial Management
SCE prides itself on responsible financial management. We ended the year with an operating surplus of $123,835.00, the majority of which represented the balance of an AusIndustry advance for the ongoing delivery of our Growing Creative Business Project, and funds held and administered on behalf of our other project commitments such as enterprise clusters including SunED. All of the company’s activities remain driven by an outcomes focus, while respecting proper process. Over the past months Gerrie has developed and instituted protocols documented in our Good Governance Guide. We have registered the business name “Sunshine Coast Enterprises” and the company is now trading under this name. 

Strengthening the Manufacturing Sector And Cluster Development
While our main focus remains the “South” segment of the Sunshine Coast region, a number of our programs and services are being delivered across the whole region.Our current and planned activities for the balance of 2008/09 and beyond are ambitious but well within our reach. They include working with industry enterprise clusters to build business connectedness that will see increased self-containment of employment, goods and services within our region. We are honing in on the manufacturing sector, leveraging off the excellent infrastructure in industrial estate capacity in the Caloundra area. We aim to work with other stakeholders in growing a diverse and high performing local and regional economy. 

Strengthening Our Board
While the company has received its full 2008/09 budget allocation from the Council, the Board is aware that the company’s future is currently under review in the context of a full review of the role and structure of the Council’s Economic Development Function.  The Board is hopeful that the Council will see that CCE can fill a very useful value-adding role in the new structure. As we commence a new year the Board is seeking applicants for appointment as new Directors, to replace those who have resigned over the past 12 months.  As sole shareholder, the Sunshine Coast Regional Council will be involved in the appointment process. 

Our Board & StaffLast but by no means least; I acknowledge the commitment of our board members, and staff who are so ably led by Gerrie Carr-MacFie as CEO.  It is only through skilled and highly committed board membership and staff that Sunshine Coast Enterprises has been able to “punch above its weight” so effectively.  

Bill McDonald
Chairman
November 2008

SCE Board of Directors 2007 - 2008 

Bill McDonald – Chairman
Mr McDonald, a retired senior executive/accountant, has over 30 years experience in Brisbane-based senior management roles in the private sector.

Stephen Dittmann - Mr Dittmann is Owner-Manager of Bank of Queensland's Maleny Branch, and is the President of Maleny & District Chamber of Commerce.

Max Maksan - Mr Maksan is the founder/owner of Naskam Security, a national business and the largest security firm operating on the Sunshine Coast.  He is also a member of the Kawana Waters Chamber of Commerce and Industry.

Tony Long - Mr Long is the Chairman of the Quad Park Corporation, and a member of a number of regional infrastructure planning organisations.  He has formal qualifications and experience in town planning.

Ron Piper - Mr Piper has a civil engineering background.  He has over 25 years experience in corporate, programme and project management roles in both the private and public sectors.  He has a strong reputation in the development industry regionally and within the state. 

Don Smith - Mr Smith is a community based representative with strong connections to not-for-profit initiatives occurring in the Caloundra area of the Sunshine Coast. He has a long record of achievement as an elected representative in local government having served as a Councillor and Deputy Mayor of the former Caloundra City Council.

Cr Anna Grosskreutz - Cr Grosskreutz has the Social Strategy portfolio and is a member of the General, and Strategy and Planning Committees at Council.  She has close community ties and has been a civil celebrant over many years. 

Cr Tim Dwyer - Cr Dwyer is currently Deputy Mayor of the Sunshine Coast Regional Council and has the Corporate Planning and Performance portfolio.  Cr Dwyer is also a member of the General, and Organisational Performance Committees at Council.  The Dwyer family has a long history associated with business in Caloundra and the Sunshine Coast.

TESTIMONIAL
Working in Partnership 
.... Caloundra Chamber worked tirelessly to support the establishment of CCE…. CCE has delivered on the promise…. 

Loretta Searchfield
President Caloundra Chamber of Commerce

TESTIMONIALS
Growing Business Capability
“CONGRATULATIONS!!!! ... I enjoyed your recent network event. What a wonderful concept. ... I was amazed at the opportunities which were created in such short period of time.” “It's all a very positive step forward in so many ways for communities as a whole, no matter how big or small...” “... congratulate you and the team ... on the very successful networking evening yesterday.  It was very professionally run and well worth-while.” 

Participants Speed Dating Event
24 September 2008  

Managing change has been the focus of our organisation in 2008. The year commenced with local government amalgamation casting a long shadow over Caloundra City Enterprises Pty Ltd. In January 2008 the departure of all key personnel proved a challenge. I took up the CEO position backed by a resolute Council, and an unwavering volunteer Board of Directors. I have been assisted in the role by the leadership of a Chairman with formidable commitment to ensuring Caloundra and the Sunshine Coast move forward positively in this period of local transition and global economic upheaval. 

Organisational Change
My first duties as CEO revolved around instituting stronger governance procedures, facilitating a change of company registration, and managing staff attrition. Then there was a new business training programme to deliver to 100 businesses across the Sunshine Coast. I thank our service providers Mark and Jeanette Jones of Trac Consulting for assisting the delivery of a successful partnership project.

Notwithstanding the governance and administrative duties the mandate from Council and from the Board was clear-‘Business as usual’ was the mantra uttered by all stakeholders.  So Sunshine Coast Enterprises has quietly gone about getting on with the job. We have re-branded the company as Sunshine Coast Enterprises, and we have worked hard to ensure that our stakeholders understand the important relationship between Council as the company shareholder, and industry as strategic partners. My colleagues at Council, the Chair and Board members, have all contributed to delivering better business support services and stronger governance. At SCE we have innovated, managed our responsibilities, and deepened our engagement with business and community. We have procedures documented in our Good Governance Guide, and service level agreements to deliver new projects. I thank Karen Rixon and Pushpa Prem for the role they played through part-time administrative support in the early days of moving CCE forward. 

Business Support Services
I can advise SCE is achieving practical and much appreciated outcomes particularly in supporting the small to medium enterprise sector through one- on-one and group delivered support services. Our pool of 35 trained volunteer small business mentors has given time and energy to Growing Creative Business. Our local Chambers of Commerce have enthusiastically embraced our Alliance initiatives .  Individual and partnership testimonials indicate SCE has moved forward in 2008 delivering practical results through Business Support Services. Sunshine Coast Enterprises has entered the post amalgamation period with a changed mantra-“New Business better than usual”.

Innovation
In the past six months we have been innovative in delivering on performance outcomes. In collaboration with colleagues within Council and external agencies, and our local Chambers we have laid foundations to grow a stronger and more diverse local and regional economy. Council’s Executive Director Strategy & Planning Warren Bunker has assisted this process of change.  

Building A Team
At Sunshine Coast Enterprises it has been a year of change with a new name, a new team, and a focus on collaborative projects and sme development. This has been driven by the formation of the Sunshine Coast Regional Council, and a new Federal Government. The process of instituting a changed regional and small business development agenda and funding programmes, lies outside the control of SCE. We have focussed on what is in our control. As such in the past months SCE has worked to build business support services. Lack of staffing was addressed with operational funding into our accounts in September 2008 leveraging two new team members in Janny Stacey and Kris Barnes. They have shared the workload admirably. 

Moving Forward
As the transition of government at Federal and Local level progresses, the Board is motivated to push the ‘bigger picture’ strategic items. As CEO I look forward to working across agencies and government-together we can build a stronger platform for responsible economic growth that will create intergenerational lifestyle advantage for Caloundra and our region. The input of the Board and our Councillor representatives will ensure we remain on target. 

As the 2008 year closes Sunshine Coast Enterprises continues to work in partnership to ensure a future that will position Sunshine Coast as Australia’s most sustainable region-green, vibrant and diverse.  

Gerrie Carr-MacFie
Chief Executive Officer
Sunshine Coast Enterprises

                                
                                 SCE TEAM
                                 Janny Stacey, Kris Barnes, Gerrie Carr-MaFie