New Chamber offers fresh perspective

The chamber’s vision is clear – to help grow the region to its full potential by fostering collaborative business leadership, engaging the community, and garnering government support. Their approach involves focusing on areas that will have a significant impact on the community, aligning their efforts with their core purpose.

One of the standout features of the new Chamber is the inclusion of John Crothers as a paid staff member. With his vast experience in the healthcare industry and involvement in various industry bodies, he brings a wealth of knowledge and connections to the chamber.

“The investment of John as paid staff member allows him to go beyond the realms of what the other committee members can do,” Mr Druce said.

“With members being busy business owners, having a dedicated resource like John ensures a more extensive reach and better support for the business community.”

The new Corowa Business Chamber has identified several key focus areas crucial for the region’s growth and prosperity.

These include infrastructure and development, regional collaboration, agriculture, industry, retail, and hospitality, events, tourism, and sports, training, education, and support, business chamber governance, marketing and communication, and networking and membership engagement.

“There’s has been historic feedback that the chamber was just focused on Sanger Street, which is so far from where we sit now- which you can see from our pillars,” Mr Crothers said.

“An interesting area we have included is agriculture which one of our committee members Craig Waldron is facilitating.

“Agriculture is our biggest GDP. We’ve already had some interesting conversations with people in that space and we will be promoting locally sourced products, whether it’s the local grain which Dean uses in his whisky, Jillamatong Lamb, or other innovative agricultural practices. And even focussing on it from a tourist point of view.”

The business chamber’s emphasis on collaboration and engagement is expected to create a positive impact on businesses, the community, and the overall growth of the region.

“Our goals extend beyond Corowa, with plans to work closely with neighbouring communities such as Rutherglen, Wahgunyah, Howlong, and Chiltern,” Mr Druce said.

“And we already have a blueprint… we can draw inspiration from the success of the Albury Wodonga business chambers’. Look at how well they work together- they are a powerhouse. There is no reason why we can’t do the same on a smaller scale.”

From Mr Crothers’ perspective, attracting visitors from Melbourne holds immense importance for the Corowa region’s future and development.

“Our competition isn’t local,” he said. It is to a small extent Albury-Wodonga, Yarrawonga, Mulwala and Wangaratta. But people from Melbourne who might travel up here can also go to the Mornington Peninsular, South Australia, Bendigo or Echuca… we’ve got to look at why they need to come here.

“It’s early days, but that’s why it’s important for us to think beyond Corowa and explore the idea of a regional name.”

Mr Crothers acknowledged the current challenges faced by the local business community, and how the chamber can play a fundamental role working towards leveraging the region’s assets.

“We’ve got challenges with housing and challenges of industry expansion,” he said.

“The footy club is the tip of the iceberg. The development side, expanding our region, is one of our biggest priorities to try and support.

“We want to also look at our assets, like the airport, Ball Park, or the race club for example, and asking how we make those shine.

“Additionally, the engagement with high schools and vocational programs is important. Investing in the younger generation and providing them with tangible experiences in the business world will undoubtedly shape the future of the region. How do we as the business community take a greater role in improving what we are offering in Corowa.”

Mr Druce is quick to acknowledge that change won’t happen overnight, and it will require support and engagement from the broader business community.

“There’s a lot of enthusiasm on the new board, but that enthusiasm will disappear without support,” he said.

“For so long we’ve had a business community that is more focussed on their internal business rather than the collective. Hopefully we can change that.

“When you strip back what’s happening in this whole region, it’s an amazing place to live. There’s an amazing wealth of knowledge, amazing businesses, the community groups we’ve got are really strong.”