Businesses leaders plot to break Douglas Shire’s ‘Groundhog Days’
Shire industry
BUSINESS FEATURE
Moves are afoot to relaunch the Chamber of Commerce and “break Groundhog Day” for doing business in Douglas Shire.
The committee is behind a bold last-chance bid to reboot the volunteer-based Douglas Chamber of Commerce to give local operations a chance to reinvent themselves and reinvent how business interacts in the Douglas Shire.
Tuesday, April 14, with an open invitation meeting held in Port Douglas Community Hall, is decision day for the Chamber, the Emergency General Meeting determining if it will continue and then what the evolution could look like.
“The trials and tribulations and difficult economic conditions in the Douglas Shire can seem ever repetitive,’’ committee member Martin Tranter said.
“The mill, the ferry, the rain and transport… the list is long.
“But it is only through positivity and commitment by businesses who are proud of the region and the input they each make to the region - be it a resort, a service business, a retailer or a tradie – that we can collectively improve the economic outlook.’’
Fellow committee member Wade Greasely said it is time to “break the chains and the cycle’’ and business operators could do that by ensuring the concerns of your business and your desire for economic improvement can be made as effectively as possible to the Douglas Shire Council and other governments.
“Come participate in the Chamber of Commerce or its evolution or stand on the side in silence as the rain falls on the region,’’ he said.
“And don’t get put off by the name… it is what the people involved can collectively do that counts.
“From calamity comes opportunity.’’
The Emergency General Meeting of the Douglas Shire Chamber of Commerce will be held at 4.30pm, Tuesday, April 14, at the Port Douglas Community Hall.