ABOUT 60 people attended a chamber of commerce-sponsored meeting held to help business better combat the impact of a tighter marketplace.
Port Macquarie Hastings Council’s economic development officer, Trevor Sargeant, addressed the meeting and outlined some of the challenges facing business.
“There are many challenges that face Wauchope businesses and I would like to recommend a way forward for your consideration,” Mr Sargeant said in his address.
“In the current business environment the consumer is better educated than ever before and locally our agricultural production is not as strong as it once was.
“And this is significant in regards to Wauchope as it has traded itself as the service centre to the rural community very successfully in the past.
“So the success of the CBD was linked to the success of the rural community.
“However, Wauchope reliance on being a service-oriented centre is not sustainable in economic development terms.
“On the statistics we have, 30% of the population based west of the Pacific Highway currently go elsewhere to work. This also has significant implications for Wauchope because this presents these residents with the opportunity to shop outside the Wauchope area.”
Despite these grim statistics, Mr Sargeant said that Wauchope had a terrific opportunity to capitalize on developments – such as Sovereign Hills – through diversity.
“Wauchope has a great spirit … and our ability to spin-off from Port Macquarie developments is one of your biggest opportunities,” he said.
He said needed to develop what he termed a high performance business community that fostered and nurtured entrepreneurs and promoted entrepreneurship.
He said business should specialize in niche marketing of their products but be receptive to immediate change to meet the needs of their customer base.
“I wonder if Wauchope can establish its own distinctiveness,” he said.
“What is heritage value worth to Wauchope and is that something to consider into the future.
“We need to focus on that distinctiveness – including Timbertown – and not fall to the ‘me-twoism’ of neighbouring centres.”
“Council has run a very successful program called economic gardeners and I would urge the chamber to become a driver for this in the Wauchope community.”