Give your business a boost of Vitamin SC (Sunshine Coast) | Digital magazine

ISSUE 2 | 2022

Vitamin SC Give your business a boost of

SUNSHINE COAST

New greenfield CBD

A CITY CENTRE WITH SUNSHINE COAST FLAIR

The HQ with IQ

AN INTELLIGENT COMMUNITY

Fast data

SUBMARINE CABLE DELIVERING OPPORTUNITIES

WATCH THE VITAMIN SC STORY Follow the entertaining story of inner-city manager Cam as he discovers the benefits of locating on the Sunshine Coast – both for the business and for himself.

The videos were produced by Sunshine Coast Council with the help of talented local creatives, producers and actors.

WATCH THE VIDEO SERIES HERE!

June 2022

ACKNOWLEDGEMENT OF TRADITIONAL CUSTODIANS Sunshine Coast Council acknowledges the Kabi Kabi peoples and the Jinibara peoples and recognises that the Sunshine Coast local government area has always been a place of cultural, spiritual, social and economic significance to its Traditional Custodians.

Council is committed to working in partnership with Traditional Custodians and the First Nations community to support selfdetermination through economic and community development.

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS Council wishes to thank all contributors and stakeholders involved in the development of this document.

DISCLAIMER Information contained in this document is based on available data at the time of production. All figures and diagrams are indicative only and should be referred to as such. While Sunshine Coast Regional Council has exercised reasonable care in preparing this document, it does not warrant or represent that it is accurate, reliable, current or complete. The content of this document is not intended to provide specific guidance for particular circumstances and it should not be relied on as the basis for any decision to take action or not to take action on any matter. Users are advised to exercise their own independent skill or judgment or seek professional advice, including legal and financial advice, before relying on the information contained in this document. Except for liability which cannot be excluded, Sunshine Coast Regional Council excludes all liability, injury, loss or damage (including for negligence) incurred by the use of, reliance on, or interpretation of this document. Liability which cannot be legally excluded is limited to the maximum extent possible.

Welcome

As more Australian city businesses look to the regions to establish, relocate or expand, the Sunshine Coast is firmly in the spotlight, with an attractive range of business benefits and lifestyle advantages.

With billions in economic investment underway, lower costs of doing business and the major expansion of the Sunshine Coast Airport, the Sunshine Coast is top of the pack as a smart place for business.

Over the past 15 years, economic growth has outperformed almost every other regional economy, sparking a wave of new residential, commercial and retail development.

Get in touch At Sunshine Coast Council, we’re approachable. For example, you can call us (or we can call you!) about your business location plans.

Did you know that we offer the following services?

• A single point of contact for all of your business enquiries • Concierge tours of key business locations (in real life!)

• Site selection assistance • Business case support • Development approval support • Connections to supportive contacts and networks • Relocation assistance To find out more about business expansion or relocation opportunities on the Sunshine Coast, please do not hesitate to get in touch.

Alex Lever-Shaw Head of Investment Attraction Economic Development Branch | Sunshine Coast Council Email: invest@sunshinecoast.qld.gov.au Phone: +61 407 753 645 Visit our blog page or access a wide array of information online

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Work-life

balance

Develop, grow and succeed.

A

As one of Australia’s most desirable lifestyle locations, the region also offers an enviable work-life balance for business owners and workers.

It’s not uncommon for Sunshine Coast locals to rise with the sun.

Australia’s most tech-savvy regions, the Sunshine Coast is a magnet for big thinkers and innovative

A zest for life is contagious on the

business people.

Coast and carries through to the workforce.

s a business location, the Sunshine Coast offers an unbeatable combination of capital city infrastructure and a famously stunning natural environment.

Now firmly established as one of

The Sunshine Coast already boasts some of Queensland’s best schools

The booming economy is being

and the impressive $300 million

propelled forward by a highly

in education infrastructure

educated, highly motivated

investment currently underway is

workforce and a uniquely

expected to provide a major boost

entrepreneurial culture.

to the region’s educational offering.

300 days of sunshine per year 52km of open coastline 13,000km of water courses 39,835 hectares of national parks, state forests and reserves

1,800 local events annually

However, our early start is not to beat commuter traffic, as is often the case in the city. Rather, you’ll catch locals – from the beach to the hinterland – taking advantage of the big blue skies and beautiful natural environment.

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The finer things in life The Sunshine Coast restaurant

The Sunshine Coast’s craft beer

There is so much to explore on

scene is something special with a

and wine industries are booming.

the Sunshine Coast – from the

range of multicultural cuisines that

relaxed main street of Caloundra

highlight the exceptional flavours

Diverse microclimates allow for

to the European-style cobblestone

found in the region.

a wide range of grape varieties

streets of Montville and the

to flourish and with the perfect

famous Eumundi Markets – each

There is an abundance of freshly

weather to enjoy an ice-cold beer,

area offers its own unique shopping

caught seafood, locally grown

boutique breweries and cellar doors

and dining experience.

produce and a range of gourmet

are popping up all over the region.

food and beverage providores.

BROUHAHA BREWERY

MOOLOOLABA BEACH

EUMUNDI MARKETS

A sustainable, innovative approach

Sunshine Coast beaches

The world famous open air

to craft beer has fuelled the

are some of the best in the

market features art and crafts

expansion of this popular Maleny-

world. Mooloolaba Beach is a

from local artisans, great

based brewery. They’re planning to

spectacular example and has a

coffee and juices and delicious

build a second venue in Caloundra.

buzzing beachfront esplanade.

street food.

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Sunshine Coast

Major Projects

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A new CBD with Sunshine Coast flair M

aroochydore City Centre aims to be Australia’s first truly smart city – just 10 minutes from the Sunshine Coast Airport and 20 milliseconds from Asia through the new broadband submarine cable.

Image: Aerial view, Maroochydore City Centre, September 2021

The first commercial building, Foundation Place, is already completed and fully tenanted and the Holiday Inn Express Hotel and Suites, opened May 2022.

New construction projects are underway, including another two residential towers, a second commercial building and Sunshine

Master-planned from the ground

Coast Council’s City Hall.

up, the new CBD will offer capital city infrastructure and has been

The Queensland Government

designed for the Sunshine Coast

approved Priority Development

lifestyle, with almost 18 hectares

Area is being delivered by

of parklands and waterways.

Walker Corporation, SunCentral Maroochydore Pty Ltd and

The multi-billion-dollar greenfield

SMART CITY

Sunshine Coast Council.

CBD will feature a mix of commercial, retail, residential and

The Maroochydore City Centre

dining precincts.

benefits from close proximity

The new Maroochydore City Centre will be embedded with smart technology, creating a cleaner, greener, dynamic city.

Australia’s first CBD-scale underground automated waste collection system Energy-saving LED lights throughout the CBD Free Wi-Fi in streets, parks and plazas Smart signage with live travel information for pedestrians Smartphone apps will guide drivers to the nearest parking space

to Sunshine Coast Airport, the Bruce Highway and the national rail network.

The Sunshine Coast’s unique

150 photographs

design philosophy has been

showcasing special

captured in a spectacular hard

places and examples

cover book called Sunshine

of well-designed

Coast Design.

buildings, streets and spaces on the Sunshine

The book was the result

Coast.

of extensive community engagement and collaboration and features more than

DESIGN BOOK ONLINE 7

Fast data I

n late 2021, ASX listed NEXTDC purchased the Sunshine Coast International Broadband Cable Landing Station from Sunshine Coast Council to create the SC1 Edge data centre.

Located in the heart of

data speeds, reduced risk and lower

Maroochydore, the data centre

costs.

provides a direct link to high-speed data via the Sunshine Coast’s

With a total planned capacity of

international submarine cable.

1MW, SC1 supports the highest levels of customer availability and

Data hungry businesses of all sizes

is backed by a service guarantee of

are expected to benefit from faster

100% uptime.

GOT TO LOVE THAT CABLE! Watch video two in the Vitamin SC (Sunshine Coast) series, in which city-based manager Cam is pleasantly surprised by the Sunshine Coast’s superfast data connection to Asia and the US.

WATCH THE VIDEO HERE! 8

Booming health T

he health and wellbeing industry is booming on the Sunshine Coast, propelled by the $5 billion Sunshine Coast Health Precinct which is Australia’s largest health infrastructure project currently being developed.

The Sunshine Coast’s growing

•

Sunshine Coast University Hospital

•

Sunshine Coast Health Institute

•

Sunshine Coast University Private Hospital

•

Health Hub

•

Birtinya Town Centre

population is driving demand for health and wellbeing services and the industry is the region’s largest employer.

The precinct offers an appealing range of opportunities for health industry businesses, innovators and entrepreneurs.

VITALITY VILLAGE Vitality Village is a five-storey health space which opened mid-2021. The space is designed for businesses in health service delivery, research, education and innovation.

The building is more than 70% leased but opportunities are still available. Visit Vitality Village Image credit: Lucy RC Photography

online.

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Flying high T

he Sunshine Coast provides exciting and diverse opportunities in the Australasian aviation and aerospace market and is already home to a thriving aviation industry.

Bonza routes subject to regulatory approval

The expanded airport is providing more ways for businesses to thrive.

•

Increased domestic and international routes.

The Sunshine Coast Airport’s new

•

development opportunities.

international runway has elevated the facility to a world-class, fullyserviced aviation precinct.

Prime airside and landside

•

Emerging food and beverage manufacturing hub, Turbine.

BONZA! Australia’s newest airline, Bonza, is establishing its HQ at Sunshine Coast Airport from mid-2022.

EASY RETURN FLIGHTS, LESS TRAFFIC! Watch video three in the Vitamin SC (Sunshine Coast) series, in which the Sunshine Coast team encourages a New Zealand client to visit for a face to face meeting.

WATCH THE VIDEO HERE! 10

The HQ with IQ I

nnovation thrives on the Sunshine Coast. It is part of the fabric of the business community and is why the region has been named a global Smart21 Intelligent Community in eight out of the last nine years.

The region boasts a deeply

SUNSHINE COAST INNOVATORS… Report significant increase in sales from new products and introduced services, compared to the rest of the country Report higher business performance

52% introduced new innovations in 2020 100% use digital business practices

rooted collaborative culture and a network of like-minded people

and partnerships that develop

who are quick to embrace new

fresh perspectives and solve

businesses and enthusiastically

problems.

welcome new entrepreneurs.

The new international broadband network and significant

Investment in innovation extends

investment in infrastructure

Accelerators, coworking spaces,

beyond the startups. The region

and major projects is attracting

incubator events and meetups

is already home to a wide range

innovators, digital entrepreneurs

foster a culture of collaboration

of businesses that are leaders in

and tech-savvy businesses.

their field.

The broadband network provides the fastest Australian east coast connection to Asia and is a unique selling proposition for global data intensive companies that might be reconsidering the best location for their Australian investments.

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SUNSHINE COAST INNOVATORS

leading the way AMBROSE BUILDING

275% faster with automation technology

Its business philosophy is centred

I

f there was a best and ‘fastest’ award it would certainly go to Ambrose Building. Headquartered on the Sunshine Coast, Ambrose Building is one of Australia’s largest insurance property repairers and a local success story ... thanks to its innovative technology.

The family owned and operated

on creating great experiences for

through real time information

customers, trades and staff.

sharing and process automation.

And the company’s state-of-

By automating manual,

the-art technology makes that

administrative tasks Ambrose

possible. The custom-built apps

Building staff have more time to

and job management software

focus on customers; reducing

are all designed to make the

costs and keeping projects on

repair process easier for everyone

track for fast completion.

“[Our technology] provides us with the ability to respond to 15,000 claims a year across

business manages thousands of

Queensland and it gives us the speed and

property repair claims each year.

efficiencies that are needed to respond to

Its custom-built software platform

large volumes of work in natural disasters.”

allows it to automate 80,000 processes every day, resulting in 275% faster turnaround times!

MANAGING DIRECTOR, BRETT AMBROSE

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OPEN INSURANCE

How the Sunshine Coast became an international launch pad

F

ive years ago, two

colleagues from the consulting industry had a vision to create a fundamentally better insurance company. One that used data and artificial intelligence (AI) to make decisions.

That idea was the genesis for Open

Buck says the decision was made

“COVID has changed all sorts

easier by the Sunshine Coast

of expectations about where

Council’s plans to develop the

people live and work,” Wilby

region’s commercial infrastructure.

says. “And the Sunshine Coast is an incredibly attractive place for

“Sunshine Coast Council’s vision

anybody. Having that office is an

is not something I had seen

important part of our overall value

anywhere else,” Buck says. “This

proposition.”

was a place where we felt that our teams and other people from

The focus on quality of life is

our business would feel excited

also demonstrated by Open’s

to work.”

certification as a B Corporation,

Insurance, which in September

which reflects the company’s

2021 became the latest Australian

Since relocating its customer

ambition to meet the highest

fintech to attract the attention of

service team to an office

standards of verified social and

international venture capitalists.

overlooking Lake Kawana, Open has

environmental performance,

seen other team members choose

public transparency, and legal

Co-founders Jason Wilby and

to relocate to the Sunshine Coast,

accountability to balance profit

Jonathon Buck were introduced

including a senior product manager.

and purpose.

to the Economic Development

The Sunshine Coast team now

team at Sunshine Coast Council

numbers close to 30, with as many

and were impressed by both the

as 20 more expected to join them

quality of the Sunshine Coast’s

in the next 12 months.

Read the full article as seen on SmartCompany.

infrastructure and the skills and attitude of its workforce.

“We saw an opportunity to take what was largely a technology business into an area that was experiencing substantial economic growth and established insurance expertise and build a team that was going to be very happy and customer-centric,” Wilby says.

Image: The Open Insurance leadership team

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HELIMODS

Redefining aerospace

World-leading aerospace company on yet another expansion path

T

he world-leading Sunshine Coast aerospace company, HeliMods is investing $10.3 million to expand its operation at Caloundra Airport.

The expansion of the largescale state-of-the-art aircraft manufacturing and modification facility will allow the business to

skilled workforce are in specialist technical roles and as the business grows so will the need for technology-enabled roles.

The business has a growing list of

The Sunshine Coast is already

projects for civil clients and with

home to a thriving aviation industry

the expanded facility, HeliMods will

and offers exciting and diverse

be in a strong position to bid on

opportunities for players in the

high value defence contracts.

aviation and aerospace market.

Investment in technology and

The added investment at Caloundra

people is critical to the continued

Airport will make the region more

success of HeliMods. More

attractive for players in the high

than half of the dynamic, highly

value aviation industry.

accelerate its growth and become a major player in the aerospace and defence industries.

HeliMods uses cutting edge technology to customise helicopters to support missions like firefighting, law enforcement

“I believe the Sunshine Coast is capable of hosting the most advanced and technology intensive industries in the world.”

WILL SHRAPNEL, HELIDMODS FOUNDER

and medical rescue.

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Unbeatable location F

amous for its superb natural environment and healthy, smart communities, it’s no surprise the Sunshine Coast is also now one of the strongest commercial property markets in Australia.

Click here to watch a virtual tour of Sunshine Coast businesses.

The region is home to more than

According to CBRE’s Sunshine

344,000 people and expected to

Coast Market Review released

grow to 518,000 by 2041.

August 2021, the Sunshine Coast remains one of the strongest real estate markets in Australia and shows no signs of weakening.

Get your free copy of the

“Data indicates the region has

Sunshine Coast Commercial

become the hottest office market

Property Guide 2022, a showcase

in Queensland, has an unmatched

of the region’s prime office,

demand for industrial land and that

commercial and retail locations.

residential sales across the region are at record highs.”

DOWNLOAD GUIDE

I FINALLY GET IT! Watch the final video in the Vitamin SC series, when city manager Cam surprises everyone by arriving in person at a Sunshine Coast team meeting. And he’s not just visiting! Dragging suitcases behind him, he declares “I finally get it, I’m here to stay.”

WATCH THE VIDEO HERE! 15

The smart place for business The Sunshine Coast is regarded as a national lifestyle location with its amazing weather, vibrant culture, welcoming communities and innovative businesses.

Both Sunshine Coast Council and Queensland Government provide assistance to help navigate government requirements and streamline access to new investment and business development opportunities.

Sunshine Coast Council welcomes and supports the growth of local businesses and the establishment of new ones in the region. Council support services for business include: •

A single entry point for service

•

Business case development support

•

Site selection assistance and relocation advice

•

Incentives and assistance

•

Connections with government and industry bodies and access to international market information

Contact an investment specialist For a confidential discussion on the opportunities available, contact an investment specialist at Sunshine Coast Council.

Email: invest@sunshinecoast.qld.gov.au Phone: +61 407 753 645 Access a wide array of information online, including local success stories, programs available to local businesses and the latest in local industry news. invest.sunshinecoast.qld.gov.au

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