When former President of Business New England, Aileen McDonald, was appointed to the NSW Parliament in 2022, Business New England – the chamber of commerce that advocates for business in the Armidale Regional Council area – collapsed shortly after.
Multiple attempts to get things going again have struggled in the years since, but things seem to have turned the corner with a gathering at Petersen’s Winery on Thursday night proposing to set the Armidale and Guyra business communities on fire.
The Armidale Regional Chamber of Commerce has now been formally re-established, with Janine Bear as the President, and Emma Davis as Secretary.
Bear and Davis met at church, and what began as an conversation about throwing a party for local business leaders has quickly grown into an ambitious proposal for a very active Chamber.
FIRE – Financially Igniting Regional Enterprise – is the name chosen for the new Chamber’s campaign activity, spearheaded by Bear, who has ambitious ideas about how to really get things going in our local business community. The plans include the creation of nine volunteer committees, each designed to harness local expertise and give members clear opportunities to participate. The new committees are: Business and Education, Membership, Advocacy, Regional Development, International Trade, Events and Membership Experience, Enterprise Growth, Partnership Opportunity, and Community Impact.
Bear said the committees were essential to delivering a modern, functional Chamber that reflects the diversity of Armidale’s business community. She emphasised that all members, including small operators, have an equal role to play.
“Leave the ego at home. Bring your solutions,” she said.
Alongside the committees, the Chamber is rolling out a busy program of events designed to connect businesses, boost visibility, and strengthen local networks. The flagship monthly event, Business After Hours, will be held on the last Thursday of each month, with hosting opportunities offered to enterprise-level members and others in the business community. These evenings, held from 5pm to 7pm, will give local businesses a great opportunity for networking and building business connections.
Responding to strong interest from local businesswomen, the Chamber will also introduce a Women’s Lunch every two months, giving female business leaders dedicated networking and support opportunities.
A high-level speaker breakfast every six months is planned, offering members access to experienced industry figures and policy voices. There will also be an annual membership event, described as a “big blowout”, and a steady program of free and paid education and training from local experts, financial specialists, and marketing professionals.
She has also already put the new chamber’s “leaders circle” on the Mayor’s calendar, with a planned meeting in March next year, giving members an opportunity to discuss the results of a local business survey and discuss ways to improve the relationships between council and the business community.
Bear, who has a long background in business and commercial real estate in the US before love brought her to Armidale, believes she’s perfectly suited to lead a new chamber, as a relative newcomer to the community who has not been caught up in Armidale’s cliques and history of holding grudges.
“We need peace,” she told the crowd of some of Armidale’s most successful business leaders.
“We need to come together and support each other.”
Bear said that in her many conversations with over 100 business owners and leaders in recent weeks, she had allowed them to vent their concerns, and heard a lot of negativity.
“I will fight for you. Whatever you need,” she said, “but I can’t do it without you.”
“If you want to set this town on fire, Guyra as well, we’ve got to come together, and it is not in negative space. It is only a positive space.”
The group feels there is an enormous opportunity in Armidale at the moment and got an instant response, with several leaders at the event volunteering to assist with events and volunteer for committees.
“There’s a lot happening here – we are so blessed,” Bear said.
“Armidale is rich with opportunity right now, and this is our moment to build something extraordinary together.”
Those seeking to get involved in the new Chamber can connect via Facebook.
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