City of Logan’s COVID-19 relief package to assist community and business

Logan City Council has announced a financial support package to provide immediate and long-term support to its community and business owners impacted by the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic.

The Logan Economic Response Package will provide immediate assistance for rate payers, suspend debt recovery measures and prioritise procurement for local business operators.

Council will also redirect $200,000 from the Community Project Grants budget into an Emergency Relief Fund, as part of a broader Community Relief Package.

The Fund will help to cover costs of providing goods and resources immediately to those in hardship and those who have already been significantly impacted by the pandemic.

Key components of the support plan include:

  • An additional interest free period is in place for the April – June quarter rates and charges notice (to September 30).
  • Council’s existing hardship arrangements for residential property owners will be extended to all ratepayers.
  • Council will cut its invoice payment time by half with 14-day payments to contractors.
  • A 50 per cent refund for operational (licence) fees paid since July last year for nearly 1300 businesses including hospitality and food operators, hotels and motels, manufacturers and a range of other businesses.
  • Fees will be waived for any new applications received up until August 31 this year.
  • Three months of lease fees will be waived to external operators engaged to manage Council-owned venues.
  • Annual lease fees for not-for-profit organisations who lease a Council community leased facility will be waived for 2020.
  • Organisations operating from a Council community leased facility (and have none or less than 15 gaming machines), will have their existing levels of Council remissions increased to 100 per cent for the January to March 2020 billing period (billed in April 2020).
  • Financial relief for more than 180 sport, recreation and community organisations within Logan that have memberships in excess of 40,000 people, through lease fee waivers.
  • Future initiatives will be investigated and considered as part of Council’s 2020/21 Budget processes.

Logan City Council Interim Administrator Tamara O’Shea, said Council had a civic and moral responsibility to support the local community during this challenging time.

“Council is reaching out to its residents and the business community to offer support and assistance,” she said.

“While all levels of government have a support role to play, Council has a unique position as the leading agency within the Logan community.

“We are here to support our residents and businesses in whatever way possible. This includes job opportunities for locals by revising our procurement process and relieving pressure on household budgets.”

Ms O’Shea said Council’s support and assistance packages were designed to help Logan residents and business tap into social funding and economic stimulus initiatives already announced by the Federal and State government.

These include the Federal Government’s First ($17.6 billion) and Second ($66 billion) Stimulus Packages and the State Government’s $4 billion support package.

For business owners, the Logan Office of Economic Development (LOED) has established a support team to respond to the emerging needs of the business community.

It will include mentors who are available to provide tailored support including financial mentoring and business planning.

Ms O’Shea said the Logan community was strong and resilient but conceded monumental challenges would bring some uncertainty.

Her message is “together we will get through this”.

“My thoughts are with everyone doing it tough, from business owners to those who may have lost jobs, mums and dads, grandparents and children, many of whom are experiencing hardship,” she said.

“Also spare a thought for the hundreds of volunteers working tirelessly for charity organisations around the city who ensure some of our most vulnerable members of the community are supported.

“It’s going to take a dedicated and carefully managed approach and all of us joining together to help support – then reignite – our communities, our businesses and our economy.”

For details on community support, emergency relief, donations and the latest update on Council services go to logan.qld.gov.au/covid-19

Supplements manufacturer goes from strength to strength

Business is booming for ATP Science, a Loganholme-based business that will move into a new $15 million, purpose-built facility in Meadowbrook next month.

Director, Jeff Doidge, said the company had evolved from selling supplements to becoming an international supplier.

“My wife and I owned another business in Logan in a retail supplements store selling all over Australia since 2002, so we’ve been in business here almost 20 years,” Jeff says.

“By 2012 we had grown to become one of Australia’s largest specialty sports protein powder retailers, turning over sixty thousand a month, selling imported supplements.”

Jeff said ATP Science was established that year, prompted by the unreliable quality of imported products.

“In the beginning we started on hope, a wing and a prayer and $60,000. In 2013 we used retained earnings to invest in manufacturing and expanding the business,” he said.

“We were manufacturing in the United States, which is supposed to be bigger and better, but we were consistently finding that the supplements were not being made to our specifications so then we brought manufacturing back to Australia.

“We manufactured with a few companies here, but the quality wasn’t there so in 2016 we decided to do the manufacturing ourselves.

“We’ve been doing exceedingly well in Australia and the market has matured for us.

“We are now moving into the mainstream consumable market and that brings in the likes of the major grocery chains, as well as expanding into new overseas markets.”

Jeff says the export market is flourishing, led by the company’s flagship product GutRite.

“New Zealand is our largest export market with the United Kingdom rapidly catching up. The UAE is coming along leaps and bounds–we received our largest ever order from them last December and we are making inroads into the United States with health food and pharmacy chains.”

The company’s success is has not gone unnoticed in the business world.

“We are now in the BRW (Business Review Weekly) Fast 100. We finished 13th in 2018 and we have been experiencing double digit growth since inception and had a few years of triple digit growth, Jeff says.

“We turned over $24 million last year and we expect to sell $30 million in 2020.

Jeff says ATP Science employs 45 people but planned to expand its new facility.

“I anticipate we will have 80 full time staff in 2021 after we consolidate our four sites into the new building. Being purpose built, it has everything – from multiple production lines through to the laboratory, refrigerated warehousing and office space – all under a 7,600 square metre roof.”

ATP Science building in Meadowbrook

The decision to build the new headquarters for ATP Science in Logan was an easy one says Jeff.

“We have great support. We’re working with Griffith University training interns in our lab. We’ve had no problems finding high quality employees and it’s perfectly situated as an international distribution hub.

“We’re proud to be an Australian company and Logan has proved to be a great place for us to do business.”

ATP Science will open its new facility at 47-53 Meakin Rd, Meadowbrook in March 2020. atpscience.com

Stay informed this storm season

In the event of a disaster, it is important to access up-to-date and accurate information to allow you to take action and quickly respond to protect your business.

Council’s Disaster Dashboard provides a wide range of information in one spot for emergency situations, including:

  • road hazards
  • weather warnings
  • fire incidents
  • power outages
  • flood and traffic cameras
  • evacuation centres
  • river heights

Social media feeds from key agencies are also displayed on the Disaster Dashboard, including:

  • Bureau of Meteorology
  • Queensland Police Service
  • Queensland Fire & Emergency Services
  • Energex
  • Translink

This information allows you to make last minute preparations to prepare for the potential impacts of severe weather on your business.

Visit the Disaster Dashboard at disaster.logan.qld.gov.au for more information.


Is your business prepared for a disaster? Hear the top ten tips for preparing your business ahead of a disaster from the Disaster Management Program at Logan City Council. Workshops are being held in February and March at libraries across the city.

Manufacturers thrive in Logan

Business confidence in the City of Logan continues to strengthen as major investment is secured for future industrial estates and manufacturers embark on multimillion dollar expansion plans and explore opportunities in new international markets.

Manufacturing has long been a significant contributor to Logan’s economy – valued at around $2.88 billion and creating 8,700 jobs, the sector is the top third highest revenue generator and is the city’s fifth largest employer.

While the industry has seen an overall decline nationally, many Logan businesses in both traditional and emerging manufacturing sectors have continued to grow and thrive.

Local vitamin supplement manufacturer ATP Science will soon consolidate their premises into a $15 million purpose-built 6000 sqm headquarters in Meadowbrook – a move that will allow the company to develop new lines, double their workforce and fast-track global expansion plans.

Managing Director Jeff Doidge said the time was now to invest in a new Logan headquarters as the business was experiencing massive growth and exploring opportunities offshore.

“About 80 per cent is sold in Australia and we are currently exporting to the UAE, US and UK and have some emerging markets in India and China,” he said.

“Being in Logan gives us access to the ports, the airport and the sea docks – as far as major infrastructure is concerned it’s fantastic.”

Accessibility is one of the city’s main draw cards for manufacturers – Logan is just a 30 minute drive to the Port of Brisbane, in close proximity to 3 international airports and conveniently located between Brisbane and the Gold Coast.

Infrastructure investment in Logan is at historic levels – with the completion of the $500 million Logan Enhancement Project and more than $18 billion in the pipeline, investors are taking interest in the city’s industrial areas.

International property investors MapleTree Logistics Trust recently secured 36 hectares of land in Park Ridge for $95 million, which forms part of a future 157 hectare industrial estate.

The city is already home to several industry leaders including award-winning product commercialisation facility Evolve Group; and specialists in rocket and propulsion systems Black Sky Aerospace, who were the first to secure access to NASA’s Australian launch site.

Leading manufacturer in tanker solutions Holmwood Highgate has operated in Logan since 1994 and continues to expand their workforce to keep up with business growth.

Director Wade Mellish says that the city’s location and access to a skilled workforce has supported Holmwood Highgate explore opportunities in the global defence industry.

In 2018, Holmwood Highgate was awarded a contract as part of Rheinmetall’s Australian supply chain, a crucial step in furthering their expansion into new markets.

“The City of Logan allows us to deliver world-class products both domestically and internationally,” he said.

“We’ve got upwards of 200 staff now – blue and white collar – and increasing the workers every day because of the amount of work that we have on.”

Within a 40km radius, the city has access to a regional catchment of more than 2.6 million people and a large pool of talent for employers to choose from.

Furthermore, the presence of major transport and logistics companies and proximity to a diverse network of suppliers makes Logan an attractive location for businesses of all sizes.

The ease of doing business in Logan has driven an emergence of niche manufacturers in the food and beverage categories.

Food and beverage processing has continued to grow and is the city’s most productive sub-sector.

Small businesses including craft brewers, honey product manufacturers, coffee roasters and chocolate makers operate successfully from Logan.

Logan City Council has recently made it easier for craft brewers to establish themselves in Logan by implementing significant changes to the planning scheme.

The City of Logan is fast-becoming a destination of choice for manufacturers in the region and offers eligible businesses incentives to move into the city.

Find out more about the opportunities for manufacturers in Logan by visiting https://www.loed.com.au/investinlogan/.

All Purpose Transport launch Queensland’s first 100% electric delivery truck

Berrinba-based transport and logistics company All Purpose Transport have this month launched the state’s very first 100 per cent emission free electric vehicle.

All Purpose Transport General Manager Paul Kahlert said “we led the way with workforce development and now we are leading the way with last mile emission free deliveries. Our goal is to drive social change and focus on helping the environment.”

All Purpose Transport has been partnering with IKEA for 10 years and Kahlert said the new electric vehicle would perform up to 15 deliveries a day whilst significantly reducing noise and carbon emissions to residential areas in Brisbane.

IKEA Australia’s Renea Robson said the launch of the truck was a significant milestone for the company as part of their electrical vehicle strategy, which is aiming to have zero emissions for home deliveries by 2025.

“It’s a big commitment to move forward but we can’t do this if we’re not working with likeminded companies like All Purpose Transport who want to preserve the planet for future generations,” she said.

The truck is a modified Hino 917 glider with the SEA-Drive® 120a power-system that was converted from diesel to electric, has a 200-250km range, four-hour charging rate and a three-and-a-half tonne carrying capacity.

The truck was launched by The Honourable Mark Bailey Minister for Transport and Main Roads at an official function at the Royal International Convention Centre in Brisbane. The Honourable Mark Bailey MP said that “the country needed to see more of a shift towards clean energy in our economy as climate change is something impacting us and it’s great to see All Purpose Transport leading the way here.”

All Purpose Transport boasts over 45 years’ experience and have completed over 20 million deliveries on behalf of leading retailers and manufacturers.

For more information about All Purpose Transport’s 1st 100% electric truck please contact Belinda Polglase, All Purpose Transport.
bpolglase@allpurpose.com.au
www.allpurpose.com.au

Free early warning alerts for disasters

Severe weather events can devastate businesses, however careful planning is the most effective way to minimise the impacts of a disaster and give businesses every chance of a quick recovery.

Council’s Logan Early Warning service provides free early warning alerts to businesses for potentially severe weather, bushfires and flood notifications.

This allows business owners to plan, prepare for and respond to severe weather events before they happen, and take early action to minimise any potential damage that may occur during severe weather.

Businesses can receive the free alerts via:

  • push notification (by downloading the app from the Apple App Store or Google Play Store)
  • SMS
  • email
  • text-to-voice for landlines.

The Logan Early Warning smartphone app also provides alerts from across Australia based on your GPS location as well as your registered residential address. This means that business owners are able to receive alerts for both their business and their home.

Sign up to the Logan Early Warning service today, or for more information visit logan.qld.gov.au/earlywarning.

Global businesses invest in Logan

With a strong economic track record, historic levels of infrastructure investment in the pipeline and business confidence on the rise – the City of Logan has emerged as a global investment hotspot in South East Queensland.

The launch of autonomous drone delivery services in Logan by Wing – a subsidiary of global technology company Alphabet – is just one of the businesses that have funnelled a total of $100 million of private investment into the city over the past 12 months.

Logan is just one of four locations in the world that now has access to Wing’s air delivery service, which flies a range of convenience items by air in just minutes.

Under the helm of Chief Executive James Ryan Burgess, Wing will focus their Queensland expansion plans in Logan first, with select households in the suburbs of Crestmead and Marsden already having access to the service.

Mr Burgess said what made cities like Logan most attractive for investment was not only the demographic factors but the opportunities driven by growth.

“Logan is one of the fastest growing areas of Queensland, so that’s a great fit for us because drone delivery makes it much easier for people to get the things they need in rapidly expanding metropolises. Logan is also a very innovative community, and the growth and excitement around the city makes it a great place for us to start our Queensland operations.

Logan is located in the heart of South East Queensland where around 70 per cent of the state live, and is predicted to be the second fastest growing city in this region.

In just over 20 years, Logan’s population is predicted to grow more than 50 per cent to around 548,000 residents.

This has led to an unprecedented level of infrastructure investment, with more than $18 billion of publicly funded projects underway to support the growing residential population.

Earlier this year, a $1.2 billion agreement – the largest of its type by any government in Australia, was signed by local authorities and private developers to build essential infrastructure in Logan’s Priority Development Areas Yarrabilba and Greater Flagstone.

This follows the completion of Transurban Queensland’s $512 million Logan Enhancement Project in August, which increased freight productivity by reducing road travel times along some of the busiest transport routes in the region.

Major infrastructure projects in the pipeline has triggered a surge in commercial activity along the Logan Motorway corridor, with large national and multinational businesses including Metcash Hardware, DHL, Queensland Logistics Service, Huhtamaki and Pinnacle Hardware setting up operations in Logan’s industrial precincts.

It’s not only the city’s efficient transport connections and affordable land driving this investment, Logan has advantages beyond its borders.

Within a 40 kilometre radius, Logan has access to a regional catchment of over 2.6 million people, a vast network of suppliers and a diverse pool of potential talent for employers to draw from.

GO1.com, the world’s largest on-boarding, compliance and professional development platform, recently relocated their headquarters from Brisbane to Logan to take advantage of this accessibility.

Co-founder Vu Tran said running a global company from Logan was a strategic decision for GO1.com and their future plans.

“Being in Logan has provided us with the opportunity and space we need to grow and also attract the talent that we need for our growing markets,” he said.

“Having businesses like Ikea, John Deere, Avery Dennison all based in the area means they are potential partners for us to engage with.”

GO1.com has offices in the United States, South Africa, Vietnam, United Kingdom and Malaysia, and is on track for further expansion, recently securing more than $30 million of investment led by M12, Microsoft’s venture fund.

The increasing investment in Logan is reflected in the city’s economic report card – an annual 3.9 percent increase in the Gross Regional Product in the year ending 2017-2018 and the highest percentage of jobs growth in over fifteen years.

The arrival of businesses like GO1.com and Wing could mark the beginning of an exciting chapter in the city’s development.

For Wing, the city of Logan will be their largest investment in Australia to date and will play a role in shaping what the company will do in cities around the world.

“We’re really going to be investing here in Logan, learning as much as we can from the community and over time looking to apply that to other countries and cities that we may go to.” Mr Burgess said.

“For now, it’s all our attention on Logan and making sure we offer a great service for the community.”

Why invest in the City of Logan?

Find out more by visiting www.loed.com.au/investinlogan.

 

Contact our specialist team for investment and development related enquiries

CONTACT US

Global food markets on international display

Celebrity British chef Ainsley Harriott is doing his part to showcase our city’s diverse produce and markets with the screening of Ainsley’s Market Menu featuring our Logan Central Global Food Markets.

The popular TV series, which is screened in 130 countries will be broadcast throughout Australia on SBS on 24 October.

When the episode was shot earlier this year, Ainsley visited stalls collecting locally-grown ingredients and tasted many of the largely ethnic cuisines on offer while deciding which dishes to prepare.

He bought Halal lamb, kundru, cassava, turmeric, ginger and plenty of Asian greens provided by local vendors and then used the ingredients to cook three gourmet dishes on site at his stall as hundreds of market-goers and vendors looked on.

The first dishes he made were a global green shot and coconut smoothie and Asian lamb patties on char-grilled cassava. As a main course he created Ram’s kundru pumpkin vegetable curry, which  he made for stallholder Ram Harakh Maharaj, of Shailer Park, who was celebrating his 85th birthday.

During filming Ainsley said the markets were among the most diverse he had visited—with the range of local produce rivalling some of the huge street markets in London.

“The food here (in Logan) was fantastic, fresh and vibrant and I just wanted to cook it,” he said.

“Everyone was so friendly. It was just a brilliant day.”

Ainsley’s visit to the City of Logan’s Global Food Markets follows the hugely successful guest appearance at the markets in 2017 by MasterChef runnerup Poh Ling Yeow.

The Sunday morning Global Food Markets, based in Croydon Rd, Logan Central, are a weekly event run by Ethnic Communities Council of Logan Inc. with support from Logan City Council.

The majority of the produce on sale is sourced from backyard gardens and community vegetable plots across the city and includes ingredients suited to Asian, African, Middle Eastern, Indian and Pacific Island cuisines.

For more information on the weekly Global Food Markets go to globalfoodmarkets.com.au

Black Sky Aerospace rockets towards manufacturing solid rocket boosters

Black Sky Aerospace has just been given the green light by regulators to begin the process towards the manufacture of Solid Rocket Motors (SRM).

The South East Queensland space company, based in the City of Logan, will be the first manufacturer of its kind in Australia and will be able to provide access to solid fuels for orbital and sub-orbital launch vehicles.

SRMs are the fuel (propellant) that boosts rockets in to space, such as the boosters on the space shuttle and is the preferred fuel to use by many space launch companies due to its simplicity and cost-effectiveness.

Solid Rocket Motors are particularly useful too, in the ever – emerging market that requires responsive access to space. This is because SRMs have a long shelf life and can be stockpiled with little upkeep, yet still be ready to use many months or years later.

Black Sky Aerospace has spent several years planning to step its operation over from the U.S.A to New Zealand, to its now permanent home in Logan, Queensland; opening both domestic and international markets for the product.

Director of Black Sky, Blake Nikolic said “our propulsion arm is integral to the bigger picture for us; without fuel, the industry stalls. Our SRM manufacturing provides industry with accessible rocket boosters, made right here in Queensland.”

Nikolic continued with “this also allows us to continue with our testing and launch capabilities that we carry out at our facility in Goondiwindi.”

The one stop – shop for SRM, testing and launch will make the logistics of space work and research far less challenging for companies looking to send their payloads in to lower earth orbit.

Logan City Council Director of Strategy and Sustainability, David Hansen, applauded Black Sky’s latest achievement and said Logan is positioning itself as a world-class innovation city.

“City of Logan continues to punch above its weight when it comes to tech and innovation companies launching big ideas – and rockets,” he said.

“Council is a proud supporter of Black Sky Aerospace and seeing its trajectory from start-up to become a scaled-up manufacturer and leading exporter is exciting for the city.

“Council sponsored Black Sky’s maiden commercial rocket launch last year and has worked closely with the business to assist in managing growth and to help accommodate the company’s expanding operations.

“The direct economic impact means more jobs for Logan, but it also puts the city on the international map as a reputable base for the future of the aerospace industry.”

The first batch of solid rocket motors is expected to be ready for delivery before the end of 2019.

Business nbn™ solution finder update

NBN Co has launched the business nbn™ solution finder

This online tool is helping businesses understand the type of solution to discuss with their retail service provider in order to get the most appropriate service to meet their business needs; and order it.

For businesses of all sizes, it’s important they select the appropriate business nbn™ solution to meet their needs, including the right speeds, committed bandwidth and service level assurance.

The business nbn™ solution finder steps businesses through a series of simple questions about their application and data usage, and the level of service support they require, to help identify a wholesale discount business nbn™ bundle that best suits their needs.

Extensive research of Australian businesses and internet providers found that many businesses may not be connected to the right broadband plan to meet their needs.

Around two thirds of micro businesses (1-4 employees) operate from a residential premises and more than three quarters of those are currently using a residential plan rather than a plan designed for business purposes such as video conferencing, video surveillance, access to remote back-ups and cloud application software.

Try out the Solution Finder here.