BUSINESS All of Geelong’s latest business news for the week of April 26 The City is facing calls to direct its CBD workforce to return to the office to boost businesses still suffering from the COVID-caused worker exodus. But it won’t happen according to one councillor, who says traders must change their business model. Harrison Tippet, Geelong Advertiser Subscriber only | April 30, 2021 6:00am The City of Greater Geelong is facing calls to direct its CBD workforce to return to its city offices to provide an immediate boost to Central Geelong businesses still suffering from the coronavirus-caused worker exodus. But, one councillor has warned the city’s almost 1000-person CBD workforce may never return to office work at pre-COVID levels, and warned that businesses relying on CBD office workers would need to find new business models. While the city has confirmed daily attendance of CBD workers varies, the Geelong Advertiser understands some staff are working in the city just one day per week, and others only returning to the CBD for meetings. Geelong Chamber of Commerce chief executive Ben Flynn on Wednesday said the return of the City of Greater Geelong 860-person CBD workforce to city offices would provide immediate assistance to traders doing it tough. “It would be a huge boost for businesses in the city,” Mr Flynn said. “And it would also be a huge boost for our community, because having a busy and vibrant city centre attracts tourists and promotes innovations and promotes new businesses wanting to invest down here.” Little Malop St trader Nathan Johnston says major CBD employers need to encourage workers to get back to the office. Picture: Peter Ristevski “I think it’s absolutely right to call on all those large organisations to bring workers back into the city because they play a huge part in the broader vibrancy of the CBD. “Businesses are becoming more and more confident about requesting employees to come back, so it will happen. All I’m calling for is for it to happen sooner rather than later so those businesses that have been really impacted by COVID – largely small businesses – can get back on their feet sooner.” Cartel Coffee Roasters owner Nathan Johnston the return of CoGG’s CBD workforce would “one hundred per cent” make a noticeable difference for CBD traders. “We hope somebody can make that call,” Mr Johnston said. “We need the people back.” “The thing we’ve got now is there is an inconsistency in trade, because you do get people coming back on some days … but for all the businesses in our area, the Little Malop precinct, there is no consistency.” But, councillor Anthony Aitken said the success of working from home for the city’s largest organisations meant the CBD could no longer rely on business from the usual pre-COVID sources, and would need to find new sources. Chamber of Commerce CEO Ben Flynn. Picture: Alison Wynd “I think the big four, as I call them – The City of Greater Geelong, the NDIA, WorkSafe and TAC – could direct all their workforces to come back into the city, and that would be the most immediate boost we could get to help the revival of the CBD,” Cr Aitken said. “The reality is something different. What COVID has taught those big four businesses, including the city, is that flexible workforce arrangements are actually quite beneficial for productivity and the health and wellbeing of the staff.” “At the present time, the health and wellbeing and productivity levels of our staff is more important than reviving the CBD.” “The reality is flexible work environment is something that might actually continue forever.” “I’d be encouraging all hospitality and service businesses that rely on the big four organisations in the centre of Geelong to change their business model, because it’s not going to return back to pre-COVID days.” CoGG strategy, people and performance director Kaarina Phyland confirmed the city had “moved towards a workplace model which combines office-based work and flexible arrangements for staff”. “Daily attendance varies across departments and teams, depending on the requirements of the role and the needs of the community,” Ms Phyland said. harrison.tippet@news.com.au Follow @Hwtippet WHY MAJOR CITY DRAWCARD HAS BEEN DUMPED Geelong After Dark will “pause” this year as the uncertainty of changing COVID-19 restrictions has made planning for the major event untenable, the City of Greater Geelong says. The announcement has been made despite the state government recently revealing White Night Geelong was set to return in November. White Night made its debut in Geelong in 2018, when it attracted 70,000 people. The council said it was taking the opportunity during Geelong After Dark’s hiatus to review its programs and events and deliver a new arts and culture strategy for Geelong that would inspire program directions responding to community aspirations. City of Greater Geelong’s Geelong After Dark will go into hiatus Council city planning and economy director Gareth Smith said Geelong after Dark had been held annually in May since 2014 with planning for each event commencing in September of the previous year to co-ordinate the multiple partners who delivered the event. “We are disappointed that it will be postponed this year, given the uncertainty around COVID-19 restrictions at the time that we usually commence planning,” he said. “However, we look forward to progressing the community consultation on the arts and culture strategy, which will inform the future direction of all festivals and cultural events within Greater Geelong.” Geelong After Dark, which showcases art projects including music, street performances, installations, exhibitions, dance and projections across the city centre, was cancelled last year due to the pandemic. Deputy Mayor Trent Sullivan, chair of the creative communities and culture portfolio, said it was unfortunate the festival couldn’t return this year. “I encourage community members to share their thoughts on the important draft arts and cultural strategy as it sets out a 10-year vision for the region and builds on the arts, culture and heritage recovery initiatives, worth $665,000, announced by council last year,” he said. — TAMARA MCDONALD WATCH: GEELONG CREW MAKES SIX PIZZAS IN 35 SECONDS A Geelong pizza joint is taking the term ‘fast food’ very seriously. Domino’s Waurn Ponds has been labelled the company’s fastest pizza makers in Australia and New Zealand, after slapping together six pizzas in just 35 seconds during an annual ‘Rally’ event. The event requires each team to prepare six pizzas in under two minutes – including two BBQ Meatlovers, two Supreme and two Hawaiian pizzas – with correct topping weights and presentation. Dominos Waurn Ponds workers Nathan Thorne and Olga Takkos were part of the team that received the company's award for 'fastest pizza making'. Picture: Peter Ristevski Domino’s Waurn Ponds franchisee Kade Seaman said his team spent months practising for the event. “For the past five consecutive years, defending champions Domino’s Earlville in Queensland have continued to dominate the annual pizza making competition,” Mr Seaman said. “We knew they were the team to beat, so set about developing a consistent training schedule that aimed to increase our pizza making speed and precision. “Preparation for the nationwide time trial, and then the final, saw us come together to train every week, learning each other’s strengths and weaknesses, and working out any kinks.” — HARRISON TIPPET MEGA-POPULAR RETAILER EYES ANOTHER GEELONG STORE Retail giant Mecca is opening a new store in Geelong. The popular beauty chain currently has a store in Westfield. That opening sparked wild scenes, as people lined up outside the shopping centre at 6am on the day of opening. Queues of people lining up for the opening of Mecca Maxima in Westfield Geelong. Picture: Alison Wynd Mecca has advertised for staff for the new store, which is slated to open in the second half of this year. It exact location has not yet been revealed. — TAMARA MCDONALD WHY NEW BRIDGE WILL SAVE CITY MILLIONS Two landmark pedestrian bridges in North Geelong are setting a new standard for designing public infrastructure to be free of corrosion. Using glass fibre reinforced polymer reinforcing as the backbone to a concrete made with fly ash, the 11m bridges are designed to stand for the next century without maintenance. Now industry leaders are expecting interest in the project, which boasts a raft of superior environmental outcomes, to ramp up. The first of their type in at least Australia, the bridges have replaced two timber constructions over Cowies Creek in Seagull Paddock. Geelong Manufacturing Council engineering network manager Kevin Ford, left and Austeng director Ross George at the 100-year maintenance free bridge in Seagull Paddock in North Geelong. Picture: Alison Wynd Traditional bridges – usually made of timber, steel or concrete – cost the Geelong council about $500,000 a year to inspect, repair, maintain and replace each year. Experts say structures made with steel-reinforced concrete require maintenance every five years and major maintenance or rehabilitation every 20 years to address corrosion issues. A company involved in the Geelong project, Inconmat, said interest in using glass fibre reinforced polymer in construction was on the rise. Inconmat chief executive Darren Lutze said his company, a durability specialist, was seeing increased demand for projects using glass fibre reinforced polymer, particularly in marine settings. He said the code-compliant Geelong bridges were landmark constructions and that the industry was standing up and taking notice. Corrosion of steel-reinforced concrete cost the Australian economy $13bn a year, Mr Lutze said. “The future of glass fibre reinforced polymer is in a steep increase as more and more major projects are completed in Australia and around the world,” he said. The Geelong bridges were four years in the making. Geelong council tendered for a 100-year maintenance free pedestrian bridge in 2017, with the tender hailed as the first in Australia to be offered using a procurement for innovation process. The tender was awarded about a year later to a consortium including Geelong engineering company Austeng as the lead with participants Deakin University and Australian precast concrete manufacturer Rocla While the initial plan was to use a mix of carbon fibre and glass-fibre reinforced polymer, the final construction used only glass fibre reinforced polymer reinforcing supplied by Inconmat. After design and testing at Deakin University, the beams were cast by Rocla using geopolymer concrete made from fly ash, a by-product of coal combustion and a prescribed waste product. Challenges with the soil at the site delayed construction, with the eventual solution also featuring geopolymer foundations. Austeng manager director Ross George said the innovative construction methods meant that, in addition to less maintenance, the bridges were created with a greenhouse footprint about 20 per cent that of conventional concrete. Mr George said the project had already created a huge amount of interest through its elimination of the possibility of concrete cancer, its superior engineering qualities as well as its environmental aspects. He said Austeng was now working with Rocla on the best way to roll out the geopolymer pedestrian bridges to local councils, as well as other Rocla products that could be re-imagined in geopolymer. —DAVE CAIRNS Stay informed Here are all the ways you can find news from the Geelong Advertiser
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