This is the second in a series of posts identifying and substantiating several ICT projects to stimulate and grow the Garden Route ICT industry.

It is undeniable that the Garden Route offers a superior lifestyle and great infrastructure. This combined with a talented and motivated workforce, strong ICT skills pool and an effective and efficient local government makes it a top investment destination. In fact, two of the Garden Route towns have recently being identified by FinWeek’s as two of the top 10 of SA’s best places to do business.

All the requirements for a strong BPO destination is being met:

• We have a strong pool of english speaking matriculants.
• We have a strong pool of technical skills available to support the establishment and support of BPO operators.
• We have a well motivated and competent local government in place committed to helping grow the BPO industry in the area.
• We have local government incentives in place to help existing BPO operators establish a presence in the area.
• We have fast and reliable fibre connectivity connecting the region to the bigger cities, as well as multiple fibre rings within the George CBD and surrounds. The area is further covered by multiple fast Wireless networks.
• We have quality CBD office space available for quick occupation.
• We offer a productive and virtually crime free lifestyle with a minimal commute and excellent quality of life.
• Labour and property costs are well below those of Johannesburg and Cape Town.

The Chamber has enjoyed a very positive term resulting in a growth of membership, an enhanced community profile and services provided for the members. In addition to consolidating its financial position, the organisation has successfully developed its internal capability, providing a strong foundation for continued growth.

Exceeding 300 members was a notable achievement for the Chamber .The growth of the Chamber continues to strengthens our undertaking to be the leading voice of business in the region.
Regular interactions with key people has been, and continues to be, a fundamental necessity.

August saw the George Business Chamber arranging an informal breakfast, for members and interested parties, with Minister Allan Winde, MEC for Finance, Economic Development and Tourism. The intention was create an environment where identified issues that had been identified by local and regional business, could be openly discussed. Minister Winde announced the “Red Tape” initiative which has been a catalyst in the improvement of some businesses that have put this initiative to the test. The “Red Tape” initiative has been put into place so that incidents or matters that hinder the progress of  business’ advancement can be investigated and hopefully removed.

Another milestone has been the formalisation of the Garden Route Business Forum which focuses on regional economic development and enjoys the attendance of representatives from a broad spectrum of key players across the region. I would like to acknowledge MEC Winde and his department for their commitment to working with us and the Regional Business Forum towards strong economic growth for our region.

During the last year our ties with Provincial Government has strengthened significantly, and we now have the commitment from MEC Winde that George is not the step child of the Province, but a key player in the economy of the region. There are several provincial initiatives underway that aim to grow the economy of the region.
I would like to thank MEC Winde for the continued support from him and his department.

We have also had a very successful year in dealing with Local government. Carli Bunding-Venter from the LED department has been co-opted onto our exco and continues to play a vital role in helping each organization understand and work with each other. Some key economic development initiatives from the Municipal side is being fully supported by the Chamber and will be making a visible difference to many sectors of the George business community.
I would like to thank the George Municipality for their visible and continued support of the George Business Chamber.
There have been numerous Economic Development workshops held during the year and the Business Chamber has been involved at these, and provided input on behalf of the members. Various matters are getting attention. (Local tender process etc.)

The EXCO also successfully lobbied the airlines for more flights to and from George and we are pleased to announce that there are now 4 new early flights, per week, leaving at 06h20am from George. This ensures that people can get to Johannesburg and back in a day and not need to stay over.
We will be continuing our lobbying of the airlines in an effort to get the airfares to and from George reduced. Once reduced we should see a strong increased in business and tourist travel, which will make a significant difference to the economy of the region.
It has been a very busy year with many activities promoting the Chamber and serving the members. These activities included the following :

We assisted at the Outeniqua Wheelchair Challenge in 2011 and we’ll be assisting again on the 18th February 2012.

The Business Breakfast in March 2011 was sponsored by Ernst and Young Chartered Accountants. Guest speaker,Prof Matthew Lester, entertained the guests with a simple but comprehensive outlook for the Economic year.
The Annual golf day at Kingswood Golf Estate where some of the funds raised were used to support the PDSA.

The Gala Dinner honoring the Business Person of the Year 2011 as well as Entrepreneur of the Year 2011 was the social highlight of the business year. For the first time there were two runners up per
category and recognition for finalists was given. It was held at the Hyatt Regency Hotel at Oubaai and was attended to capacity.

The monthly networking evenings and “Morning Marketing” events proved again to be very popular and continue to be so.

During the November Business breakfast, sponsored by Airports Company, the guests were reminded of the importance of “Branding and Marketing You” and were motivated by guest speaker, Donna Rachelson – well renowned Keynote Speaker .

The upgrading and modernization of our website have allowed us to further enhance our serve to members.
The arrival of ALGOA FM in the Garden Route has been well received. The move has been a few years in the making and the Business Chamber had a hand in making this happen.

In a drive to be fully representative of business in George the chamber has initiated discussions with the Business School of NMMU. This is to encourage business students, who will be the young business managers/owners of the future as well as the consumers and customers of tomorrow, to explore the different aspects of Leadership and practical experience in Business. These interactions led to the establishment of a youth Leadership group who are called “Pathfinders”.

We realize the need to further strengthen our relations with other business oriented bodies in George and surrounds, and have started on the path to increased integration and representation at all levels within the Chamber and its functions. This will not only help us to better align our effects, but will also result in increased business success all round.

Our aim for the future is to be the leading voice of business in the region, and I am happy to say we are achieving this through continued growth, excellent service delivery and meaningful engagement with other stakeholders in our local and regional economy.

The 2011 – EXCO have all contributed, through their commitment, to achieving and exceeding set goals.
My personal thanks to Koos du Plessis, Dr Willie Cilliers, Ingrid Cronje, Brenda Moses, Madeleine Goldie, Niel de Necker , Neville Prins, Nadia Abrahamse and Carli Bunding-Venter. Also Thank You to Lydia Barrett , who loyally supported the George Business Chamber for 2011 until her resignation at the end of last year.

We would like to welcome Lesley Warner who now holds the secretarial position at the Chamber Offices.
My thanks to a great team who worked to meet the demands of the Chamber and to you, the loyal and supportive members.
We look forward to your continued support during 2012.

Thank you all for your attendance this evening

Imel Rautenbach
President
George Business Chamber
7 February 2012.

Now it is time to take it one step further. By creating an ICT incubator we can use economies of scale to help these startups get their products designed and developed for less, get to market easier, etc. Collective design, manufacturing, procurement, marketing, and admin makes great economical sense.

Combining this with the idea of actually establishing an ICT nucleus of excellence in the region means it not only makes economical sense, it now also makes sense from a training and sustainability level. The region has the experts to do the training, a large student base to be trained, and the enablers to facilitate, fund, employ and grow the ICT startups that pass through the incubator’s doors.

The idea is rather simple, and as follows:

• Create a facility where ICT players can share space, equipment and knowledge.
• Appoint a board of visionaries and industry to leaders to oversee the process.
• Provide mentorship to help these startups grow and prosper.
• Identify and train new members form the local communities.
• The partners provide projects which not only fund the training, it allows the trainees to actually become strartups themselves, by delivering real services back to the funders.

A simplistic example would be as follows

• The George municipality wants to make it easier for SMME’s to do business with local government.
• The ICT incubator identifies and scopes the project and  identifies one or more potential entrepreneurs or an existing startup.
• The entrepreneur develops a solution (a straight forward web database in this case) with the support and mentorship of the ICT incubator.
• Once the system is completed the  entrepreneur ends up running the project as his own long term startup.

• Local government wins, it gets a service and it creates a new skilled job at the same time.
• The entrepreneur wins, as he/she now has a viable business model, backed by a group of business and technical mentors.
• The region wins as the the local ICT skills base is increased, more jobs are created and work stays within the region.

We have  the infrastructure, the people, political will and the ability to make it happen.

The Bandwidth Barn in Cape Town is a successful model that can be adapted for our regional situation.

Already on Board

The following partners have already indicated there willingness to support this initiative:

• SEDA is well positioned to assist the incubator with mentoring, funding and partnership initiation. SEDA has the experience of getting several incubators off the ground at a national level, and have shown keen willingness to be part of this process.

• George Municipality is aiming to get George marketed as a business investment destination. The municipality’s LED department is ready to get involved in this incubator, and will be a key enabler.

• The George Chamber of Business understands the importance of repositioning the region as a business investment destination.  It is already facilitating meetings between government and local business to make this happen.

• The Garden Route IT Consortium is leading the way in bringing the local IT industry together and joining forces with local, regional and provincial government to market the region as a technology destination. The IT Consortium is  attracting new technology business to the region by allowing multiple local companies to pitch for national business as a cohesive unit.

• Digital Village is creating the next generation wireless backbone that will service the entire region and enable innovation and entrepreneurship to flourish.  As a non profit section 21 company it is already connecting the region’s schools and communities to the Garden Route’s ever growing wireless network.

• Nelson Mandela Metropolitan University (NMMU) is not only able to supply potential recruits, but also strong mentoring and support. NMMU is committed to growing the region as an educational centre, which strengthens the potential recruitment base.

Other potential key players

• The LED department of Eden district Municipality will be able to assist on a regional level, ensuring training and empowerment happens at a larger scale.

• Western Cape Provincial Government‘s Economic Development department  is already working with the Garden Route IT Consortium to explore various initiatives that will promote and strengthen the region’s technology focus.

• The newly formed Economic Development Agency is tasked with re-aligning the Western Cape’s business landscape. The Garden Route has been neglected to date, now is the time to bring much needed energy and vision to the region.

• The Department of Science and Technology has a key role to play in economic development and regional and national competitiveness.

Update: Had further discussions with various parties, including MEC Winde from WC Govt, Prof Fabricius from NMMU, Paul Hoffman from SEDA, Carli Venter from George LED.
Now have real momentum and real backing. This is our chance to make a real, meaningful and permanent difference to the business landscape in George.

• Will the ANC get a two-thirds majority?
• Will Cope and the DA somehow deliver us from evil?
• Will the world come to an end as we know it?

Well, the elections have come and gone and there are still water in the taps, power in the light bulbs and petrol in the pumps.  Now the DA is talking coalition as a way to unite against a common enemy.

I for one am pretty tired of being fed the line that we must do all we can to keep the “swart gevaar” at bay. Scaremongering is not the way to lead. It is time for positive energy to come out.

The Municipality has decided to stop the funding of the tourism office with immediate effect, which will result in the office closing by the end of the month and all the staff losing their jobs.

It has since become known that the Municipality is intending on taking the tourism function in-house. If we look at how the DEAT grant of 2.6 million was hampered to the point of failure by Municipal non-commitment then Tourism will clearly not benefit from going this route.

The real crisis is not only the local Tourism office and their staff; it is the entire community of George that will suffer from the Municipality’s intent to take over the tourism function. Every B&B, petrol station, restaurant, cafe, supermarket and all their staff depend on tourism. In fact, every business in the area depends on tourists in a direct or indirect way. This in turn means that many families would be affected should tourism become an administrative function within the bowls of the Municipality.

On hearing of this development the George Business Chamber has pledged their full support behind the Tourism office, as no-one wants to see a decline in tourism and the subsequent economic effect this will have for the entire region.

Can the Municipality please step forward and explain why they are dropping the ball only weeks away from our busiest season and a mere 600 days away from the 2010 world cup?

If the Municipality is so intent on running things itself, where is there succession plan and where are the experienced and qualified officials and councilors that will champion tourism?

The George Tourism organisation would like the George Municipality to finally step forward. Let’s plan a way forward together that works for Tourism, the people of George and the region. Oh, and let’s try and do this before the Tourist office has to let all their staff go and close the doors on a promising season ……