Regional Review
Issue No. 5 - April/June 2002
Cooperation delivers benefits for Murraylands Enterprise Estate
The Murraylands Enterprise Estate is finding that businesses, even very different ones, can achieve a lot by working together. In a depressed rural atmosphere, the Estate has shown that cooperation between businesses boosts local morale and brings tangible benefits to the bottom line.
Unlike the usual cluster arrangement of firms that have business interests in common, the Murraylands Estate is a geographical entity—it was formed as a protest vehicle.
In November 1997, Murray Bridge Council moved to close a section of road leading into the light industrial-commercial estate roughly bounded by Maurice and Thomas streets off the Adelaide Road. Estate President Gary Clarke (of Upholstery Services) and other founding members banded together to head off the closure.
After lobbying the Council successfully, the Estate members decided to form a permanent advocacy body to coordinate infrastructure improvement. Early concern with infrastructure broadened somewhat to embrace joint marketing and promotion on a precinct basis, and the Estate was incorporated in February 1998.
With a start-up grant from the Murray Bridge Council’s Business Incentive Fund and the State Government’s Working Towns program, the Estate over time developed a marketing campaign, signage and by February 2000 had retained a marketing consultant.
The Murraylands Regional Development Board helped the Estate steering committee with meeting procedures and protocol. The Board sur...
