Adam Orlando

IF there is one lesson Carrie Trigwell has learned in her five years as a small business owner, it’s to not keep all your eggs in one basket.

ON January 1, one of the most significant changes to Australia’s industrial relations landscape in the country’s history came into effect.

Fresh challenges await Stephen Moir after a decade at the SBDC.

MANY local businesses struggled to manage last year’s downturn and the not-for-profit sector was not immune to the economic challenges.

THE state’s two dominant bakery franchises – Brumby’s and Bakers Delight – could be preparing for heated competition this year after Retail Food Group reacquired the master franchise Brumby’s Bakeries, operating in Western Australia and the Northern Terri

Atlas Iron has gone into a trading halt pending the release of an announcement.

Diploma Group has won a $110 million contract to build stage 1 of the Queens Riverside mixed-use development on the former East Perth Bus Depot site on Adelaide Terrace, on behalf of Frasers Property Australia.

Dioro Exploration shareholders have been advised to take no action after gold producer Avoca Resources sweetened its takeover offer on December 29 with a new offer valued at $115 million.

Malaga-based Advanced Engine Components (ACE) has been thrown a lifeline and will negotiate an extended repayment of a $3 million sales financing facility with 698 Capital Asia Pacific, a party related to ACE's major shareholder.

The state government will not ensure the entitlements of collapsed miner Griffin Coal's 500 workers, fresh reports reveal.

Mine sites ceased production and ports closed as heavy rains and strong winds battered the iron ore-rich Pilbara region overnight while other operations were left unscathed by Tropical Cyclone Laurence despite causing widespread damage as it moved inland.

WA Health Department boss Peter Flett has resigned from his $540,000-a-year job, just one year into a five-year contract.

West Perth-based grain organisation CBH Group is investigating a structural overhaul to provide better returning value for its 4,500 members.

Perth-based uranium explorer Energia Minerals is poised to list on the Australian Securities Exchange later this month after an initial public offer raised $7.5 million.

There is good news ahead with 2010 shaping to be a much better year for Western Australian businesses, with a majority of employers expecting the local economy to pick up pace in the next 12 months, according WA's peak industry body.

ABOUT five years ago, Ross and Colleen Powell were determined to own a bicycle retail outlet. But determination alone wouldn’t provide them with the capital to start from scratch.

THREE Western Australian recruitment agencies are breaking the mould to collaborate as one entity on the state government’s Common Use Agreement Panel (CUA).

SOUTH West Printing and Publishing has joined a growing number of businesses to have found that employing disabled workers can bring substantial rewards.

DESPITE the challenges presented by online entertainment options and a range of new technologies, it seems the video/DVD rental store is here to stay.

Lobby groups and unions have given a mixed response to sweeping reforms proposed by the Economic Audit Committee, with some saying the recommendations do not go far enough.

The state government will introduce involuntary severance as part of sweeping reforms recommended by the Economic Audit Committee to improve operational and financial performance within the public sector.

Like fine wine, it takes a lot of effort to produce a good coffee. Adam Orlando reports.

WHEN Mark Armstrong launched his business, Body Active Consultancy, in 1990, his clients were focused on rehabilitation rather than injury prevention

AUTISM West Support Inc has launched a five-year strategic plan to raise awareness of the neurobiological disorder, following the opening of a new Autism West Centre in Nedlands last month.

BOORAGOON-BASED smallgoods producer D’Orsogna has positioned itself as a national player after recently opening a branch in Melbourn

Retailers could be pressured to lower prices next year with a business outlook survey today revealing 18 per cent of companies in the wholesale sector expecting to reduce prices in the March quarter.

COLIN Ingram reckons he must have had rocks in his head to leave the public service after 30 years and start a small business of his own during the global financial crisis.

THE Diabetes Research Foundation of WA has embarked on a $1.2 million fundraising initiative to finance research designed to tackle the escalating health and financial toll of diabetes in Western Australia.

A DEFIANT Leanne Wesche remains optimistic about her future despite struggling under the burden of debts accrued by her independent fruit and vegetable packing operation, Pacco Group.

FORMER Telstra centre operations manager, May Bowden, has been appointed general manager of the Paraplegic Benefit Fund.

GROWING up near Angove Street in North Perth, Peter Rozsy has witnessed the evolution of the once-sleepy suburban streetscape into a vibrant cafe strip.

KIM Fitzpatrick has a lot riding on the success of his North Fremantle-based small business, Tradition Stained Glass.