Western Business Leaders Newsletter

Hello, 

End of financial year is almost here! Our team have been working with our business support grant recipients to finalise their projects before end of financial year.

We have been out and about visiting businesses: from Luigi's Delicatessen Seaton who hosted a Mother's Day luncheon at the Woodville Town Hall to supporting the Henley Beach Business Association. 

If you have local job opportunity you would love promoted in our upcoming June newsletter, please get in touch by reply email. 

Many thanks and happy reading, 
Selma, Kym, and Emma
Economic Development team

Women in the West - Scaling up within and from South Australia - Final Elevate Series Workshop

Thank you to all of the wonderful women who joined us at the Healthy Living Precinct last month for our final Women in the West workshop in the Elevate Series, 'Scaling Up within and from South Australia'.

Thank you to Wendy Perry for her power-packed workshop to support our women in business community. 

Check out some of the social pics and snaps by Heidi Wolff from the night below. 

Battling Business Blues

Last week we hosted another valuable mental health and wellbeing workshop with Bel Ryan of Ignite Wellbeing Co!

This ‘Battling Business Blues’ aimed to support local business owners to find purpose in the pressure of running a business. Attendees "felt lighter" following an art therapy activity and leveraged the opportunity to connect with other businesses about their similar challenges. 

Thank you to the Office for Small and Family Business for supporting this event, as part of the mental health and wellbeing program. 

Mental Health and Wellbeing Program

Learn more about support for business owners and their employees to build resilience and cope with mental health challenges and stressors.

PEER Site Tour & Big Sister Program

The Big Sister Program: Advanced Mentoring SA/WA was launched last week at PEER in our City. 

The project drives transformational change in the construction and clean energy sectors by implementing an access and retention program for apprentices, led by women for women. The program will deliver mentoring, training, and other events in schools and workplaces.

We attended the launch, along with the Hon Amanda Rishworth MP, Hon Blair Boyer MP, and representatives from the Department of Employment and Workplace Relations.

The City of Charles Sturt is one of Adelaide’s most vibrant, diverse, productive and fastest growing local government areas. Our City is a great place to invest, with a thriving hub of activity, education and employment opportunities in the heart of western Adelaide.

Our investment prospectus helps you create opportunities for your business.

Economic Development Insights

April 2025 visitor spend increased by 1.82 %, $3 million compared to April 2024.
This is linked to good weather and Easter, Anzac Day and School Holidays combining. Local and visitor spend was also up during this time.

Resident online spend has increased in April 2025 by 9.42% or $14 million to $168 million, compared to April 2024. Online spend peaked in November 2024 at $192 million for the month.

The suburbs with the highest visitor spend are: West Lakes $54.26 million, Findon $20.19 million and Henley Beach $18.75 million. 

(Source: Spendmapp monthly insights)

Find a space to develop, buy or lease

Commercial property including office, retail, industrial and development sites can be found by searching on the following sites:

Commercial Real Estate and Property For Sale and Lease in Australia
Commercial Real Estate & Commercial Property For Sale and For Lease

If you are seeking a space within Charles Sturt, get in touch with our team, as we would love to assist you.

Co-working spaces

A co-working space is a smart, low-cost option for building your business idea while working alongside like-minded people.

• Allenby Gardens Business Hub - Serviced Offices
• Healthy Living Precinct
• Hendon Studios – Serviced Offices
• Seaton Business Hub - Serviced Offices
• Titanium Security Arena – Business Hub
• West Lakes Business Hub - Serviced Offices
• SA Woman - casual co-working bookings
• West Palms Studio
• Woodville Business Hub - Serviced Offices

Western Business Leaders - NDIS Networking Event

Join with others in the NDIS industry, build your network with other providers and help get the word out about your company. If you work in the NDIS sector within or service the Charles Sturt area we would love you to come along.

These events will discuss the latest updates in the sector for currently registered and unregistered providers. Join us at this free networking event to:

• understand the current NDIS landscape - market changes, gaps, and updates.
• meet with local NDIS providers and connect with like-minded businesses
• gain an understanding of how you can connect with people with a lived experience of disability looking for support
• understand how council can facilitate partnerships and future collaborations
• discover NDIS market opportunities in Western Adelaide

This installment will have a particular focus on IT requirements and data security for new and established NDIS providers.

Guest Speakers:

• Sharon Floyd, Engels Floyd & Associates
• Kris O'Shaughnessy, TechTurn

When: Thursday 19 June, 6pm-8pm
Where: Healthy Living Precinct, 16-20 Hindmarsh Avenue, Welland, 5007

Get Set Workshop Series

Presented by Workforce Australia Local Jobs Program Adelaide North and the City of Charles Sturt

Are you ready to get set for the workforce and find local employment? Are you a skilled migrant or perhaps attended our Western Adelaide Jobs Expo and seeking more support? Come along to our information workshop series to explore your options to get into local work.

Workshop Program:

• First impressions - Kate Hall, Impact Eight; Dress for Success
• LinkedIn - Kerryn Page, Quisk
• Resume Writing & Career Advice - Paul Bell, VUCA

Activations & Exhibitors on the Day:

• Free LinkedIn Headshots, Kelly Barnes Photography
• Dress for Success

When: Wednesday 18 June 2025
Morning Session: 10am-11:45am
Afternoon Session: 12:15pm-2pm
(Please book into one session as the morning session will be repeated in the afternoon)
Where: Murree Smith Hall, Woodville Town Hall, 74-76 Woodville Road, Woodville South, 5011

Soup and Sleep 2025

The fifth annual Soup and Sleep event will be taking place on Thursday 5 June - a night of impact, awareness, and community. This milestone event is more than just a fundraiser; it's a hands-on experience that sheds light on homelessness and food insecurity while actively contributing to change.

Whether you participate in person at their Hindmarsh location or host your own Soup and Sleep in your backyard, school, or workplace, you'll be making a real difference. Roll up your sleeves, prepare a meal for those in need, and sleep under the stars to gain a deeper understanding of what it means to go without.

Creating a thriving Western Adelaide is dependent on a resilient business community.

Grants are a great way to fund your projects but they open, close and change regularly. Stay up to date by signing up to Grant Guru, our grant finding service so you don't miss out on future funding.

City of Charles Sturt Grants Program 2024/2025

Local businesses in the City of Charles Sturt can apply for grant funding to develop and deliver new ideas, initiatives or projects in our City.

Explore our range of grants and funding opportunities targeted to our business, arts and events communities on our website. Our Business Support Program, which supports business to adapt and innovate in a changing environment, has very limited availability.

Applicants are encouraged to contact our team urgently to discuss your idea and the type of support you are seeking before funding ends shortly.

You can also explore our interactive map showcasing how our 2023/2024 grant program has made such a significant impact across our City through multiple funding streams.

Exciting new grant projects underway

With the end of financial year almost here, we have had a flurry of new grant recipients awarded funding through the Business Support Program! Recently we have welcomed Podiatry For You, NeuroPhysio Hub, Bean There Drank That, Croydon Yoga Studio, The SZZN Group Pest Control, and Sophrosyne, to work through their strategic business projects. We look forward to sharing more stories from our grant recipients over the coming months, as projects come to a close.

Corporate Events at the Woodville Town Hall

Throwback to this time last year at the Woodville Town Hall celebrating the City of Charles Sturt Business Recognition Awards. What a night it was celebrating innovation, resilience, and the outstanding achievements of our local business community.

Thinking about your next big event? With a range of flexible spaces, built-in tech, and that unmistakable Woodville charm, the Woodville Town Hall is the place to host corporate events, from workshops to gala dinners. 

We are committed to supporting our local employers to connect with jobseekers and local workers.

If you have local jobs and opportunities that you would like promoted in an upcoming Western Business Leaders newsletter, please get in touch.

Initiative to connect businesses with skilled migrants

The new SA Skilled Migrant Job Support Centre is a one-stop-shop for businesses to access skilled migrants to fill current and future vacancies, in priorities areas including ICT, Engineering, Construction and others. This is a partnership with the South Australian government, led by social enterprise Community Corporate, award-winning multicultural workforce specialists. They can provide free support services including recruitment advice, pre-screening and job matching to help make it easier for businesses to tap into this hidden pool of talent. All State-sponsored skilled migrants have full work rights and do not require employer sponsorship.

You can also make use of the upcoming free employer events: Cultural Confidence, Safety and Inclusion and ICT Industry Networking. 

Express your interest below and you will be contacted to get specific details on the roles and requirements you are looking to fill.

You can search for current open tenders on the SA Tenders and Contracts website, which is commonly used for public tendering for major purchases of goods, services and works.

You can also register with SA Tenders and Contracts to receive notification of the latest upcoming public tenders and contract opportunities via the link below.

If you have business news, a story to share, would like to contribute information or have questions about anything featured in this newsletter, please get in touch.

If you know other businesses who would benefit from this information, please share this email with them and encourage them to be part of our Western Business Leaders. 

Don't forget to follow our dedicated Business Facebook page for all the latest stories as they happen.