Special Reports

CONTRACTORS in Western Australia have a problem, and its one that many other businesses would like to have.

Rail infrastructure in Western Australia’s South West is expected to receive a boost, with about six major upgrade projects in play.

STAN Perron still goes to his East Perth office three days a week and supports numerous charities, while Harold Clough says he is working as hard as he has ever done, including in a mining venture in Indonesia.

MICHAEL Wright doesn’t want his descendants to go through the legal and emotional difficulties that have plagued him for the past few years, and restricted his ability to capitalise on opportunities created by recent economic turmoil.

Softer conditions outside mining don’t bother big private companies too much.

THE success of the Mt Barker Free Range Chicken business has paved the way for further development of specialist brands within Graham Laitt’s Milne AgriGroup.

IF a Geraldton-based business can win the backing of James Packer’s Consolidated Press, it must be doing something right.

PRIVATE equity backing has enabled Vesco Foods to make the transition from a locally focused family business to a national player in the food services manufacturing sector.

JAMES McClements and his colleagues at Resource Capital Funds are at the peak of their game.

SIX years ago, AMP Capital Investors started implementing an ambitious strategy to build a major national player in the industrial supplies market.

CROISSANT Express chairman Jonathan Huston is no stranger to the wheeling and dealing required to succeed in business.

More than 40 WA businesses have partnered with private equity funds in recent years.

DEVELOPING a strong portfolio of company board positions is no longer just the domain of retired executives, but has become a viable option for youthful – and not so youthful – business people.

IT was hardly surprising that, when WA Business News hosted some of Perth’s female corporate leaders at a boardroom lunch to discuss the topic of women in business, the subject of children was raised from time to time.

The role of women in business has been placed firmly on the agenda during the past 12 months, but is the conversation really necessary?

The 2011 40under40 1st Amongst Equals winner is a man for the times who says it’s attitude that counts.

Mark BeyerChairman of judges

The inequity in health services between city and country prompted Peter Tually to develop TeleMed.

Tim Purcell has a long-standing fascination with heavy machinery.

The 40under40 Awards have stood the test of time.

Gerry AlleaumeManaging DirectorMatesrates Australia

Attention to detail and personalised customer service are the key drivers of James Taylor’s business.

TRAVEL TALK with Richard Weller Winthrop Professor, UWA Director, Urban Design Centre of WA

THERE’S a bloke in South Australia’s Clare Valley, a grape grower, his name is Martin Smith; apparently he’s over 65 but to tal

Industry leaders say Perth is ready for new hotel developments, but who will be the first to bite the bullet and develop? Emily Morgan reports.

STAFFING and skills shortages are again high on the agenda for Western Australian businesses, and the hotel market is among those industries feeling the pinch.

WESTERN Australia is fast becoming an essential stop on the luxury liner circuit as Fremantle celebrates its busiest cruise calendar since the heady days of the 1970s.

The outlook for non-residential building construction in WA is weak but the impact on each business will depend on where they sit in the construction cycle.

“REPORTS of my death have been greatly exaggerated” is a classic line that could be applied to building construction opportunities in the office and education markets.

THE state government is evaluating a range of alternative contracting and procurement models in the health and corrective services fields, potentially offering new opportunities to building construction companies.

International educators say they can see light at the end of a very long tunnel.

UNCERTAINTY in the Australian international education sector hasn’t stopped provider Navitas from delivering a $32.6 million profit after tax for the half-year to December 31, up 18 per cent on the previous year.