Rory Vassallo

IT should come as no surprise that the biggest and most common issue confronting a bunch of successful Western Australian companies is that of labour - getting and keeping the skills they need to meet the strong demand they are seeing.

SEVEN of Western Australia’s top entrepreneurs have been recognised at the Ernst & Young Entrepreneur of The Year Awards held in Perth last week.

Tin rattlers dig deepFor those who like their fundraising to come with targets, a little bit of perceived hardship and teaspoon of humiliation, there are a growing number of options that do not require a week's bike riding or trekking up a mountain.

Western Australian childcare entrepreneur Rory Vassallo has sold his portfolio of centres to listed company G8 Education, which has announced two major national acquisitions in the space of six weeks.

Rory Vassallo, who sold his portfolio of childcare centres to listed company G8 Education earlier this year, has been appointed to head R Marine’s Perth dealership.R Marine distributes Riviera and Belize luxury power boats.

A major shake-up in the national child care industry has resulted in the owners of five Western Australian chains reaping an estimated $150 million from the sale of their businesses this year.

The resources sector continues to be critical to WA’s prosperity but smaller, less glamorous industries also have great stories to tell.

Perth businesspeople are surprisingly prominent on the latest BRW young rich list, with a local apartment developer ranked number three with an estimated fortune of $536 million.