Wizard Home Loans sale expected

GE Money is reportedly expected to announce the sale of struggling Wizard Home Loans, at the NSW state franchise meeting in Parramatta, on Wednesday. Wizard is one of the biggest non-bank lenders, holding about 25 per cent of the total home loan market, which includes banks and non-banks. GE bought Wizard for an estimated $500 million four years ago. Tighter credit policies and high interest rates have triggered the sale or collapse of some Wizard branches. Elsewhere in Parramatta, the Beat Home Loans branch, in Church Street, has not been trading for some months

Four Parramatta companies win six awards

Four companies in Parramatta won a total of six awards in the 2008 Western Sydney Industry Awards. They were: Matthews Folbigg, Excellence in Business Practice, Corporate Governance (large business); Advance Recruitment, Excellence in Business Practice (SME); Coleman & Greig, Excellence in Business Practice (large business); Energy Action, Excellence in Innovation, Innovative Product or Service (SME), Advance Recruitment, Regional Excellence, Outstanding Service (SME); and Coleman & Greig, Regional Excellence, Outstanding Community Contribution (large business). The awards are an initiative of the Office of the Minister for Western Sydney and are held in partnership with the Greater Western Sydney Economic Development Board and the NSW Department of State and Regional Development.

Passenger trips increase 'significantly'

Veolia Transport New South Wales says it significantly increased the size of its operations since it took over Liverpool-based, Transit First bus company, in February 2007. Its customer base increased by more than 60 per cent, bringing patronage for 2007 to 11million passenger trips.

Thomas Lindsay is the top of the Pie

Thomas Lindsay, MD, of Lindsay Pie Making Equipment, at Emu Plains, won the coveted Entrepreneur of the Year Award, in the 2008 Western Sydney Industry Awards. The company was also highly commended in the Excellence in Innovation, Innovative Product or Service, in the small and medium enterprises (SME) category. The company has been designing, developing and manufacturing pie-making equipment for bakers for over 24 years, under the Simple Simon brand name. The awards are an initiative of the Office of the Minister for Western Sydney and are held in partnership with the Greater Western Sydney Economic Development Board and the NSW Department of State and Regional Development.