Penrith. SIP wins tender

The Schools Industry Partnership (SIP), based in Penrith, was the successful tenderer for the Federal Government’s new Schools, Business, Community Partnership program, for the next two years. Its role will be to broker partnerships between the education sector, business and the community in the Penrith, Blue Mountains and Hawkesbury areas.

Blacktown. On show in Florida

Chief executive, Ross Clothier, of Ross Tuffbond Inc, based in Blacktown, and a five-member team, were among the representatives of nine Australian companies demonstrating their wares to a global market, at the Performance Racing Industry Expo in Orlando, Florida The company designs and produces high performance parts for racing cars and boats, as well as parts for buses and trucks.

North Ryde. Uni leads on wireless research

Macquarie University has become the first university in Australia to forge a research partnership with the CSIRO under the revitalised Science and Industry Endowment Fund. $2 million from the fund will go towards the endowment of a Professional Chair in Wireless Communication as a joint appointment. The collaboration will deliver benefits to the national agenda in high-speed wireless communication and advance the goals of both organisations.

Macarthur.'Green' friendly businesses

Six hundred local businesses in the Macarthur area have taken part in sessions on how to make their operations more environmentally friendly. `It's about our local businesses taking a leadership role in carbon reduction and climate change,” said Anoulack Chanthivong, president, of the Macarthur Regional Organisation of Councils (MACROC).

Fairfield. New owners of city farm

The family-owned investment company GBS Investments Pty Ltd, based in Sutherland, will take over the lease of Fairfield City Farm early next year, after Fairfield Council ended its lease on the site on Christmas Eve. GBS spokesman, Carl Small, said the company intended to develop the farm’s full potential.

Hawkesbury. No high-rise apartments

Hawkesbury City Council will not place on public exhibition the Hawkesbury Draft Residential Strategy that suggested Windsor and Richmond should have six-storey apartment blocks, saying the report did not reflect community sentiment and was not in line with how residents viewed Hawkesbury’s future

Penrith. Strategic direction for alliance

The strategic direction of Penrith Business Alliance (formerly the Penrith Valley Economic Corporation) includes the following: a Sydney West economic lecture series about the key challenges and issues we facing the regional city; an aggressive investment marketing campaign; development and promotion of the Penrith Economic Corridor, from the Nepean River to UWS Penrith campus and its opportunities for business investment including tourism, health and wellbeing, business support and financial services.