Eastern Creek. Linfox's $27 million facility

Linfox expects to open a $27 million facility at Erskine Park this week. "Big trucking operations require a lot of support property for vehicle washing, parking, maintenance and fuelling. You get to such a scale you may as well own your own fuelling depots,” said chief executive Michael Byrne. Linfox has a fleet of more than 5000 vehicles and plans to add more.

Ryde. Floods take toll on company

The Quensland floods have taken a toll on profits at engineering services company, A J Lucas, based at Macquarie Park. The company has warned of “considerable delay” to work it is carrying out at Chevron’s $43 billion Gorgon liquefied natural gas project in Western Australia. The company said despite the poor start to the financial year, it expects more favourable conditions in calendar 2011, when there is likely to be new irrigation, coal seam methane and water infrastructure projects.

Liverpool. $39 million research facility

Federal Minister for Health and Ageing, Nicola Roxon, and NSW Minister for Health, Carmel Tebbutt, have given planning approval for the construction of the $39 million purpose-built Ingham Health Research Institute, at Liverpool Hospital, boosting plans to make the hospital an important hub for medical research and education. The world-class research facility will be funded by the Commonwealth Government and will bring together more than 200 researchers currently scattered across NSW into one modern, purpose built-building.

Parramatta. Workshop to boost growth

The Parramatta-based RDA Sydney will hold a workshop in Parramatta, on February 16, seeking to boost the growth of the financial and professional business services markets, and subsequent employment, in the city. Participants would be tasked with uncovering the key challenges facing the further growth of Parramatta CBD as a major centre both regionally and internationally, for the finance and professional services sector RDA Sydney is jointly funded by the Australian and NSW governments, to advance sustainable economic development and social equity within Sydney’s regions.