TEH part of the newly established Baakens Valley business cluster

The Nelson Mandela Bay Business Chamber’s eighth geographic cluster — the Baakens Valley Cluster — was established on Monday, when businesses in the area came together to form a united entity. In recent years, the Baakens Valley has undergone major development, with some of the city’s most recognisable brands in the entertainment and hospitality industries injecting much-needed energy into the area.

The formalisation of the cluster paves the way for priorities to be identified and action plans developed in partnership with existing structures in the area, including neighbourhood watches for safety and security.

The establishment of the cluster resulted in the appointment of an executive structure, with Remo’s owner Dante Cicognini being nominated as chair.
Other appointments included Algoa FM’s Desire Pratt as vice-chair, Ian Whittal from Grindstone as treasurer and The Engineering Hub’s Wesley Augustyn as committee member.
The clustering approach is an initiative of the chamber, which over the past year has facilitated the establishment of various sectoral and geographical clusters geared towards representing the needs and interests of business, with the primary focus on retaining much-needed investment and jobs in the Bay.

The chamber has facilitated the establishment of the Deal Party, Beachfront, North End, Perseverance, Struandale, Neave/Korsten and Kariega clusters.

Cicognini said he believed the cluster in the valley needed to prioritise safety and security and cleanliness as its initial focus areas.

“The valley is an intricate part of our city and we believe that it needs to be looked after.
“We believe it can create its own revenue income streams and we will try to tackle that as businesses in the area, by also aiming to revive our culture in the city.

“The area is home to about seven landlords and 27 businesses,” Cicognini said.
The Bay business chamber’s chief executive, Denise van Huyssteen, said the coming together of businesses was key in enabling the area to tap its true potential.

“As the chamber, we have taken a proactive approach where we focus on what is within our spans of influence to constructively address some of the challenges facing the city, instead of pointing fingers and complaining from the outside.

“The clustering approach provides a basis through which all relevant stakeholders can come together and share resources and ideas to positively impact the trajectory of this city.
“As such, we are excited as the chamber that businesses in the Baakens Valley recognise the importance of working as a collective to preserve what the area has to offer and to position it as an attractive destination for potential investment inflows and job creation,” Van Huyssteen said.

VIA HeraldLIVE