Leading Australian building firm NU-Steel Homes is seeking franchisees in Queensland and New South Wales to join the business as it expands to meet increasing demand for its new homes, despite a continuing industry slump.

While building approvals nationally slowed significantly following the 2009 Global Financial Crisis, since 2007 when the business was purchased by current owners, Nu-Steel Homes has year on year continued to experience steady growth, with work in the pipeline now six times greater than it was in 2007.

Nu-Steel Homes Managing Director, Ash Richardson said they were now looking for up to 40 franchisees to manage exclusive areas.

Mr Richardsaid said Nu-Steel Homes had developed a comprehensive high-tech franchising model, which would provide franchisees with strong support and reduced risks, when compared to other franchise business models.

“Nu-Steel Homes, a trusted Australian residential building brand with a 30-year history, has developed a modern approach to franchising, operating a high-tech central system and using preferred builders so franchisees can focus on sales and client services,” Mr Richardson said.

“This means together we can continue to provide more customers with innovative homes that are tailored to their needs.”

The Nu-Steel Homes business model sees the company, and not the franchisee, carrying the margin risk on every build. The single biggest risk for local building franchisees is profit margin; either from poor costings, time blowouts due to bad weather or unforeseen problems during the build.

“Nu-Steel Homes is the first Master Franchisor in Australia to take on the profit risk per job. This protects both the franchisee and the end consumer and makes building a Nu-Steel Home a far more attractive option for what is for most people this single biggest life investment,” Mr Richardson said.

The areas where franchises are available including Mackay and the Gold Coast in Queensland and Newcastle, Sydney’s Northern Beaches and Albury in New South Wales have been selected because Nu-Steel Homes already has strong demand in these areas.

Mr Richardson said there was no denying that the broader building industry had been through a tough time but Nu-Steel Homes’ approach has set it apart.

“Our model is working and consumer clients are attracted to reducing risk even more so in the current climate, and by building up a suite of services that beats the competition we are also positioning ourselves well for when the market cycle returns to a boom.

“For these two reasons we believe this is an excellent time to become a Nu-Steel Homes franchisee.”

Mr Richardson said the high-tech central system provided full support to the franchisee so they could focus predominantly on sales and local lead generation while the Master Franchisor has an international, experienced team to take care of design, engineering, selections, manufacturing, procurement, scheduling, transport, returns and warranties.

“Not only is this good new for the franchisee but also for the consumer because operating this way means bigger buying power so the consumer pays less.

“Most of the bigger building companies still operate on a local procurement model so the consumer ends up paying more if they want a high quality home,” he said.

Mr Richardson said the franchising sector had improved significantly over the last 20 years and Nu-Steel Homes aimed to be at the forefront of innovation and service to both end consumer and its franchisees.

“Once we find the perfect local franchisee partners, we will have them all up and running on the world leading Salesforce CRM platform plus they will be fully trained and kitted out with an iPhone, iPad and MacBook Air.”

For more information about Nu-Steel Homes visit www.nusteel.com.au or to enquired about a Nu-Steel Homes franchise, email franchising@nshq.com.au.

As part of its quest to raise more than $500,000 in 2012, the Buderim Foundation is working with University of the Sunshine Coast students to challenge neighbours to work together to make an everlasting contribution to the community.

The ‘Street by Street Challenge’ will be launched with a special fundraising showcase organised by the students. The event will feature ideas that street communities could use to make a joint contribution.

The Buderim Foundation’s B150 Community Challenge, part of the 150th birthday celebrations of Buderim, aims to raise money to take their investment fund to $1million. This would enable the organisation to distribute more grants to a wide range of Buderim community groups.

Buderim Foundation Chair Professor Paul Clark said with all donations over $2000 to be acknowledged on a commemorative plaque, the new ‘Street by Street Challenge’ was an opportunity for street communities to work together and collectively make a donation and be acknowledged.

To inspire neighbours to pool their resources and have some fun as they fundraise, the ‘Street by Street Challenge Fundraising Showcase’ will demonstrate different fundraising ideas from raffles and jumble sales to bake sales, live entertainment and the good old-fashioned lemonade stand.

Student group mentor, Reflected Image PRoductions Public Relations Director Michelle Smytheman said using any or a combination of the fundraising ideas available at the Fair would not only help the communities raise funds but also help neighbours get to know each other more and have some fun.

“The idea is that the Showcase will provide inspiration for people to go off and fundraise in their own street using whatever activities work best for them, whether that be a bake sale and lemonade stand, children’s fun activities, car wash or even just a collection if people are too busy,” she said.

The ‘Street by Street Challenge’ Fundraising Showcase will be held on Saturday, 19 May at the Buderim War Memorial Community Association (BWMCA) Hall from 10am to 1pm.

Not only will it be a morning of fun for the whole family, with music, food and drinks, raffles, carwash, kids activities and more, the event will also provide the community with simple and fun examples for fundraising.

Buderim residents will be encouraged to sign up on the day, as a street coordinator for their street. Coordinators will be provided with fundraising kits and resources to assist them in their efforts.

The Buderim Foundaiton is a not for profit community foundation that aims to enrich and enhance the quality of life of Buderim’s residents by generating income from donations and using the income to provide grants for worthwhile community projects

Since its launch eight years ago, the Foundation has raised $450,000 and aims to reach the $1,000,000 mark in just one year.

The Sunshine Coast Literary Association continues to receive an overwhelming response to the 2012 Writers’ Competition, with entries flooding in from across South East Queensland.

President of the SCLA, Bryan Ward said it was great to see so many entries rolling in and such an interest in the competition further demonstrates the need for organisations like the SCLA.

Entries to the Writers’ Competition close on Friday, 27 April. For the first time, this year’s competition is open to aspiring writers in the Moreton Bay and South Burnett Council areas as well as the Sunshine Coast and Gympie. There are six entry categories including junior short story, junior poem, young adult short story, young adult poem, open short story and open poem.

“The competition is designed to provide an outlet for talented writers to showcase their work to their peers,” he said.

“The calibre of entries we received last year was outstanding, proving the amazing abilities of writers in the region, and I am sure this year will be no different,” Bryan said.

There are six categories in this year’s competition including:

• Category 1: Open Short Story, to a maximum of 2500 words.
• Category 2: Open Poem, to a maximum of 40 lines.
• Category 3: Young Adult (High School, Years 8-12) Short Story, to a maximum of 1500 words.
• Category 4: Young Adult (High School, Years 8-12) Poem, to a maximum of 30 lines.
• Category 5: Junior (Primary, Years 5-7) Short Story, to a maximum of 1000 words.
• Category 6: Junior (Primary, Years 5-7) Poem, to a maximum of 20 lines.

There are some great prizes up for grabs with each category having a $200 first prize, $50 second prize, as well as certificates for all winners including Highly Commended entries.

A panel of experienced judges decides on the winners, which will be announced at the SCLA Writers’ Competition Awards Dinner on Thursday, 21 June at 4th Floor Restaurant in Mooloolaba.

The Sunshine Coast Literary Association is a not-for-profit association dedicated to nurturing, showcasing and celebrating literary talent throughout the Sunshine Coast region.

“The Writers’ Competition was first held in 2007 and has been run every year since 2009 so it is a key part of the Association’s calendar,” Bryan said.

Each entry is $7 with a maximum of three entries per candidate. Entry forms and details are available online at the SCLA website, www.scliterary.org, or by email info@scliterary.org. All entries must be received by 27th April 2012.

Have you spotted the three new additions to Main Street in Buderim?

The Buderim Foundation has installed a series of three poles beside the Foundation Tree in Main Street, opposite the Buderim Mountain State School.

These poles are designed to create awareness of the B150 Community Challenge and provide an innovative way of keeping the community informed of the progress of the fundraising campaign.

The Community Challenge was launched by the Foundation as part of the Buderim War Memorial Community Association’s B150 celebration. The aim is to raise $500,000 this year and double the trust funds supporting the town’s Community Grants Program.

The money raised will be invested, and the income from the investments used to provide grants to Buderim community organisations.

Chair of the Buderim Foundation, Professor Paul Clark said the ‘philanthropoles’ are designed to act as a barometer.

“The green painted poles represent previous fundraising projects in Buderim and symbolise the generosity and strong philanthropic spirit of the Buderim community”, Prof. Clark said.

“The unpainted section on the largest pole represents the B150 Community Challenge fundraising target of more than $500,000 by the end of the year.

“During 2012, as donations increase, the large pole will be progressively painted red to indicate to residents the progress of the B150 Community Challenge. The red section currently painted represents the $82,000 already raised.

“These philanthropoles will remain in Main Street until the end of the B150 celebrations”, Prof Clark said.

“We encourage everyone in the Buderim community to promote the Challenge whether it’s with a donation or by supporting one of the events or raffles.

“As one supporter said recently… this is not a donation, it’s an investment in Buderim.”

The Buderim Foundation is grateful to Sentura Constructions, Bebrock Excavating, Buderim Landscape Centre, Pest Express and Blackburne Jackson Design for their generous contributions towards the installation of the philanthropoles.

The Buderim Foundation, launched in 2004 by the then Governor of Queensland Quentin Bryce AC, CVO is a philanthropic organisation that aims to generate income from donations and bequests and provide grants for worthwhile Buderim community projects.

To learn more about the B150 Community Challenge or the Buderim Foundation pick up a brochure at the Old Post Office Information Centre or visit the website at www.buderimfoundation.org.au

Australia’s Crochet expert, Jenny King is setting out to ensure crochet skills are continued for generations with a new program of great workshops and courses.

Jenny has taught crochet around Australia and internationally including the US and operates a range of classes from her Sunshine Coast shop, JK Designs on David Low Way at Marcoola (opposite SurfAir).

Jenny said she was particularly excited to start her Hairpin Lace on Steroids course on 7 April. The class will teach them all the skills they need and see participants walk away with their own handcrafted hairpin lace scarf.

“My classes are suitable for beginners through to advanced, so there is something to suit a range of skill sets,” Jenny said.

“Each class focuses on mastering a specific crochet technique to make a range of garments from scarves to ponchos, hats and even toys,” Jenny said.

Jenny said the Hairpin Lace on Steroids (7 April), Entrelac Tunisian Crochet (on 21 April) classes are both great for beginners as they require students to only know the basics of crochet.

“The classes are fun and interactive, and students get to take home their own work at the end of the class,” Jenny said.

Jenny, who has been crocheting since being taught two simple stitches when she was just 10, has been passing on her love of crochet since the 1990s and is the author of 13 crochet books and countless patters that cover everything from intricate beaded bags and jewellery to swimwear.

“Crochet is a rapidly growing trend and continues to increase in popularity as more and more crochet fashions appear on cat walks around the world,” Jenny said.

“I believe this has, in part, revived the lost art of crochet and prompted people to want to learn the craft themselves and I want to help give everyone the opportunity to learn,” Jenny said.

Jenny King Designs also runs weekly crochet and knitting clinics allowing participants to work on whatever project they like in a friendly social environment while also having help on hand.

The clinic times are:

• TUESDAYS 10am to 12pm – CROCHET CLINIC with Leah Hyndman
• WEDNESDAYS 10am to 12pm – KNITTING CLINIC with Leah Hyndman
• THURSDAYS 10am to 1pm – CROCHET CLINIC with Jenny King

Also being offered on the last Tuesday of each month is Bubs-R-Us, a two-hour workshop where students can learn new techniques to make clothing for infants.

“This will give those with an existing interest in crocheting a chance to learn new skills from certified and experienced instructors,” Jenny said.

For more information and a full class program, visit JK Designs or go to www.jennykingdesigns.com.au