BUSINESS SHOWCASE
A Winning Year For Sense Of Skin
It has been another remarkable year for Mackay’s Sense of Skin, with founder Bre Sanders returning from two major industry awards with an impressive collection of accolades celebrating both her business and the results achieved for her clients. Sense of Skin recently placed second in the Pigmentation Category and third in the Revive Category at the Best in Skin Awards, before an exceptional showing at the 2026 Circadia Awards Gala.
Read the full storyFMS Group Challenging The Way Things Have Always Been Done
For FMS Group, some of the best innovations begin with a simple question: why has it always been done this way? That mindset has driven a 20-year commitment to finding safer and more efficient ways to tackle complex mining maintenance and shutdown work, and has now earned FMS Group the Austmine Innovation (METS) Award at the recent 2026 Queensland Mining Awards.
Read the full storyDouble Win For Lowcock Builders
More than a century after the Lowcock family first began building in the region, the Bowen company’s commitment to quality has earned fresh recognition, claiming two honours at the Master Builders Mackay & Whitsunday Housing & Construction Awards. Lowcock’s quality of work was recognised across two distinct categories, with its Yaringa Units project winning the Medium Density up to Three Storeys award and VaultX Storage taking out the Commercial/Industrial Building up to $3 million category.
Read the full storyIndependence Starts Here
For 10 years, ILSA has been part of the Mackay community, supporting people living with disability to have greater choice, independence and confidence. A local, not-for-profit community organisation, ILSA is a registered NDIS and NIISQ provider supporting people aged 18 and over in Mackay. ILSA also provides disability and funded aged care services in Cairns.
Read the full storyRaising A Glass To Townsville’s Best In Business
The region's business community came together in style at The Ville for the Advocates Online Townsville Chamber Business Awards 2026, an evening dedicated to recognising the outstanding businesses, organisations and individuals helping drive Townsville's economic growth and community success.
Read the full storyConnections, Conversations and Competition
A successful business conference should leave people with more than a notebook full of ideas. It should start conversations, create opportunities and send attendees back to work ready to put something new into action. By that measure, the 2026 Whitsunday Business Conference delivered.
Read the full storyThe Business Of Better Coffee
You might say Tien Norman was naturally destined for her career – it’s even in her name. “My name is Tien,” she laughs, “pronounced like ‘tee-in’ – tea ‘n coffee.” Whether fate had a hand in it or not, the Managing Director of Coffee Service Packaging has certainly found her place, in an industry driven by taste, innovation and most importantly, people.
Read the full story76 Years Of Family And Furniture
Over 76 years of furnishing homes and venues across the Whitsundays, it’s safe to say Burnups Home Style has become a local institution, proving that family businesses should not be underestimated. Founded in 1950, three generations of Burnups have driven the Whitsundays furniture business, which started off as a ‘hole-in-the wall’ in Bowen, and now has two spacious showrooms in Bowen and Cannonvale, with a reputation for top quality furniture, advice and service built on trust.
Read the full storyTurning Experience Into Purpose
For Laura Hamilton, life after 40 has been defined not by slowing down, but by discovering just how much more was possible. Now 46, the founder and director of Elegance Lymphatic Care has transformed some of her most difficult experiences into a career dedicated to helping others feel heard, understood and supported.
Read the full storyNew Leadership, New Chapter
InterContinental Hayman Great Barrier Reef is entering a new chapter, with a series of senior leadership appointments bringing new expertise to one of the Whitsundays’ most iconic luxury resorts. The newly assembled leadership team spans the resort’s key operational areas, including general management, operations, food and beverage, housekeeping and human resources, reflecting a coordinated investment in the future of the property.
Read the full storyReset, Recover, Reconnect
For many, busy schedules often take priority over personal wellbeing, and finding time to truly slow down can be easier said than done. That’s why Fitness Cartel Mackay is offering their spectacular Oasis Health Retreat, featuring aseven-day wellness experience designed to help you reset, recover and reconnect. Taking place from 25th April to 1st May 2027 at Komune Resort on Bali's east coast, the retreat offers a fundamental program centred on movement, recovery and mindfulness.
Read the full story“WE’RE LOCAL ALL THE WAY”
For Carla Healy, principal of Raine & Horne Ayr, a community can only thrive when locals support locals. That philosophy is at the centre of everything the local real estate stalwart does. At the helm since 2024, Ms Healy has made a point of supporting local events. She calls it a duty to the community that has given her and her business so much. “It’s always been a philosophy of mine,” she said.
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