The Hon Pat Farmer, Federal Member for Macarthur and key members of the local business community welcomed BankWest to the Macarthur region (Camden, Wollondilly and Campbelltown) on Wednesday night at the official opening of the BankWest Business Banking Centre in Narellan
This opening is a significant milestone in BankWest's expansion plans, with more than 160 major new retail and commercial banking centres opening over the next three years.
At the official opening Julie Rynski, Head of Business and Private Banking said the new centre is another milestone in BankWest's blitz on business banking markets across Australia.
"We are the fastest growing business bank in Australia because our customers know we're trying harder than the competition to help their business grow. We've listened to feedback from businesses in many different areas and identified a clear need for specialised banking services across various industry sectors," Ms Rynski said.
The latest ABS statistics (June 2007) reported there are over 17,000 businesses in the Macarthur area, with a significant number in construction and the property, business and commercial sectors. The majority are small businesses with four or less employees, and have an annual turnover of less than $100,000 (see below for expanded data).
BankWest NSW State Manager for Commercial and Corporate Andrew Tolj said the statistics showed Narellan and the Macarthur region was a natural choice for the bank's Business Centre because of its strong economic growth.
"The diverse mixture of commercial and industrial areas, along with a significant presence of small businesses, influenced our decision to open this dedicated Business Banking Centre," MrTolj added.
Mr Farmer welcomed the establishment of the BankWest Business Banking Centre in Narellan.
"It's great to see BankWest bringing new competition to the region and investing in the Macarthur and Camden regions. This is a win-win for the area. BankWest sees the inherent opportunities delivered through the region's high rate of home ownership and booming small business sector and locals will win through new competition," Mr Farmer said.
BankWest has a growth strategy to become a significant force in Australian financial services, through a strategy focusing on driving competition and change in the banking industry.
"We have made a significant investment in our future here in the Macarthur, with modern premises, technology and systems, and have recruited the best bankers in the local area," Mr Tolj said.
"We are delighted to have a presence in the Macarthur, and believe our recent expansion will provide BankWest customers easier access to our services and products over the coming years."
The team at Narellan currently consists of Senior Business Development Manager Brett Hewit; Business Development Managers Perin Berhardt and Toese Faapito; Assistant RelationshipManagers Geoffrey Phillips and Marcella Broz; Relationship Support Officer Kathleen Goodbun; Market Specialist David Head and Business Banking Development Manager.
The BankWest Business Banking Centre is located at Unit 3, 6 George Hunter Drive, Narellan.
