“When the opportunity came up to become the executive officer, I thought it would be a great opportunity to give back to a community that has been so great to me,” Mr Wilson said.

After coming to Port Macquarie in 2009 and working as a principal car dealer until March 2017, Mr Wilson said he has seen the business community in Port expand, and plans on helping harness the resources out there for businesses to optimise their potential.

“I have some interesting plans on how to improve the chamber for its members and for the business community at large, and I will start those plans at my first board meeting in the coming weeks,” he said.

“The local chamber links directly into the NSW Chamber of Commerce which have a fantastic number of resources for businesses to help them.”

With over 200 members, and growing, the chamber plays an important part of the community, advocating on behalf of businesses, and Mr Wilson said, he hopes that as the region develops, so too will the community mindedness of businesses and people.

“Taking on this role, one of my aims will be to really work at linking businesses with providers so that we can all get the best out of our businesses.”

Mr Wilson said he also wants to look into the future so that businesses can have some security.

“Taking on this job I don’t want to be here for a short term, my goal in the coming months is to create a three to five year plan, working with members, the board and council to maximise the town,” he said.

One issue in particular Mr Wilson points to, is customer service, and said, while ground is being made, we can all do our part.

“Business is growing in Port Macquarie at a very fast rate, due to our growing population, and I have seen first hand how the attitudes towards customer service, particularly in the service industry, have changed now that we are the destination place to be, but more generally there is still a lot of work to do around this issue,” he said.