About Dave
After serving 6 years with the Australian Regular Army I commenced my first business as a small self-employment venture working out of the spare bedroom at home and went on to be the founding Director and CEO of 7 companies. I am best described as a serial entrepreneur with a passion for start-up businesses and a natural innovator with a nose for commercially viable ideas. I am skilled in market development and raising capital and above all a GREAT listener. I have empathy borne of experience in the challenges of start-ups and emerging expanding SME’s, I know success, I’ve experienced spectacular failure and even bankruptcy in the 80’s.
My expertise is in developing and expanding businesses with particular emphasis on Agricultural and Horticultural especially around value adding and alternative market development. Above all my networks are extensive!
Snapshot of Achievements
Wrote & published a book, “The Basics of Small Business Management”
Published Paper UTAS Rural Development from ground up – Agri food Initiatives 10.2080/09614524.2015
Served two years on the Marketing and Design Team advisory Board for Ausveg/HAL
Registered Expert Network Advisor for “Accelerate Commercialization” AusIndustry
On the Board of Directors for Australian Institute Agriculture.
Business Mentor for the UTAS Business Mentoring program ( 4yrs)
Contracted by the Hon Amanda Vanstone to conduct a 12 month research project to review the impact of self-employment start up programs and their role in reversing economic and population decline in rural/remote WA.(Remploy Report – 1995)
Sat on the National Executive of the National Neis Association as one of a Board of 7 directly reporting to the Minister. (10 Years )
As a result of my association with the Innovation Centre at Curtin University I sat on the Board of Judges for the year 2008 Inventor of the Year awards and for that year and the preceding year sat on the judging “Pitching” panel for a National company called Watershed that ran courses for companies at the Innovation Centre in developing Information Memorandums and Business Plans for Capital raising.
Background Summary
Jada Industries Pty Ltd:
The Screen Printer Magazine Group:
Wanneroo Ecomomic Development Assoc:
Millpark Corporation Pty Ltd:
David Wells & Associales, AuzSing, Business Mechanies:
Odour Emission Technologies Pty Ltd:
Pantheon Equity Group Ptd Ltd:
In Addition
Tasmanian Insitute Agricultre:
(Snr Industry Development Advisor)
Expert Network Advisor:
( Accelerate Commercialisation – AusIndustry)
Dir Australian Institute Agriculture – Board
Core business was as a Managing agent for the Federal Government’s New Enterprise Incentive Scheme where over a period of thirteen years assisted over 2,000 successful start up businesses with a documented success rate of 92%.
1978 - 1988
1989 - 1992
1992 - 1994
T/A
1994 - 2006
2006 - 2008
2014 - Present
2008 - Present
2015 - Present
2016 - Present
Education
Masters of Business Degree UTAS
Post Graduate Certificate in Business 2010 UTAS
Business Facilitation Cert 4
Assessment & Workplace Training Cert 4
Registered Training Organisation 1995 - 2008
Accredited National Business Coach