Marshall Dwyer
Position - Food Cluster Coordinator
Department - Economic Development
Directorate - Corporate and Economic Development
Not everyone needs a formal qualification or set of letters behind their name to get into local government – solid experience in a particular field is highly valued. Marshall ran an electrical store for over 10 years and was also president of his local traders association before joining the City of Whittlesea.
"I spent a lot of time working with businesses and local councils on a voluntary basis, and when the opportunity came up at Whittlesea, I decided I may as well get paid for doing it and work on the development side of Council's services for the commercial sector." Marshall's first position was as StreetLife Coordinator. One of the major projects here was to ensure broadband access and internet technology in industrial growth areas, especially the Thomastown industrial precinct.
"There were a lot of aspects to the project, such as working with Telstra to upgrade the broadband infrastructure, setting up a registry of businesses and educating the owners on new technologies and how to use them to improve their operations. Whittlesea has been recognised internationally for this."
This led to Marshall's current position, in conjunction with Hume City Council, which focuses on the 120 plus food manufacturers in the region, collectively the Plenty Food Group.
"This is a vital industry sector employing over 4,000 people. My role is to assist local food manufacturers strengthen and grow. The role changes almost weekly with initiatives such as developing trainee and apprenticeship programs, promotion at expos, marketing to national and international buyers, and encouraging food manufacturers to collaborate, for instance on reducing water usage."
"After spending many years running my own business I really enjoy the social aspects of working with nearly 700 other staff, and the range of professional expertise at hand. We have a strong culture of teamwork and access to good resources that help me to focus on the job."
