Running a Regional Business Shouldn’t Mean Doing It Alone.
You’re good at what you do. But tracking down grants, navigating government programs, finding the right staff, and keeping up with what’s available for businesses like yours, that’s a lot to carry on top of actually running a business.
We’re Regional Development Australia Adelaide Hills, Fleurieu and Kangaroo Island – regional insiders with direct connections across all levels of government and a track record of helping local businesses find funding, grow their teams, and get ahead.
We don’t send you to a website. We sit down with you.
Nobody Should Miss Out Because Nobody Told Them
There’s a lot to navigate out there – that’s exactly what we’re here for.
You didn’t start a business to spend your days on government websites. Funding opportunities are real – and they close without notice. Workforce programs exist, but only if you know where to look. The right connections can open doors you didn’t know were there.
We know this region.
We’re not a call centre, not a portal, not a form to fill in. We’re a team of people who live and work in the Adelaide Hills, Fleurieu Peninsula and Kangaroo Island – with direct relationships across federal, state and local government, and a history of turning those relationships into real results for local businesses.
We’ve helped businesses unlock more than $667,000 in manufacturing grants, connected employers with job-ready candidates at no cost, and guided businesses through programs they would have otherwise missed entirely. Whatever your business is dealing with right now, chances are we’ve seen it before – and we know who to call.
Here’s how we help.
There are three steps between where you are and where you want to be.
Step 1 – Connect We link you directly to the funding, networks, skilled staff and programs your business needs. No runaround. No dead ends. Just the right people at the right time.
Step 2 – Navigate We guide you through grant applications, workforce programs, government funding and anything else that would otherwise eat your time. We know the landscape so you don’t have to learn it yourself.
Step 3 – Grow With the right support in place, you can focus on what you do best. We stay alongside you as your business builds on the genuine advantages of operating in this region.
Whatever Your Business Needs
We can help you find it.
We work with businesses across every sector – manufacturing, food and agribusiness, tourism, services, retail and primary production. We understand the specific pressures of operating regionally, and the genuine competitive advantages that come with it.
Grants and Funding
Finding the right grant and putting together a strong application takes time most business owners don’t have. We help you identify the opportunities that actually fit your project, get grant-ready before you apply, and work through the process without wasting effort on programs you’ll never qualify for.
Our Hills and Coast Grant Finder is a free portal pulling together grants from councils, state and federal government – all in one place. Register once, set up alerts for your industry, and never be last to hear about an opportunity again.
Businesses We’ve Helped
See what’s possible when the right support meets the right opportunity.
The businesses on this page had good ideas and projects worth funding. What they needed was someone who knew which grants fit, how to build a strong application, and what to do when the funds came through.
These are their stories – from a fourth-generation pear grower in the Adelaide Hills to an artisan bakery on Kangaroo Island.
Free Business Mentoring
Sometimes you just need to talk it through with someone who knows what they’re doing.
As part of our drought recovery support, we are currently offering free one-to-one business mentoring for qualifying businesses across the Adelaide Hills, Fleurieu Peninsula and Kangaroo Island. Each engagement provides 2.5 hours of practical, tailored guidance covering cash flow, marketing, risk, staffing, business planning and growth – delivered in your local area by experienced mentors who understand regional pressures.
Places are limited.
Finding and keeping the right people
Skills shortages are one of the most consistent challenges for regional businesses.
Our team works with employers across the region to provide a no-cost recruitment service: we help you find job-ready candidates, shortlist applicants, and connect you with training programs and government subsidies that reduce the cost of building your team.
We’ve placed workers in manufacturing, hospitality, agriculture, aged care and trades. We also connect businesses with state and federal workforce programs – upskilling existing staff and bringing new people in with the right qualifications from day one.
Manufacturing network
If you make things in this region, you shouldn’t be solving the same problems alone.
The RDA Manufacturing Network brings together manufacturers from across the Adelaide Hills, Mount Barker, Alexandrina, Yankalilla, McLaren Vale and Kangaroo Island to share knowledge, explore new technology, and learn about funding and programs relevant to the sector. Whether you produce food, fabricate steel, build components or add value to raw materials, this network is for you.
Beyond manufacturing, there are dozens of active industry and business groups across the region – from sector-specific associations to local chambers and women’s networks. If you’re looking for the right room to be in, we can point you there.
More Support for Your Sector
Connections and resources for agribusiness and First Nations businesses.
We work with businesses across every sector – manufacturing, food and agribusiness, tourism, services, retail and primary production. We understand the specific pressures of operating regionally, and the genuine competitive advantages that come with it.
Agribusiness and co-operatives
Getting the region’s food and agricultural advantage to translate into better margins, stronger supply chains and bigger markets. We connect farmers and producers with networks, co-operative models and resources including the Co-operative Farming Resource Library, FIAL’s SA Food and Agribusiness Report and the Agritourism 2030 Strategy.
First Nations Businesses
Tailored connections for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander entrepreneurs across the region – including Indigenous Business Australia, Supply Nation, the First Nations Entrepreneur Hub, The Circle and the National Indigenous Australians Agency.