The NOW Group was the brainchild of Tim Mander and Madeleine Hicks, and with the help of Mary DiMarco they pulled it together and made a group where businesses could come together, support each other and build relationships all while supporting the local community. NOW originally stood for NorthWest, but the foundation members quickly realised that we needed action NOW, helping the local community. The very first meeting was held in 2016. At the beginning there were 20 people at meetings each month, meeting at the local coffee shop at Flockton Street before teaming with the Everton Park State High School to host meetings within school grounds. There was a method to this move – it enabled the hospitality students to gain experience as they were asked to serve breakfast to the meeting attendees. Now the meeting attracts 70+ members and has raised and donated $1000’s of dollars to local charities [link to list]. We still stand by the original Mission to support local business by providing a platform where ideas, partnerships and collaboration can flourish through openness, trust, co-operation thus fostering a strong unified prosperous community.​