The franchisees of Quest Portland, a 50 apartment, four and a half star property on the West Victorian coast, have recently been nominated for a Victorian Young Achiever award.

At just 21 Ryan and Terry Weissel moved to Portland from Sydney, and over the past two years they have devoted their time not only to their business, but to their local community, too.

Both played a key role in developing the Portland Young Professionals Network, and Ryan is the Vice President on the Board of Directors for YMCA Portland, Heywood and Casterton.

Ryan is heavily involved in United Way Glenelg, a community group that raises money and distributes the funds to a variety of local causes, and one that Quest Portland has a unique partnership with.

He sits on the judging panel as a community member and has been involved in organising the United Way Santa’s On the Run event, which is held in conjunction with the Portland Young Professional’s Network.

Terry has been actively involved in establishing a local “Women in Business” group, and both have been involved in a number of local charity events.

“We saw a real gap in opportunities for young professionals to network with one another and improve their skills,” said Ryan.

He said that by forming the Portland Young Professional’s Network, young people may be more likely to stay in small towns rather than move to the city to upskill, as more opportunities now exist in the local area. 

He is fond of the friendlier, more personal nature of small town life, explaining “it is fantastic as we are able to know many people by their first name, and vice versa. In a big city it’s a lot harder to do this, and we have really savoured the change of pace and community spirit.”

Congratulations Ryan and Terry!