Think you know the West Highlands? Read on...

As CEO of West Highland Chamber of Commerce (with members based in Oban, Lochaber, Wester Ross, Skye, Raasay, and Lochalsh), I’m lucky to work with businesses of all sizes and sectors across the region. And let me tell you, this area is buzzing with opportunity.

We’re seeing huge levels of fresh investment in the west highlands. Scotland’s largest infrastructure project this century is taking shape right here: SSE’s planned Coire Glas pumped hydro storage scheme will be the first of its kind in the UK in over 40 years. It is set to transform the energy landscape and provide employment for many years to come.

It’s not just the big names making waves, either. Businesses across the region are scaling up. The Isle of Skye Sea Salt Company, Lochaline Quartz Sand Ltd, and Northern Engineering and Welding Company (NEWCO) are just a few of our homegrown success stories going for growth. Meanwhile, Kishorn Port Limited in Wester Ross continues to build its services for the energy sector, creating jobs and prosperity in a remote rural area.

International and UK investors are seeing the value of our natural environment and the competitive advantage it offers. The Austrian timber firm Binderholz is expanding its BSW Timber facility in Corpach, increasing capacity at what is already the UK’s largest sawmill. And Norwegian salmon company Mowi has invested in a multi-million-pound upgrade of its Fort William base. At the same time, Alvance is progressing a major development at its Lochaber aluminium smelter. When global players see the potential here, we need to make sure we’re doing everything we can to build on that momentum.

Rural businesses have always worked together for the benefit of the community, and that’s just what we’ll be doing at the ‘West Highland Vision’ Conference in Fort William on Thursday 20th March. We’ll bring together contributors from businesses, big and small, to get to grips with the hot topics of infrastructure investment, sustainable tourism, skills, and community engagement.

Collaborative work will continue to be key to our region’s success as our new economic future takes shape. What businesses decide is most important for growth will shape the future work of West Highland Chamber of Commerce.

By working together, we’re strengthening the economy of the west highlands and showing what a great place this is to live, work and do business in. The FW2024 Masterplan is Fort William’s strategy to become a thriving central hub for a growing and prosperous region, and it couldn’t come at a better time. Since last year’s Vision Conference, we’ve expanded our networks and grown Lochaber Chamber into the West Highland Chamber to better support the wider west highland business community. While we’ve made progress tackling issues like our long-standing transport challenges, there’s still a long way to go. We can't let a lack of investment stifle our growth.

The west highlands already make a major contribution to Scotland’s economy. and we’ve got the potential to take that even further with investment in infrastructure, amenities, and housing that’s needed to support economic growth.

The potential is huge. We need support and investment to turn our opportunities into success for Scotland.

At West Highland Chamber of Commerce, we’re doing everything we can to support our business members to turn ambition into reality. Join us at our 'West Highland Vision’ Conference’ and help shape the future for businesses and communities across the region.

Frazer Coupland, CEO of West Highland Chamber of Commerce