Joel Ehsman
Joel Ehsman reports on business and the local economy for the Illawarra Mercury, focusing on how commercial decisions shape everyday life. His coverage combines openings and closures, regional growth and policy shifts, and the human stories behind entrepreneurs and community services. He works as a business reporter after earlier cadet experience at the masthead and brings a digital‑first approach to making local business news relevant and accessible.
Business List and local enterprise coverage
Ehsman is a regular presence on the Business List, tracking how new ventures, expansions and shutdowns affect customers and precincts across the region.
He reports on budget outcomes from the perspective of both major employers and smaller operators in pieces such as “Budget disappointment from Illawarra's big - and little - end of town,” giving business owners a platform to react to policy decisions. His work on food and hospitality ranges from “Two eateries close in Wollongong Central while a new global chain opens” to coverage of KFC testing a new product line on local diners, tying brand strategies to street‑level change.
He frequently profiles individual founders and niche concepts, including stories on a new Shellharbour business making palliative care “more meaningful and less traumatic,” and a fitness entrepreneur who rebuilt her approach to exercise after feeling alienated post‑pregnancy.
In “Yum in a Box is providing healthy convenience to Wollongong schools,” he follows a school‑focused catering business, highlighting how local enterprises target specific community needs around health and convenience. His food coverage also extends to venue movements, such as Kiama’s El Corazon moving north to replace Amigos in Shellharbour, and new Italian offerings like the restaurant that plans to succeed where others have failed by rethinking its positioning and offer.
Beyond static business profiles, Ehsman writes about networks and business organisations, including “Meet the new chair of i3net, Sam Boardman as the network continues to grow,” where he examines leadership changes inside a regional industry network and what they mean for members. His broader portfolio includes stories such as “Why Wollongong businesses and the Mayor are getting ready to 'paint the town red' for the Hawks,” connecting sponsorship, branding and local sport to commercial confidence and civic identity. He also covers entrepreneurial stories like “From UK to Bulli: How a new mobile sauna business came to be,” following the founder’s overseas inspiration and the decision to bring a mobile wellness service to local customers.
Economic change and regional development
Ehsman’s business reporting extends into economic trends, housing and population movement, where he works with data and expert commentary rather than treating business solely as retail or hospitality news. In “Mass internal migration from Sydney sees Illawarra region grow by nearly 2,500 people,” he sets out how house prices and job opportunities drive internal migration, explaining the scale of inflows and what they mean for housing demand and planning. His work in this area has been cited in planning documentation that uses his description of internal migration and growth to frame policy challenges around housing and infrastructure.
He follows regional infrastructure and energy debates, including coverage of an offshore wind panel in Thirroul under the Beyond the Horizon banner.
In “This is what was discussed during Thirroul's offshore wind panel,” he reports on the arguments and concerns aired at a community forum, summarising what proposed projects could mean for local industry, employment and the environment. He also writes on tourism and accessibility, with “'Sky is the limit': the untapped potential of accessible tourism in Australia” highlighting the business opportunity in making destinations more inclusive and the economic benefits of catering to travellers with accessibility needs. Ehsman’s name is attached to discussions of the region as a single economic area, with his business coverage referenced in commentary on housing and infrastructure and the idea of neighbouring towns forming one economic region.
Beyond the Horizon and Young and Regional features
Alongside straight business items, Ehsman contributes to series work that looks at technology, generational change and future‑oriented issues.
Under Young and Regional: The Algorithm Decides, his article “Talking to the dead: How AI is using deathbots to disrupt the grieving process” explores how artificial intelligence products intersect with grief, ethics and commercialisation, using a feature format rather than a pure news brief. This strand of his work shows an interest in how emerging technologies reshape personal experiences and the business models that sit behind them.
The Beyond the Horizon and Young and Regional pieces sit at the edge of his business round, connecting policy, technology and regional identity back to commercial implications. By pairing panel coverage on offshore wind with feature writing about AI and grief technology, he positions himself at the intersection of innovation, community concern and economic opportunity. These series contributions give communications teams a sense that he engages with complex topics over time, not just in one‑off business announcements.
Community events, culture and notices
Ehsman also takes on community and culture assignments, which rounds out his perspective on local audiences and the organisations that serve them.
His photo‑led piece “Young and old pay their respects during Shellharbour Anzac Day services” documents public commemorations, balancing visual coverage with concise captions and notes on attendance. In the What’s On section he co‑authors items such as “Quiz: Can you name these 14 characters ahead of Comic Gong,” using light, interactive formats tied to local events and fandom.
In entertainment coverage, he has written profiles such as “Tony Mojanovski on his new wife, having a baby, and finding a little bit of 'Tony time',” which sit closer to lifestyle and television but still rely on interview craft and narrative structure. He also reports on partnerships like “Why Flinders Pet and Rescue Hub Wollongong are partnering up,” connecting animal welfare and rescue work with business considerations and sponsorship. Taken together, these pieces show a reporter comfortable moving between business, community, entertainment and events, with a consistent focus on how organisations and individuals interact and how those stories play out in the region’s daily life.
Across his body of work, Ehsman’s distinguishing strength is his ability to treat business as a community beat, using accessible language and clear structure to link corporate decisions, small‑business moves and policy changes back to the people they affect. He combines data‑driven economic stories with detailed profiles and venue reporting, and he is willing to follow issues like offshore wind and AI grief technology when they intersect with business or regional futures. His output shows range across hard business, features and lighter community pieces, while keeping the impact on local residents, workers and customers at the centre of the story.
4 more business journalists.
AdNews
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Aditi Sarkar
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Adrian Black
Adrian Black is a business reporter who treats regulation, court action and economic shocks as core business terrain, not side issues. He writes for The Canberra Times, covering corporate conduct, legal and market consequences of misleading investors, and concrete risks from technology, crime and volatile costs. His recent work centres on detailed coverage of the fallout from Regional Express profit forecasts and losses, tracking ASIC’s case, courtroom arguments and continuous disclosure mechanics in the NSW Supreme Court. He follows contested cases over time, parses formal statements, and connects legal developments to reputational damage, shareholder confidence and governance standards. Beyond litigation, he reports on rising fuel and energy costs, unpaid invoices and money mule schemes as operational risks, and examines how AI changes careers, always tying abstract forces back to specific businesses, workers and the choices they face.
Adrian Leung
Adrian Leung is a technically precise reporter on Chinese electric vehicle manufacturers, distinguished by deep coverage of engineering specifications, thermal management systems, and performance metrics often ignored by business media. He writes on Chinese EV makers including BYD, Nio, Leapmotor, Xiaomi, and others, examining their manufacturing strategies, market positioning, and production developments. His Electrical and Computer Engineering background informs detailed analysis of battery thermal management, torque outputs, battery capacities, and thermal performance metrics, including case studies like BYD’s Flash Charging system and e4 motor system. Leung tracks new model launches and refreshes with exact dimensions, pricing, and export timelines, and reports on broader auto industry profits, production volumes, and margins. He also covers battery technology and solid-state battery delays, translating complex chemistry and semiconductor supply chain issues into clear, business-focused insights.