VKALAW Pty Ltd owned and operated by brothers Simon van Kempen and Adam van Kempen acquired McInnes Legal in July 2024, as they have done with their prior acquisition Peter A Smith Law Practice in Ocean Shores, will enhance this esteemed commercial law practice in Ballina with their personal attention and legal and business acumen.

van Kempen & Associates is a full service law firm with three solicitors and a conveyancing paralegal based in our Tweed Heads office. Our Tweed Heads practice deals extensively with Property Law matters throughout both New South Wales & Queensland and we also specialise in Estate Planning and Administration, Strata/Body Corporate Law, Partership Agreements, Loan Agreements and General Contract Law.

After 26 years in the Hotel industry, I returned to consulting but this time concentrating on Social Media and adapted my talents with Facebook, Twitter and other Social Media tools to promoting Hotels, Restaurants, Bars & Clubs.

• After consulting for the owner for 2 years through my previous position at HGA, I was asked to become this hotel’s opening General Manager.• Wrote & instituted the initial 10 year budget, staffing levels, marketing plan, as well as all policies & procedures.• Property opened September 4th, 2001 and a week later with the 9/11 terrorist attacks on NYC, revised budgets & forecasts immediately.• During the following year, I diversified the hotel’s clientele and gained additional exposure by opening up the hotel to location filming for both motion pictures & television shows as well as offered discounted accommodation to major actors; all of which kept the hotel busy and had the additional advantage of bringing press to the hotel. • Initiated relationships with luxury marketing consortia including a profitable relationship initially with Concorde Hotels and then with Luxe Hotels, building the hotel reputation among the luxury sector despite the neighbourhood being relatively unknown as a hotel destination at opening.• Hands-on manager; maintained strong relationships with staff and contracted vendors, and kept staff turnover to a minimum. Hotel Chandler had the lowest staff turnover of any of the 4 Triumph Hotels.• In 2006/2007 commenced a full-scale rooms renovation to bring the interiors up to 5 Star standard. Redesigned the in room electrics to provide convenient & available outlets for today’s wired traveler.• For the first 4 years also performed Financial Controller duties and prepared the management accounts, bank reconciliations & maintained asset ledgers.• Highest Tripadvisor Ranking #23 – under my leadership Hotel Chandler was in top 10% of NYC hotels from 2008 until I departed in August 2010. Left after 9 years to return to consultancy specifically in Social Media for boutique hotels. http://www.prweb.com/releases/simon/vankempen/prweb4297374.htm

Hill Goodridge & Associates (HGA), the management company of Small Luxury Hotels of the World (SLH), which was run by my former VP – Finance at Cunard Hotels, recruited me to set up their Asia Pacific Division to facilitate hotel consulting and management contracts. Within three months of starting in Sydney I was sent to New York for a three week consulting contract on the Iroquois New York. This quickly became an annual contract requiring my services in NYC for ten days each month. For the rest of each month I was working in China developing an all suite luxury hotel, and spending time in either the London or Sydney office working on other projects. By January 2000 it made sense to move my base from Sydney to New York As the size of the NY contract grew it made more sense for the client to take it in-house and after negotiations between the client, HGA and me I moved over to his payroll and became his employee effective 4 May 2001.

Red Carnation Hotels was born out of the success of the Chesterfield Hotel, which I joined in early 1993. At that time it was trading at a loss and through instituting proper financial controls I was instrumental in its return to virtual break even profitability within a ten-month period. Through a proper business plan, effective investment and diligent management the Chesterfield became one of London’s most profitable hotels. By mid 1995 the owners of the hotel were sufficiently confident in their London management and the hotel market to expand their hotel interests. In early 1996 we purchased the Montague Hotel and I headed up the “due diligence” team. A further acquisition followed in 1997; the Rubens and my last acquisition was the Milestone in 1998. When I left RCH employed 450 staff, had a turnover of £26m & 12 staff reported to me.Main duties:• Property & hotel acquisitions - UK based negotiator and due diligence co-ordinator.• All Legal issues pertaining to owned & leased properties, particularly: Licences for Alterations, rent payments, rent reviews etc.• Insurance - annual negotiation with Insurance Broker for all insurance regarding London properties & assets. In total in charge of insurance costs in excess of £200k (1998 value) pa I conducted quarterly reviews w/ the broker.• Management Account reviews.• Administration & Trustee of RCH Pension Scheme and Administration of Private Medical Insurance plans• Yearly Audit for nine companies’ liasing with Auditors & the parent company.• Preparation of Statutory accounts for five UK companies & four offshore property companies.• Budgeting - heavy involvement in preparation of the hotels budgets including but not limited to: Anglicising & preparing the spreadsheets & folders for the Sales & Marketing Plan, Assisting the Controllers in preparing the Spreadsheets, Advice on trends for future years, Fixed Costs budget including inter-company rent, insurance, property taxes, interest & depreciation