A business leader will soon be appointed to oversee the rejuvenation of a north-east town.
An overwhelming number of Inverurie firms voted to form a business improvement district (Bid) following a ballot in July.
A board has now been elected to help run the Bid, known as We Are Inverurie, made up of 13 traders within the town.
However they will act in an advisory capacity and hope to appoint a senior manager to take forward the group’s ambitious plans for the town.
Ian Sinclair, of Sinclairs Jewellers, has been chosen as the board chairman.
Last night he said the managerial appointment was key to the Bid’s future success.
He said: “It is a very diverse board with experience in many different fields of business and we can’t wait to get the Bid manager on board and start to deliver the projects as per our business plan.
“We need to push on because we can’t really do much without them in place.
“It’s vital that we get the right person in place for this, we will be able to provide more details on our plans once this has got moving.”
There have been 10 applicants for the post with interviews expected to begin at the end of this week or beginning of next.
A whopping 87% of firms voted to launch the Bid at a ballot in the Garioch Heritage Centre.
Ballot papers from 125 businesses, based in the main streets of the town centre, were collected over a week.
There were 16 votes against the proposals, which have been on the table for the past three years.
Each business will now contribute a levy to the scheme, with the organisation investing £100,000 each year until 2022.
The group has already helped to run the hugely successful inaugural Pride of Inverurie Awards on Friday.
Eight locals were recognised for their efforts in promoting and representing the hall at a glittering ceremony in the town hall.