South Australia a great business base, says Bob Beaumont Beaumont Tiles managing director Bob Beaumont says Adelaide is `a fantastic place to do business. LOCAL companies should have more confidence in the opportunities available in South Australia, the head of one of the state's most successful businesses says. Beaumont Tiles managing director Bob Beaumont said the family-owned ceramic tile and bathroomware retailer, which his father, Raymond, opened in 1960, was proud of its South Australian roots and has never found them a disadvantage as the company has expanded interstate. However, he said he was concerned many local companies didn't have sufficient confidence in what they could achieve in this state. "I get pretty cross when I'm interstate and people ask where we have our head office and I say Adelaide, and they say `why?"' he said. (But) I find Adelaide a fantastic place to do business, not least because it's a 20-minute city. We should have confidence. With about 450 staff, Beaumont Tiles now has outlets in Queensland, Victoria, the ACT and New South Wales. In 2011, its turnover approached $150 million and it now has 90 stores managed through a mix of franchises and direct company ownership. Mr Beaumont spoke to The Advertiser ahead of today's launch of the We're for Jobs in SA campaign.