Sarah Watson From Lightning Comms
Star sign: Capricorn
Fav Colour: Green
Fav holiday destination: Fiji
Fav quote: Life’s too short to drink bad wine.
Describe your personality in three words: Focused, loyal, compassionate
Sarah Watson is the shining force behind Lightning Comms, a business she runs alongside her husband. She takes on a multitude of roles, including office manager, all-rounder and helping hand on site when needed. The businesses specialises in information and communications technology and security. And while it is quite a specialised field with technology constantly changing and products forever evolving, Sarah and her team consider themselves to be experts in the field and are dedicated to ensuring their work is consistently up to date.
The team work on residential, commercial, government and school projects and are certified cablers for two different data cable brands which allows the company to offer 25-year warranties on the cabling systems installed.
In light of International Women’s Day, Sarah is proud to be a woman in business as she role models for her children that “whatever goals they have or want in life, if they try hard and give it their all, they can achieve them.”
Although Sarah owns her own successful business, she touches on the influences around her, like her mother and mother-in-law who both have strong work ethics, giving 110 per cent into their work. Both these women have played a big part in Sarah’s devotion and dedication to her very own career journey.
With an ever-growing business, Sarah often finds it hard to balance home and work life but understands the importance of family time and is a pro at organising meal plans, groceries, home planners for activities, appointments and extracurricular activities throughout the week.
Sarah finds joy in spending quality time with her husband Sam and three children, Ruby, Xavier and Willow along with their beloved cat Eddie. She also loves relaxing with a good glass of wine.
Jade Richardson from Tourism Whitsundays
Star sign: Cancer
Fav Colour: Light Blue
Fav holiday destination: Anywhere with a beach
Describe your personality in three words: Kind, passionate, enthusiastic
What’s the best piece of advice you’ve ever been given? from Robin Sharma: “A burning sense of passion is the most potent fuel for your dreams.”
Coming from a small coastal country town in South Australia called Yankalilla, Jade moved to the Whitsunday region seventeen years ago and says she is here to stay after falling in love with the area, claiming it to be a perfect place to raise kids, live a good life and stay connected to all of its natural beauty.
Combining her love for nature and all things Whitsundays, Jade is now the Membership and Marketing Coordinator at Tourism Whitsundays and is fully dedicated to establishing quality communication with members, both current and prospective. The organisation is deeply committed to showcasing the Whitsunday region as a tourism destination and works hand in hand with Tourism and Events Queensland and the Whitsunday Regional Council to lead the marketing efforts.
Jade reflects on the importance of International Women’s Day and what it means to her as she touches on her pride in being part of a predominantly female team. As a woman in business, surrounded by many other strong, intelligent, and goal-focused women, Jade is reminded daily of what can be achieved with an abundance of focus and inspiration in the workplace. Jade was left inspired by Naomi McKinnon’s leadership and focused work ethic, she learnt that regardless of how life changes we can rebuild incredible futures for ourselves and our children. Most of all Jade is inspired by the everyday leaders of her community.
When she’s not chasing her career dreams, Jade likes to take her kids to the beach for rock walks and enjoys outdoor activities.
Wendy Bickhoff
Star sign: Virgo
Fav Colour: Blue
Fav holiday destination: Tasmania
Fav quote: When one door closes another one opens.
Wendy Bickhoff was born in Bowen with a heritage line dating back to 1863 when her family arrived on the first migrant ship in North Queensland from England. She attended school through to grade 10 until she joined the workforce at a local IGA, and later worked in a Pharmacy which also included a banking agency. After living in Mackay for a short while, she returned to Bowen to run a grazing operation for 16 years before buying Corals City 2 Country.
Wendy is one of the owners and is the lead manager at Corals City 2 Country, specialising in fitting shoes especially for people with feet problems. Wendy was born with turned feet and has endured problems with finding suitable shoes throughout her life, thus understanding those who struggle to find the right shoe when dealing with similar conditions.
In honour of International Women’s Day, Wendy addresses that women bring a different point of view to a business. Stemming from her mother’s dedication and ‘never say no attitude’ Wendy says her mother is her greatest role model and mentor, touching on the importance of having strong people in life to keep us going when life gets in the way.
Emphasising on the importance of family time, Wendy likes to cook, watch a good movie as well as spend quality time with her two children and a ‘very naughty’ Jack Russel who believes he is the most important family member.
Corals City 2 Country is a unique business that has something for everyone… from your hat to your hanky and even engraving. The store stocks well-known brands like Ariat, Wrangler and Thomas Cook to Orientique, Escape and Sass.
