The Free Press
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Thursday, March 8, 2018 Page A11
Women in Business
A celebration of Elk Valley Business Women
NOTABLE WOMEN OF THE ELK VALLEY Rachel Butterworth
Singing Teacher/Runs Camp Cre8
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achel Butterworth has always wanted to be a music teacher, but she didn’t know that one day she’d be running her own business. “It’s something I used to do in the UK,” said Butterworth, who had just finished her degree in music from the University of Chester, before moving to Fernie. That was over six years ago, and her business has blossomed. Butterworth teaches vocal lessons for children age six to 16, out of The Arts Station twice a week. “I started with eight students,” she said, “that quickly grew to 26.” Aside from teaching music, Butterworth plays in a local band called Hark Raving Sirens, a trio that plays a wide variety of tunes. She’s been on stage performing since the age of two, and she says to see other children on stage brings her unparalleled satisfaction. “It just fills me with utter joy to see the kids faces behind the stage,” she said. “Just to inspire the kids, it’s very rewarding.” The vocal classes focus on a number of aspects to singing, from the technical skills, to recording audio and performing. She focuses on vocal technique and stage presence, as well as small skills that are commonly overlooked, like adjusting the microphone stand.
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“They’re learning some technology as well,” Butterworth said, noting that they get the chance to record a couple of songs. The sessions culminate with an on stage performance at The Arts Station for friends and family. “In that time the kids will have a couple of songs ready,” she said, explaining that the theatre atmosphere plays a key role in the experience. “I’m loving teaming up with The Arts Station.” As she grows her business, Butterworth is also looking at extending the types of programs she is teaching in partnership with The Arts Station. Currently, she also runs an art class called Club Cre8 and has applied for a grant to facilitate a baby sensory class with The Arts Station. Butterworth also hopes to one day run some spring break music camps as well. “I only want to continue to do it and to grow it,” she said. “I really enjoy seeing these kids and being associated with something artistic.” She says that as a business owner, the steepest learning curve was dealing with paperwork and administrative aspects. “If I can make a living off what I love, then I feel like I’ve achieved a lot,” Butterworth shared.
We proudly recognize the contribution women make to our business and our community!
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LOCAL WOMEN MAKING A DIFFERENCE
Casi Jo Lasalle
Permanent Make-up Artist
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n 2015, Casi Jo Lasalle not only transitioned from a man to a woman, she changed her entire life and career. After coming out as a woman, Lasalle changed her career from being a long haul trucker and mineworker, to being a perimedical tattoo artist. With a bank loan, a fresh education in the craft and a whole lot of bravery and determination, she has started a thriving small business in Fernie. Lasalle runs her studio out of the back of Sparrow for Hair. She provides microblading, a method of adding pigment to eyebrows to thicken and shape them. “It’s a pretty popular service,” Lasalle said, adding that she is one of two microblading experts approved by Interior Health in the East Kootenay. She also does permanent make-up tattooing such as eyeliner and lip liner, and even eyebrows. “I can do freckling, I can do beauty marks,” said Lasalle. With a tattoo gun, Lasalle can recreate nipples for women who have had mastectomies. “I can do scar camouflaging,” she said. “I can do pigment corrections for people with vitiligo.” Lasalle studied at the Eternal Beauty Institute in Calgary. “When I started to transition, I knew I wouldn’t be able to stay in the typical jobs I was doing,” she said. “I was looking for a new avenue and a new direction to take my life, so that I’d be in an industry that was a lot safer and a lot more welcoming to a trans person.” She says that entering the beauty industry made sense. “The light bulb just went on and I just thought, ‘this is what I’ve got to do,’” she said.
After years of working in mines and oil fields across Canada, Lasalle decided to come back to Fernie where she grew up. “I get to deal with way more people now,” Lasalle said. She still drives a truck part time while she establishes the business. “I was terrified,” she said. “I had never owned my own business. This, being fully responsible for everything? Taking out a business loan... this is all me whether I make it or break it.” That fear was also a great motivator. Lasalle was tired of living within her comfort zone and it was time to push for something more. It was the challenge, and the risk that’s making the reward even sweeter. “This could turn into the most well-known medispa in the Kootenays,” she said, adding that with her services catering to a niche market, she hopes people will travel to her business as a destination. “It’s mind boggling how much support I’ve gotten,” she said. With only a business loan and an idea, Lasalle started talking to other local entrepreneurs and found a wealth of knowledge and help. The partnership she established with Stacey Goldade and Noel Vanoostenbrugge at Sparrow for Hair allows Lasalle to work out of the same building as the salon, in a positive and supportive work environment. She says it’s the first time in her life that she’s worked a job that she’s excited to go to in the morning.
Tamara Dunn Holistic Nutritionist
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n a world filled with diet crazes, health blogs and products being marketed as sure-fire weight loss solutions--it can be confusing. According to Tamara Dunn, there’s no quick fix. “Changing your lifestyle is messy and complicated, and a whole lot of work,” said Dunn, a holistic nutritionist based in Fernie. She specializes in helping people bring balance to their diets, identify what they may be lacking and help them start on a path to healthier eating habits. Along with consultations, she holds speaking and cooking classes. Dunn devises recipes to inspire her clients. Dunn started her business in Fernie four years ago, when she moved to the city from Ontario. As a recent graduate of The Institute of Holistic Nutrition North York Campus in Toronto, Dunn was ready to jump start her career and start practising her craft. “I wanted to get out of the city,” said Dunn, who grew up in the Muskokas, a small northern community in the Ontario. When she first set up shop in Fernie, she rented an office space in the Annex three days out of the week. It was after making a home-visit for a client that she changed her business drastically. “I kind of realized it was a way better way to work with people,” she said. Clients were much more comfortable talking about their food and lifestyle from inside their homes, it was a more casual approach. She could see inside someone’s fridge; get a sense of the challenges they face in maintaining healthy eating habits. Now, Dunn operates entirely on home visits, Skype sessions and meetings, without her office space.
“The benefit is for sure that I don’t have any overhead,” she said, however the drawbacks are time management. “It was a lot easier to manage my time when I was renting out my space.” The first consultation generally runs for an hour. “It’s a very in depth meeting,” she said. The conversation centers around the client’s eating habits and their concerns while Dunn looks to pinpoint what may be lacking in their diet. Then, she drafts a protocol. The protocol is a document explaining which foods the client should incorporate into their diet and how best to do so. Together with this are recipes and supplement recommendations. “I’ll write down all of their goals,” she said, “and we will work to achieve them.” As for Dunn, she has some business goals. It’s been no easy task single-handedly setting up a business in Fernie. “I had to learn how to build a website, “she said, adding that she had no idea “how much work I would be doing that is not nutrition.” She hopes to grow her online presence and continue growing her business in the community. Coming into Fernie, she says she wasn’t sure what it would be like to establish a holistic nutrition service in a small community. “You have to work really hard,” she said, adding that despite its challenges, she’s constantly amazed by the support she receives from this tight-knit community. “We want to build each other up,” Dunn said. “People want to see other people succeed.”
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LOCAL WOMEN MAKING A DIFFERENCE
Kate Pollock Seamstress
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hat some might view as a ruined piece of clothing ready to be thrown in the trash, Kate Pollock sees as her next project. The seamstress moved to Fernie nine years ago from Australia and fell in love with the mountain town. “I came to do a ski season, probably the same story as everyone in town; I stayed for the summer, loved it, and moved in permanently.” Pollock has fond memories of growing up seated at the sewing machine next to her mother. Because of this, her obsession with fixing clothing started from a young age. When she came to the milestone of deciding what to do after high school, she plunged into the world of fashion design. This was a great way to perfect the skills she learned as a girl. The Australian spent a few years in Fernie not practicing her craft. Then it hit her like a pile of bricks; what is she doing here? “I thought, what’s my special skill? Oh yeah that’s right, I know how to sew.” She started repairing friends clothes, and her business grew until Pollock decided, two years ago, to make it official. She registered her business name, and made a Facebook page. Kate Pollock is now the proud owner and operator of Fernie Clothing Repairs and Alterations. Because this business is part-time, she has as much work as she wants. Her hours are flexible, allowing her to still enjoy all the activities Fernie has to offer. In Fernie, clothing repair is a large industry because so many are buying expensive clothing and wanting to get it repaired rather than replacing it. Pollock loves repairing someone’s favourite piece of clothing and giving it back to him or her in working order. This, to her, is very satisfying. At the end of the day, Pollock goes home, closes her door, and starts sewing. She finds that her most productive time of day is at night, when the world settles down.
Women in Business
Marjorie Templin
Assistant Operational Manager
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Every restoration is a challenge, but when she gets it perfect, that’s the highlight of her job. The best part about Pollock’s job, is when someone contacts her after a restoration to tell her how unbelievably happy they were with her work. “It’s a pretty precise job, there’s no room for error. So it’s nice to know that other people appreciate how much effort and work you’ve put into it,” she said. Pollock is seeing a trend movement, where people would rather repair something than buy something new, even if it costs around the same amount. She believes this is because people are becoming more environmentally conscious. Pollock’s dream would be to one day, own a successful retail space where she could sell fabric and craft supplies, while doing alterations. However, she said that the availability of space in Fernie is limited, and she also wants to be sure of the direction in which she would like to take
her business before making that decision. After many requests, Pollock has decided to launch a series of sewing workshops to be held at Infinitea once the ski hill closes for the season. Part of what Pollock k will be teaching, is how to use the sewing machine that your grandmother used, but hasn’t been turned on in many-a-year. This will transition into a more intermediate series focused on repairs and restorations. “I thought that could be a bit of fun, I’m really looking forward to that,” she said. Pollock has also entertained the idea of collaborating with others in her craft, to rent out a large space together as a sort of ‘sewing collective’. This is an idea that may blossom in the future. To get in contact with Kate, you can reach her on Facebook, by text, or call. “Because I’m hopefully out snowboarding and doing fun things, I’ll get back to you as soon as I can,” she said with a smile.
We’ve got you covered! 8 NEW
resident of the Elk Valley since 1979, Marjorie Templin has been a member of the Save-On-Foods team for 32
years. Marjorie started with Overwaitea doing demos, then worked for Greenhills and Coal Mountain. When she had her two sons, she wanted to be closer to home so she returned to Overwaitea. Templin has made a career with Overwaitea Food Group. After over 12 years, she moved into the position of produce backup. She then transferred to the Fernie store for four years, during which time she completed Retail Management Excellence. A position opened up in Sparwood for Assistant Operational Manager, and Templin has been in this position for approximately 12 years. Switching positions back to Sparwood has allowed Templin to become involved with her community again. She and her husband remain dedicated members of the Sparwood Chamber of Commerce, with Marjorie acting as President. Templin says that the company’s community-minded initiatives have coincided well with her position in the Chamber. “The enjoyable part of the job is coaching and mentoring people,” she said. “We have lots of students, and this is their first job. It’s all about coaching and mentoring, and helping them understand what a job is. Seeing them engage, enjoy the job and work with the public for me, is very rewarding.” For Save-On-Foods, the Children’s Hospital is a big priority. For nine years, Templin ran the Calgary Marathon, and the company matched her with $1,000 in donations. Some years, she raised the most money out of all the marathoners. She says this is a testament to what a great community she lives in. “I just enjoy working, I enjoy the public,” she said. “There’s not very many days I don’t look forward to going to work.” 113 Red Cedar Drive, Sparwood
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LOCAL WOMEN MAKING A DIFFERENCE
Lauren Street
Herbalist/Natural Medicine
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o one Fernie local, living healthy isn’t a practice, it’s a lifestyle. Through her knowledge and passion about nutrition and healthy living, Lauren Street hopes to help improve the lives of others as well. Street, a clinical herbalist, aims to provide healthy living solutions for clients through the use of plant remedies. She started her education in nutrition, chasing her interest in food, diet, and lifestyle. As she progressed through the program at Pacific Rim College she discovered another course, called Phytotherapy. Located in downtown Victoria, it is known as the most comprehensive herbal medicine program in North America. Eternal Roots Health and Wellness, was recently launched by Street, and focuses around Street’s passion for plant and food medicine as well as healing of all kinds. Street said a common misconception is that herbal medicine is only used to heal from certain illnesses, like a cold or common flu. However, she says that there is much more to it than this. “Herbal Medicine treats on so many different levels,” said Street. “It can help reverse certain chronic disorders, there are herbs that can rebuild certain cells. Pharmaceuticals are great, we need them for a lot of things, but they don’t do the same things that herbs can do. “It’s what we’ve been using forever, it’s like an ancient medicine.” An entrepreneurial mindset is something that runs through Street’s family; her brother, Keegan Street, was the creative mind behind Rooftop Coffee Roasters, also based out of Fernie. At Eternal Roots Health and Wellness, Street currently offers consultations out of the Trillium Day Spa. Because she treats holistically, she needs to understand everything that’s going on in
her patient’s life before she can recommend a treatment. “Of course we talk about your chief concerns and what brings you in because that’s the most important, but we also talk about past medical history, diet and lifestyle, and all body systems including cardiovascular, respiratory, nervous system. We cover everything,” she said. Based on the Information Street gathers from her patient, she then creates a custom formula. Other than the tea’s that she offers, every formula aside from those is unique. “If you had digestive concerns and also had high blood pressure, I’d put both of those into the same formula, most of the time,” she said. Street sources her herbs from Vancouver Island, and says they don’t even compare to what you would find in a grocery store. Before launching her business, the 24-yearold tested the waters with several workshops in Fernie to see if this was the right time and place to begin. “It didn’t take long for me to realize that Fernie, at least for now, is the place for me,” she said. Street says that Fernie contains some of the best things in life; family, friends, and mountains. One of the reasons she launched her business is to educate people about the powers of herbal medicine. From her perspective, herbal medicine can serve as a very empowering form of medicine. She says it can be a simple as adding certain ingredients into your diet, every day. She also believes that if more people were educated in herbal treatment, it would prevent many illnesses. In summary, Street says that in order for her treatments to work, the client needs to also make the effort. Many of the things that Street prescribes require a schedule, and dedication. Consultations with Lauren can be booked online at Trilliumspa.wordpress.com. To read more about the Fernie local, visit Eternalrootshw.com. She can also be reached via phone at 250-8829002.
Sue Hanlon Artist
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nside everyone, there is an artist, says Sparwood painter Sue Hanlon. Teaching has always been in her blood. Earlier in her life, Hanlon taught science and art in Sparwood, ultimately switching to substitute teaching as it gave her more time with her children. Being very involved in her children’s lives, when the last was about to leave home she knew she had to find something to do. Around the same time, Hanlon was approached and asked if she would like to undertake a paint night fundraiser for Coal Miner Days. “I said, okay, people teach people art, this is what I do… sure!” After hanging up the phone she stopped, stared into space and thought, what’s a paint night? Little did she know, a paint night is a large undertaking, an event with many moving parts. Often, a dozen or more people will meet in a restaurant, or a cafe, and paint for two hours. Students are mentored and led through the creation of a painting. Usually it’s beginners who haven’t ever painted before – and want to give it a try. Although it was intimidating at first, Hanlon has discovered that she loves it. The paint nights not only benefit the business in which they are held, they also benefit Hanlon by allowing her to stay in her craft, teach art, earn a living, and most importantly have fun. Hanlon’s first paint night took place in January of 2016. She started up her own business, Artbeat Activities, in the fall of 2016. Since then she’s held paint nights throughout The Elk Valley, and now holds public nights, private nights and event fundraisers. A portion of the funds raised through her paint nights is given back to the community. The last fundraiser she held was for Frank J. Mitchell Elementary, as they needed $6,000 to send
some kids on a field trip. Other organizations that benefitted include the hockey club, the drama club, figure skating, and more. This is an integral part of Hanlon’s business. In addition to helping others, Artbeat Activities personally helps Hanlon. “For one thing, I had an ability, that I just ignored for a long time,” said Hanlon. “Because, I had sports, I had children, I had other things to do. “But I know that art is part of who I am, and I also believe that I am created, and that we can create. And it’s good for everybody.” Hanlon said that if she had a dollar for every time someone told her they couldn’t draw a stickman, she would be rich. She believes that inside everyone, there is creativity, but because of the daily grind, we shut it off. “What this (paint night) does… I pull out that creativity in them, just by showing them. These are the things they create, and they are, for the most part, thrilled with themselves.” Throughout the paint night, Sue talks with her painters about the process – they don’t talk about the end product until they reach that point. Hanlon believes it’s all about the steps. “We’re here to enjoy ourselves and go through a process, which takes us into the right side of our brain which doesn’t have numbers, and letters, and speech and bills and payments and worries,” said Hanlon. “It is a lovely space.” The artist is thrilled that she can bring this experience to a small town. “It’s a calm thing to do in a busy world.” To find out more about Artbeat Activities, visit its Facebook page, or visit Artbeatactivities.ca.
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LOCAL WOMEN MAKING A DIFFERENCE
Operating a haul truck can be an individual and challenging job, but it’s also a team-oriented environment where everyone looks out for one another. There are so many opportunities to learn and develop new skills at Teck. Ariell Foran Haul Truck Operator, Greenhills Operations Start your career at Canada’s largest diversified mining company. Apply at teck.com/careers