Mid-North Coast’s top business women revealed
There are plenty of amazing business women in the Mid-North Coast, and we’ve compiled the top list of movers and shakers who are doing extraordinary things in the corporate world.
Mid-North Coast
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We all love a strong, independent woman, and the Mid-North Coast is full of amazing and talented women doing wonderful things in this great community.
The Mid-North Coast News has compiled a list of the top females who are using their brainpower for good.
PETA PINSON
Port Macquarie-Hastings mayor and business woman Peta Pinson wears more than one hat when it comes to making a difference on the Mid-North Coast.
Ms Pinson is the owner of Stabilcorp, a specialised road maintenance company which focuses on road safety throughout Australia. Her company is located in Wauchope. When she’s not rigorously strategising and implementing road safety measures, she’s busy keeping the community moving forward as the region’s head political figure.
Mayor Pinson was elected at a 2017 By-Election and is the first female mayor for the Port Macquarie-Hastings Local Government area.
“My civic role as mayor has afforded me many new experiences and the opportunity to advocate and assist our community,” she said.
“The personal growth I have had in the past three and a half years has been amazing and through the tough times I have realised my strengths while working on my weaknesses.
“Business is such an interesting occupation and I would be lying if I didn’t say I enjoy the adrenaline it brings. No two days are the same when you are in business and you are always being challenged by internal and external influences.”
Back in 2015, Stabilcorp designed, developed, manufactured and commercialised Australia’s first shoulder paver machine which attaches to the front of a skidsteer (bobcat).
It was designed to widen the shoulders of roads, giving more road area for drivers should they need to move over the fog line due to lack of concentration or to avoid oncoming danger.
“This invention we called the ShoulderMaster and is the first of its kind in Australia. It is trademarked, patented and has won three Australian business awards,” she said.
It is sold throughout Australia and as well as global markets including the USA, United Kingdom, Russia.
“This has all occurred from a factory space in Wauchope and is a testament to the process of prototyping and entrepreneurialism,” she said.
“I encourage anyone in business to keep seeking out new opportunities to grow or improve the business and more importantly, believe in yourself.”
LIZ CAMPBELL
The mayor of the Kempsey-Macleay Shire, Liz Campbell was born, educated and employed within the Kempsey-Macleay Shire.
Before taking up a post as a Councillor in 2008, Ms Campbell worked in the retail travel industry for the best part of 30 years having acquired Kempsey Travel from her parents. Ms Campbell then moved to Coffs Harbour, where she owned Jetset Travel.
“It was a successful business that I operated before moving to the Central Coast to set up two other franchises for Jetset, and then came back to establish the Smokey Cap Lighthouse Bed and Breakfast,” she said.
“This was done in partnership with National Parks.”
Mayor Campbell has deep-seated roots in the Kempsey-Macleay.
Her father established the first aged-care facility in the area, but prior to that, was a stock and station real estate agent.
He too was a councillor, and she attributes her move into the political spectrum to him.
“That’s how I ended up becoming a councillor, because I was scripted into it,” she said.
“ He came to Kempsey when he was a young man after the war, and in a very short time, became a councillor.
“He was on Kempsey Municipal Council for 35 years before I was born, right into my adulthood.
“He served as mayor, and those where the conversations we used to have around the kitchen table. The building of new roads, sewer plants, economic development - all those things.
Ms Campbell was elected to the position of mayor in 2011 and was re-elected the following year when Kempsey held its first election for a popularly elected mayor.
She was then re-elected for a second term in 2016.
She said she will be looking forward to standing for a third term when the local government elections are held in September 2021.
MEREDITH PAIGE
Meredith Paige owns and operates her self-titled business, creating user-friendly websites for small businesses in regional areas.
Her work is designed to bring potential customers offline and in-store.
“After working with tonnes of small businesses – particularly in country areas – I realised that often the owner is wearing all the marketing hats and really needs access and knowledge of their website to get the most out of it,” she said.
“ I also work with them to use their websites to connect with more potential customers through their other channels – social media, email, print marketing and more.
The idea, she said, is that their website acts as the first point of reference online.
Working this way also allows her to save small business operators hours of clicking around online.
“I help them get the basics of their marketing up and running consistently, which then allows them to see what‘s working best for their business and double down on those efforts,” she said.
“I love working with small businesses, because when they do well their communities thrive. These people give our teenagers their first jobs, they sponsor local sporting clubs and they show up on weekends to coach, train, manage and run barbecues at our community events.
“If I can help them grow their businesses with what I do, that growth then quickly flows outwards to other aspects of my community I enjoy.”
STACEY MORGAN
You’ll be hard pressed to find a woman more passionate about performing arts and dance than Stacey Morgan.
A passionate entrepreneur and small business consultant from Port Macquarie, Ms Morgan is the Principal of Port Macquarie Performing Arts, a dance school on the Mid-North Coast.
She is also the Director of Morgan Media, a global podcast production company that focuses on podcasts related to Small Business, the Arts and raising a family.
“I am also a Speaker, Facilitator and Business consultant offering online business consulting to small businesses around the world.,” she said.
“In 2004 I graduated university with a Bachelor of Creative Industries in Dance and a Bachelor of Education in Drama from the Queensland University of Technology and since then have gone on to study my Masters in Arts Education through Deakin University majoring in Dance teaching.
Before opening Port Macquarie Performing Arts in 2009, Ms Morgan facilitated a national education program for dance at the Royal New Zealand Ballet from 2005 until 2009, and was the co-host on Commercial Radio Network Austereo’s Star FM breakfast show from 2009 until 2012.
Port Macquarie Performing Arts is training the next generation of young people to be the best version of themselves through the power of the arts.
“We are committed to providing high-quality performing arts classes to enhance the overall development of the individual, in a safe and child-centred environment with qualified, passionate and nurturing teachers,” she said.
Ms Morgan is the co-host of Miss Bossy Boots, a podcast; keeping it real for Women in Business.
She also produces and hosts Rhee Gold’s DanceLife podcast, which has over 30,000 downloads. Both of these shows along with a range of others, form part of the Morgan Media Network.
“For the past eight years my business has consistently won at the Greater Port Macquarie Business Awards, taking home awards such as Excellence in Innovation, Excellence in Workplace Health and Safety and Excellence in Technology.
“From 2015 – 2019, I won the Young Entrepreneur of the Year, Outstanding Business Leader and Outstanding Women in Business awards.”
While these achievements rank high on her list, she said the absolute highlight was being named one of five finalists in the 2020 Telstra Business Women’s Awards from more than 22,000 applicants.
KATE WOOD—FOYE
As the Director of External Engagement for Charles Sturt University (CSU) Port Macquarie, Kate Wood-Foye is part of the team responsible for advancing and enriching the university’s community engagement and collaborative impact in the region.
Ms Wood-Foye utilises her extensive networks to connect, build and strengthen CSU’s key regional relationships.
“As the local voice of the Port Macquarie Campus I am focused on the creation of meaningful and lasting relationships for the university with industry, government and the wider regional community,” she said.
“The [CSU team] and I enrich and achieve the university mission - for the public good - through a dedicated engagement program and the development a calendar of robust community and academic partnerships and events to build aspiration, connection and community.”
Ms Wood-Foye is a proud Port local having spent the past 20 years working across various community engagement, media, business strategy, marketing and event roles.
She works closely with key university and regional leaders to identify, connect, plan, and deliver on strategic and collaborative engagement opportunities for CSU and the region.
This is demonstrated through the creation of the Community of Learning that is the Mid-North Coast Leadership and Resilience Network.
Established in late June of this year, the network has connected 68 community members and leaders across three local government areas to build leadership and capacity for resilience and recovery from the regions recent drought, bushfires, flood and the COVID pandemic.
Outside of her university pursuits, Ms Wood-Foye is also the co-founder & chair of the national youth leadership event Luminosity Youth Summit.
This is a national youth forum and summit for young people held in Port Macquarie which seeks to inspire and challenge young people between the ages of 15 - 25 to excel in their chosen careers.
More than 2500 young people have participated in the summit since its inception eight years ago.
KERRY GRACE
Kerry Grace is a seventh generation resident of the Nambucca Valley.
Like many regional kids on the Mid-North Coast, she left home for the ‘big smoke’ as soon as she finished school returning in her mid 20s to raise her family.
Ms Grace started her business, Evolve Group Network (Evolve) in 2004, not long after returning home.
“Being self-employed was a great way to re-acquaint myself with my regional community and also provided me with a great deal of flexibility as I raised young children,” she said.
While she had gained numerous years experience in business management and adult education in the city, she said her approach to her business was to say ‘yes’ to everything and learn how to do it after.
Over the years, her passion for learning has served her well as she is a sought after consultant to government, Aboriginal Corporations and not for profit organisations.
With social justice as a core value over time Kerry found she could not have the influence to benefit her community she hoped for being self-employed.
In 2016, she successfully applied for a job role as the CEO of Regional Development Australia, Mid North Coast.
Still in this position today, she says it has given her enormous insight to regional economies and how to communicate between government, business, not for profits and community members.
KELLY LAMB
Kelly Lamb is the CEO of Liberty Domestic and Family Violence Specialist Services (DVNSW) on the Mid-North Coast.
Liberty provides specialist support and housing services to women and families affected by domestic and family violence and homelessness in the Port Macquarie Hastings region.
For four years prior to taking on the role of CEO, she was a Board Member of the organisation which was formed in 1980 as the Hastings Women and Children‘s Refuge Inc.
Liberty has since evolved and expanded to provide a wide range of services including crisis accommodation, housing and outreach support, support groups for women and children, men’s behaviour change programs, community prevention and education, and workplace training and development.
“I am passionate about creating a safe community where women and children are empowered to achieve their potential,” she said.
“After more than 20 years leading organisations in both the not-for-profit and corporate sectors, I feel privileged to apply my skills and experience with Liberty, leading a community and whole-of-family response to eliminate domestic and family violence and homelessness.”
Ms Lamb is a Board Member of peak body DVNSW, a member of the Business NSW Mid North Coast Regional Advisory Board, a founding member of the local International Women’s Day Committee, former President of the Hastings Business Women’s Network, and a former member of the Charles Sturt University Port Macquarie-Hastings Community Advisory Board.
DANIELLE MALTMAN
Former Federal and State Government lobbyist and identified regional influencer, Danielle Maltman has a demonstrated a history of working with Local, State and Federal Governments.
She may be better known to those in the community, however, as the President of leading advocacy group – Revive Lake Cathie.
Danielle has been Revive Lake Cathie’s President since its inception on March 19 this year.
She is one of the original founding community members of the group, who have been championing better outcomes for the lake since last year when it was severely affected by drought.
“Personally, my heart has always been in Community since growing up as a member of the Tacking Point Surf Club in the 1980s, and then fulfilled though my political career as Federal and State Government lobbyist,” she said.
“In this role I advocated and secured funding through grant and business case writing to make real change in regional and remote NSW Communities.
“Volunteering as a Revive Lake Cathie Member has improved my life as have the people in our team.
“Personally, I really feel I have found my purpose through volunteering in Revive Lake Cathie.
“I was nominated in Port Macquarie-Hastings Councils 2020 Australia Day Awards, however I truly feel this nomination was more deserving of the Revive Lake Cathie Team.
“Our community is so lucky we have the commitment, calibre, passion, transparency and action in Revive Lake Cathie Members who sacrifice their family time, retirement and social plans to make our community a better place to live in for now and the future for all of us.
Danielle now works for Draftworx designs, a local building design company owned by her husband Craig Maltman, based in Port Macquarie.
Craig is a licenced builder and draftsman with more than 30 years’ experience.
“We are Port Macquarie locals and as part of the Mid-North Coast Community in which we all live, work, and play in, we take enormous pride in the projects we design in creating dream homes and renovations for our clients,” she said.
KINNE RING
Kempsey professional Kinne Ring has returned home after leaving the Mid-North Coast for her tertiary studies in 2013.
The 25-year-old has just landed a new role heading-up one of nine national university centres that are being rolled out to support and empower local students to have quality access to higher-education opportunities.
She will oversee the day-to-day operations of the new Country University Centre (CUC) at Kempsey, and help mentor students who are studying online through an established tertiary education provider.
The CUC, a joint federal and state government project, will be in operation from semester one, 2021.
“Growing up in the area, I knew so many students who didn’t want to move away from their family, they didn’t want to make a big change,” she said.
“For many people it was going away to Newcastle, Sydney or Coffs Harbour, but ultimately they do need to travel away for further study.
“Kempsey is a small town, and university can be an abstract concept or a daunting prospect. “If you are first
in family to go to university, even going to a place like the CSU campus in Port Macquarie can be quite daunting.
“I think having the centre locally, being able to walk past it, or know someone who goes there, will be able to make a huge difference.”
Ms Ring attended Kempsey High School and was the 2012 school captain. She has worked in higher education for around six years, having completed a Bachelor of Business, major in Marketing at the University of Newcastle (UON).
A champion for helping marginalised communities, Ms Ring said the CUC would be instrumental in breaking down barriers for students to access higher-education support.
ALEX GLEN-HOLMES
Licensed Real Estate Agent, auctioneer and Stock and Station Agent, Alex Glen-Holmes has more than 30 years’ experience in running businesses.
She has lived in the Port Macquarie-Hastings area for the past 32 years, having commenced a career in Real Estate in 2007.
“I love real estate as you really get to know some great people become part of their journey, “ she said.
“A very strong professional work ethics is very important to me and I enjoy working closely with people to achieve their best possible results and goals.
Ms Glen-Holmes prides herself on her ability to deliver outstanding customer service, and ensure that all legalities are followed for a trouble free transaction.
Outside of her day job, Ms Glen-Holmes is an avid member of community based organisation.
“Through my children I have spent many years involved with local sporting and cultural groups,” she said.
“From little athletics, local and representative soccer teams. Local and national futsal teams, junior triathlon club, dance and drama groups.
She is also a member of the Hastings Business Women’s Network where she has participated as a mentor.
“I am passionate in working with Businesses as a voice to be heard with local, state and federal government as well as promoting them in the local area.”
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