CAPITAL NEWS
A Salute to Women in Business 2012
Friendly skies attitude leads into new business
Sareena Nickoli Sareena has been apart of the family business for 11 years and looks after the Purcha Purchasing and Marketing/Advertising for the West Kelowna and Vernon locations. She holds a Business Degree and an Interior Design Certificate. locatio Sareena Sareen attends furniture shows world wide including buying trips to China and a trip to Italy a factory tour of Natuzzi. She also looks after Commercial sales and w works closely with developers in the Okanagan for appliance packages and stages show showhomes.
Kevin Parnell STAFF REPORTER
Spending 22 years in the airline industry taught Kelowna business-woman Terri Knox plenty about service. Knox worked in every aspect of the airline industry before taking what she learned into a career as a public speaker, starting with a gig working for the Saskatchewan Tourism Industry. “I travelled around the province doing a customer service seminar,” she recalled. “That unleashed something inside of me. I felt it was the perfect niche. When I left the company I had people calling and asking if I could speak at their conventions.” That was more than 18 years ago and Knox hasn’t looked back, speaking to groups in many different areas of business and all over the world. She tailors her message to each different sector she speaks to, but the bottom line remains the same. “I’ve worked undertakers conventions to the health care industry to Apple computers to the Bella Coola Co-op,” she said. “We all have far more commonalities than differences. People are people and we are all trying to do our best. I believe it’s my responsibility to give you the tools and tips to maximize your potential.” The public speaking industry is a growing industry as more and more people take their message to the masses. Speakers usually market themselves with the best advertising being word of mouth as folks who like the message they have heard pass along a good word to others. Knox has expanded
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A big accomplishment for Sareena was the interior design for the brand new City Furniture location in Vernon which opened in October. She designed and me merchandised the 30,000 sq foot showroom which is full of the latest styles, designs and trends in furniture furniture, appliances appliances, mattresses, electronics and accessories! Sareena has been a fitness instructor since 1999. She has started up her own business “ZUMBA with SAREENA!” and teaches in Vernon, and in the past has taught classes in Kelowna and at Annual Interior Fitness Conference held at the Okanagan College. She was recently selected by Zumba® Fitness as Canada’s ONLY West Coast Zumba® Jammer (1 out of 9 in Canada) and she specializes in Zumba® choreography and is able to hold ZIN Jam Sessions for Zumba Instructors anywhere in the world! Family is very important to Sareena, and has been married to her husband, Ryan for almost 11 years and works closely with her dad, sister and brother in law! Check out her facebook pages – City Furniture Okanagan, and ZUMBA with SAREENA! She looks forward to helping you buy, as well as helping you sweat!
West Kelowna (Across from Bylands’ Nursery)
1793 Ross Road “We Don’t Sell - We Help You Buy”
Barb Taylor Jenn Taylor
CONTRIBUTED
TERRI KNOX used her experience working for 22 years in the airline industry into her own business. her speaking business to include coaching, mentoring and training and after writing chapters in two books in the self-help field, she has written her own book called You’re the Boss of You. It’s about diversifying her business. “It’s a feast or famine industry. There has been times in the 17 or 18 years that I haven’t been able to keep up,” she said, adding there are many speakers out there, all looking to attract the same clients. “There are lots of challenges in the industry. I think competition is a really good thing. It allows you to finetune your own skills.” Knox touches on several topics during her presentations. She talks about
things like service, teamwork and conflict resolution in the workplace. But much of what she talks about comes down to personal development, how people feel about themselves and how that translates into how we treat others. “If you don’t like who you are or what you do the chances of doing well and making a difference in people’s lives isn’t really doable,” she said. “Sometimes people are pretty bitter and don’t have a lot of good things to say. I can’t change that but I can say ‘you are in control of your attitude.’” You can find out more about Terri Knox online at www.terriknox.com
Barb and Jenn are a mother-daughter team, who after planning a wedding for Barb’s older daughter & Jenn’s sister, saw the need for a stress-free stress-fr planning oasis. In April 2009 they opened The Wedding Café on Pandosy. Their vision is now a reality helping an average of 50 couples each month! They are passionate about helping their couples have a stress-free planning experience. They know all of their Vendors and are able to offer couples who come in with answers to their questions about their Vendors. Information about venues, favors, décor and more, along with the latest wedding magazines and books can be found in the library. The café is welcoming to everyone. You don’t need to be planning a wedding to enjoy their paninis, salads, Cherry Hill Coffee and cupcakes. Guests leave comments such as “It’s great energy in here” and “This is a beautiful space.”
2655 Pandosy Street 778.436.8236 www.theweddingcafe.ca
kparnell@kelownacapnews.com
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