In Focus is our gift to the community. A way for us to help show our recognition for the people, businesses, and organizations that help make our city great. The team at KamloopsBCNow.com is passionate about this community and the people that make it amazing. We want to show our friends, neighbours, family and colleagues that we notice them and the fabulous things that they do.
What is your name?
Hallie Stafford.
How long have you lived in Kamloops?
We moved here from England for six months nearly 4 years ago, fell in love this awesome part of the world and I don’t think we will ever leave.
Who is your favourite person to spend time with and why?
That is a really hard one. I am lucky enough to have a heap of great friends I love spending time with, however, if I have to pick one it would be my husband Ben. When we find time to spend together the sky is the limit.
What do you always find yourself saying?
'I am going to count to three and if you don’t: put that down, stop hitting your sister, close the fridge, put your clothes on etc.… I am going to send you to your room.'
If you could spend one whole day with anyone in the world who is currently alive, who would you select?
My best friend, Louise Miley who lives in Australia. She has been a huge inspiration in my life, a mentor, confidant, and partner in crime, philosophically speaking. We rarely get to see each other living so far apart and to have a whole day together would be amazing.
Who or what inspires you?
The entrepreneurs in this community inspire me! In particular, I have several friends who are business owners and have taken a huge leap to be where they are today, creating a sustainable tangible business that gives back to the community we live in.
What are three things on your bucket list?
1. Finish my law degree
2. Live and work in Vietnam for an extended period of time
3. Become an expert speaker in my field
Please tell us about a defining moment in your life.
The day I gave up caring about what people thought of me. Its hard but I found I used to judge myself so much that it prevented me from being myself.
What are you passionate about?
Education and my career. I love to work hard and improve myself.
What has been your favourite day of your life, up to this point?
The day my husband asked me to marry him, over six years ago in a ridiculously small town in Ireland with 100 strangers who made us feel like family, and we only just tied the knot this summer at Sun Peaks. The Irish are such a welcoming culture and they know how to party!
What has been your proudest accomplishment?
Having the courage to give up everything and start my company, it has honestly been the toughest, most core shaking, humbling and challenging experience of my life. I’m still learning, failing, succeeding, and failing again but deep down I am being true to myself.
Where is your favourite place to dine in your city?
Brownstones, I have tasted food there I didn’t even know existed. Two words, black garlic. Thank you Brownstones.
What is your favourite activity or event in your city?
RIBFEST! Love it.
What is the name of your business/organization?
Grow Solutions International Ltd.
What does your business/organization do?
We offer Supply Chain Management Services, Project Support Services and Proposal Development advice to Industrial Construction Contractors, First Nation Organization and Project Owners.
Where can people find your business on social media? (Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, LinkedIn, etc.)
Facebook.
Where do you want your business/organization to be in five years?
To grow international, just kidding! Our aim over the next few years is to train more people to do what we do, I am always on the lookout for new employees with the right drive, attitude and thrust for learning that we can bring into the organization.
What three qualities do you feel that your business/organization exemplifies?
Integrity, Professionalism and the Edge.
What would you like to say to your employees/volunteers?
Without you, we would not be where we are today. I am incredibly lucky to have found my employees, all TRU graduates. They exemplify the attitude, motivation, drive and spirit that every leading employer is looking for and I am so grateful to have you.
What makes you feel successful? Tell us about it.
Seeing my clients and employees succeed.
If you were trapped in an elevator with several wealthy investors from any field, which field would you want them to be experts in? What would say to them/talk about?
It wouldn’t matter what field as long as they had an entrepreneurial edge. I would ask them the top five leadership skills they have learnt in their careers.
If I could change one thing about the city you live in, it would be:
The health care system, I am not an expert in this area but it doesn’t seem right that sick people have to line up outside to see a doctor any time of the year but especially in the winter months.
What do you think makes your city great?
Where to I start? This place is amazing. The people, the activities, skiing, hiking, camping, biking, and golfing, the business community, the farmers market, the wineries, the local breweries. There is not much to be unhappy about in this town.
My nomination for the In Focus spotlight is:
Jocelyn Haight from Kamloops Breastfeeding Service, she is doing amazing things for mothers in Kamloops
Some general comments I would like to share are:
Before starting Grow Solutions, I worked in contract management positions for mining companies on projects in Australia, England, France, Africa and Canada. My roles essentially required me to engage contractors to build large scale capital projects valued anywhere from $100 million to upwards of $10 billion dollars. Commonly, local contractors would miss out on the work, not because they weren’t technically capable of doing the work but because they did not have the project management skills to meet the large scale project requirements. Grow Solutions International Ltd focuses on developing the capabilities of local Kamloops companies, in particular Industrial Construction Companies and First Nation Organizations to meet the needs of their clients on large scale capital projects.
I wouldn’t be where I am today without the business community in Kamloops and I am so grateful to have you, those who meet for lunch on Tuesdays, the ones who listen to our fears and turn them to confidence, the ones who challenge our thoughts, the ones who are just there with no judgement and just say ‘hi’ when our courage is failing. Thank you!
We encourage you to leave your comments and words of support below and submit your own nomination by clicking HERE. You are also welcome to submit a form of your own by clicking HERE. Thank you, Kamloops.
