Loca Judy Smith Contributing Writer TWO of the 11 B.C. women nominated for this year’s Canadian Woman Entrepreneur of the Year Awards are from the North Shore. Betty Thomas of Thomas Special Effects and Nina Hamilton of apanee Design Limited were chosen in’ the Impact on the Local E »nory aud Start Up categories respectively. Thomas's career in the movie busi- ness began in 1979 when she and her husband John built a mechanical special effects company. She learned the business from the boztom up, including stunt work. Reminded that not all women, or men for that matter, would dangle from great heights just because their loved Photo submitted BETTY Thomas juggles life as a special effects company owner, stuntwoman and 2nd unit director. UNBEATABLE CURRENCY EXCHANGE RATES! Ab Meritage tes Tees eared, alteniny | epsunps pothhs: wast , eOPL PD ery Stipe het te US Cash Sel Rate HERITAGE DUTY FREE. north shor news =, BUSINESS one built the rigging, she laughs. *No, TP know,” she satd. “IT decided to join him in the business and that was sort of all there was to it.” Even though John died in 1994, the business has prospered to become the lar: and most esta i nd in Canada. homas said the company pro services that include special ctieets tech- aerial riggers, fab nists, engineers and fil for the movie and telev techni- ion indus- The company also rents equipment, supplies and shop facilities. Although now the majority of the company’s | work is for th jor American studios, Lad. does exten: : 2 and has commercial clients in Costa Rica, France, Puerto Rico and Hong Kong. Thomas has performed stunts on more than 120 projects and has stunt coordinated 61 features, TV mevies, series and commercials. Not only did the small and highly energetic Thomas just finish a 22- episode TV series in Toronto as a sec- ond unit director, she is currently see- ond director on a feature tor Universal called Pittsburgh. All this as well as running the busy special eitects company which is in the process of building a motion picture sound stage in North Vancouver. Thomas said the studio should be fin- ished in August. As for Nina Hamilton, her business of interior design scems safer than Thomas’s. But since Hamilton’s mission is to create environments that uplift the human spirit, there are a lot of parallels shed company of to the nwo women's worlds. Hamilton always knew what she wanted to do with h ative lite, hence Napanee Design's first chent was her mother. “From the kitchen) ch homes ” Her mother let Hamilton practise on her for 18 years. Must have ocen grat got my first paving clients.” Even though it was always her pas- sion, she didn't begin practicing her trade uatil 1Y89 when her children were self-sufficient enough ter her io use her energy elsewhere. She spent a vear in a small design studio dearning the s and then moved to a design /build commercial tirm where she spent three vears as their principal design consultant. “owas there TE fearned the valuable lessons of budget and schedule, but my creativity was not being fulfilled so | steuck our on my own in 1994.” Since then, she said, there hasn't been 2 moment to catch her breath since her first big residential job. “It’s been wild.” e now has three full-time interior designers working with her, and her business is flourishing. And her success has also given her the ability to give something back to her community. In 1998 she donated interior design services to the Dr. Peter AEDS founda- tion and, as well, is a weekly volunteer at the Burnaby Youth Correction Institute. Last year Hamilton was nominated for the YWCA Woman of the Yea: award. When she didn’t win, Hamilten was undaunted. “PU win it next year.” ume TF could move a To was redesigning her ful when I hee fs ” 4 A ? FX Hee hore News - 49 Photo submitted POSING with some of the fabrics and materials she uses in her work, Nina Hamilton moved her thriving interior design business to North Vancouver in 1996. HWY 99 at bike “Galt Toll Free 4:8 _— abies Areh Z Oat 2Ag / ae