The following blog post was written by Alice Lam and was published earlier this month on BCIC’s blog as part of a series profiling BCIC-NewVentures Competition: Regional Top 20 Finalists.
In her teens, Sarah Doherty lost her right leg in a tragic car accident involving a drunk driver. Despite her loss, she was determined to never give up her passion for sports and the outdoors. She became an occupational therapist and for years spent much of her time adapting mediocre equipment so that she could pursue the outdoor activities she loves. Her interest in devising better equipment that other disabled outdoor enthusiasts could use led to SideStixTM, the first modular, forearm crutches that can significantly reduce joint compression and the secondary injuries that often result from using crutches.
SideStix’s shock-absorbing system and rotating/articulating tips accommodate the natural movement of joints, while its ergonomic forearm and grips support the upper extremities so that users can walk comfortably for long distances, even on sand, snow or ice. SideStix is one of the top 20 finalists in the BCIC-New Ventures Competition: Regional (BCIC-NVC: Regional) vying for part of the $60,000 in prizes.
“SideStix has grown from a ‘garden shed’ operation, to a well-organized business, with a manufacturing facility and office on the Sunshine Coast,” said Kerith Perreur-Lloyd, Managing Director of SideStix. “By participating in the BCIC-NVC: Regional, we have been able to focus on key aspects of the business, in particular, revenue generation. The seminars, judges and mentors have highlighted areas of inadequacy such as sales and marketing and emphasized the potentially negative outcome of not paying attention to these critical areas.”
Congratulations to SideStix, we wish you the best of luck in the last round of the competition. Winners of the BCIC-NVC: Regional will be announced on February 24, 2011.
