Celebrating courage & vision

Illumident secures two gongs at 2023 Business Awards

“I think it’s her innate desire to help people. All of her patients, her team at Illumident and anybody else who knows her those that work with her closely would certainly be able to attest to that. She is always looking to provide a solution and help people, which certainly filters through everything that she does.”

That is how Illumident Mount Gambier general manager Rowan Williamson captured his wife and co-founder Dr Isabel Holmes in the wake of her Courageous Business Leader accolade at the restructured 2023 Women in Business and Regional Development and Mount Gambier Chamber of Commerce Awards on August 18.

Illumident Mount Gambier also took home the Business Growth & Resilience Award in the large business category. Officially opening its doors (pictured below) in September last year, the state-of-the-art Ferrers Street practice was a project three years in the making – punctuated by COVID.

“It was always Isabel’s dream to have her own practice that reflected her vision,” Rowan said. “She wanted to create something that patients felt extremely comfortable coming to – that the anxiety of coming to the dentist should drop when they walk through the door.”

There was also a focus on ensuring the services offered were equal to or better than dental services offered in capital cities. “It was born out of the fact that in regional areas like Mount Gambier there just aren’t enough health practitioners and that certainly that applies to dentists as well,” Rowan said. “She wanted patients to be able to access services in a timely fashion without that 10 hour round road trip.”

And while Illumident Mount Gambier has patient care as its number one priority, having a state-of-the-art practice has the added benefit of staff recruitment. “That was certainly a big part of it – to create not only a great environment for patients but a great environment for practitioners and support staff to be able to work in,” Rowan said. “Creating this type of facility means we can recruit great people and great talent.”

It was March 2020 when Isabel and Rowan took over the Ferrers Street building so COVID proved to be quite the speed hump for the visionary project.

“It was a blessing in disguise in some ways,” Rowan said. “It actually allowed us more time to work on the design and really create something that ticked all the boxes of the vision. We certainly used the time to refine the project and once we felt comfortable that we were going to be in a position to do it, we were able to turn the dream into a reality.”

And forging ahead with the project is just part of why Isabel was recognised as a Courageous Business Leader at the awards. “We didn’t want to let anything get in the way,” Rowan said. “We had to restructure a few things and be clever about what our design to achieve cost savings, but ultimately when we set ourselves a goal we didn’t want to let anything get in the way of achieving that goal.”

Illumident Mount Gambier is so much more than bricks and mortar and shiny new equipment. “What we feel separates us from the pack is the our level of service,” Rowan said. “We put a lot of energy and emphasis on our service and our patient experience. Dentistry is not cheap and people expect value for money. This is exactly the reason why we want to provide the ultimate experience and an elevated level of care and comfort for all our patients. In addition to dental services, we’re extremely proud to offer cosmetic treatments, which includes dermal fillers, skin boosters and anti-wrinkle remedies.”

Under its previous banner, Illumident Mount Gambier had been a finalist at previous business awards so to be honoured at the 2023 event was gratifying. “We felt very humbled to receive the awards – it was unexpected but at the same time validating and reassuring that all the hard work we have put in to build a business that is respected by the community has paid off so it was great to get the recognition,” Rowan said. “Mind you we still feel like we’ve got a lot of room for improvement. You never stop learning, never stop improving – I know it’s a cliché but it is genuinely how we feel.”

And as part of that improvement, Illumident Mount Gambier has just recently become a Regional Accredited Partner with Next Smile Australia – Australia’s leading provider of All-on-4® dental implants. Furthermore, on September 16, Illumident is hosting an Invisalign® clear aligner promotional day, offering free consultations and 3D scans for Invisalign® teeth straightening. Forging ahead with the project and continuing to develop the business is all part of what secured Isabel the Courageous Business Leader award but there is also her personal skillset.

“Isabel has always been a great communicator with her patients and her team, and since becoming a business owner she has really taken this to the next level,” Rowan said. “She truly believes that leadership is not a rank or position, it’s a service to be given. Ultimately, she wants to become the leader she wishes she always had. She’s had some wonderful dentistry mentors over the years to help her build her technical skills, but growing her leadership skills are driven by her desire and wanting to be a great leader. She genuinely believes in growing people, not numbers, so I think this speaks for itself.” VISION & COURAGE: (Above) Rowan Williamson & Dr isabel Holmes (centre with awards) with brittany Shelton & Candice Fennell More winners are featured in this issue with the remainder to be featured in the colming edition.