A Teesside based business woman is eyeing up success after launching a new venture and adding four employees to her team.
Julie Breen, of Redcar, has returned to her native North East roots to launch IntelliSight, an opticians focused on state of the art technology, with the aim of providing the best possible eye and general health care in the region.
The ambitious entrepreneur, who has been an optometrist for 30 years, has employed Redcar locals, Karen Wilson as senior optical assistant and Katie-Lee Armstrong, Janet Walker and Rachel Giles as optical assistants, to help push the business forward.
Julie, who is chair of the Local Optical Committee, said: “I can’t believe IntelliSight is finally open, it’s really daunting and exciting, all at the same time.
“Having worked for all of the national opticians and previously owning Specsavers’ Redcar branch, I have taken all of the good business aspects, left out the bad, and created IntelliSight.”
To celebrate the official launch of IntelliSight, Julie and her team are hosting a party on Saturday 19th September, which also coincides with the start of National Eye Health week.
The event, which starts at 10am, is open to the public and people can expect the Lady Mayor, cupcakes, a bubble machine, a balloon modeller for children and the opportunity to win designer sunglasses.
Speaking about the event, Julie said: “This is when it will all feel real and my dream since I was little will come true!
“Optometry is highly technical and within the new team we have fantastic skills, but more than anything I believe business is about building rapport with patients and genuinely caring for the community – that’s why I’m really looking forward to the launch.”
On the day, locals will learn about the importance of regular eye tests in order to help diagnose health problems, the dangers of smoking and the affect it can have on your sight and how 50% of sight loss in the UK is preventable.
Julie is currently working on a pioneering project with James Cook University Hospital and Macmillan Cancer Support to speed up the time it takes for an optometrists to refer a suspected brain tumour patient to a neurology professional, in order to save lives.
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