Kate joins Perkins

Kate Candeloro took up the reins last month ending a more than 10 year sabbatical from the industry raising four boys.

Now the energy has returned to make another contribution.

Kate hails from a family farm in Nebraska, in the United States, and came to Australia in 2002 on a work exchange program, working as a farm hand in Williams.

In 2003, she met Geoff Perkins a week before Wagin Woolorama and landed a sales job two days before the event, with Geoff earmarking her to sell precision guidance equipment.

At that stage he had a Rinex franchise and within three months, Kate had sold nine guidance units.

That drew the attention of Rinex and within a short time she left her sales position to accept an offer as Rinex territory manager.

The job lasted a year before she met and married Dion Candeloro and moved back to farming life at Goomalling.

When Geoff approached her about a vacancy at his Northam branch – and with the boys all at school – the urge returned to have another crack.

“I had no doubt Kate could fill the position,” Geoff said.

“It was a unanimous family decision to have her as part of our business.

“She has great enthusiasm and industry knowledge and holds associates of applied science in agriculture business and management technology.

“But more importantly she has always displayed skills in getting along with people, which is a great asset in this industry.”

Dismissing hype about being one of the first woman branch managers of a machinery dealership in Australia, Kate is more intent on highlighting career opportunities in the industry.

“I encourage anybody to follow what I’ve done,” she said.

“There are career opportunities for the young and the mature in machinery dealerships and it’s a great life.”