- Community Cleanup
- Gardening
- Enjoying the art of baking and pastry-making, experimenting with recipes
- Volunteering for community initiatives to give back to local communities and make a positive impact
- Drawing and Painting
- Growing herbs, vegetables, or fruits in home gardens
- Blogging
- Environmental Stewardship
- Environmental Conservation Projects
Monique De Martin
Cushnie
Summary
Motivated and hardworking, with strong organisational and communication skills gained from collaborative and fast-paced environments. Proven ability to manage multiple tasks, meet deadlines, and contribute to team objectives. Seeking to transition into sustainable civil engineering with an emphasis on geotechnical engineering, water management and land regeneration, particularly in regional areas affected by drought, desertification and water scarcity.
Overview
9
9
years of professional experience
Work History
Work Experience With
Justin Crick Senior Engineer South Burnett Council
06.2024 - 08.2024
- Gained experience in council software programs to increase technical skills.
- Gained experience in the approval process for council development proposals, and the associated engineering risks.
Community Cafe Founder & Manager
Nourish Cafe & Smoothie Bar
08.2018 - 05.2020
- Established a successful sustainable cafe in regional Queensland by identifying community needs and market gaps and developing innovative solutions.
- Managed all marketing, operations, financial, and human resource activities to ensure strong business performance.
- Built a positive culture that fostered creativity, innovation, and employee engagement, with a team of 6 volunteers gifting their time each week.
- Trained and mentored a team of staff and volunteers to produce high-quality meals, and give exceptional customer service, with 98% of Google and Facebook Reviews from customers giving 5 stars.
- Ensured compliance with council health and safety regulations through regular employee training sessions and facility inspections, with council stating, "You cafe is one if the cleanest we have inspected!"
- Oversaw all financial management such as budgeting, forecasting, and cash flow monitoring for financial stability and initiated strategies to promote growth, with revenue increase by 120% from year 1 to year 2.
- Positively impacted the community with monthly free community events including educational workshops, live music performers, free recipes, and free food services.
- Promoted sustainable practices and community connections by designing dozens of new recipes according to local farmers' produce.
- Actively involved in community events being invited by Kingaroy Chamber of Commerce to give presentations on sustainable business practises, and featured in the local newspaper on 6 occasions for sustainable business solutions, events and contributions to the community.
Plant-based Cake Manufacturer
Self-employed
07.2015 - 09.2018
- Created a sustainable desert business, working with raw materials to develop and produce commercially viable products to to all Go Vita Health stores in Brisbane, and 8 healthy cafes.
- Implemented testing, documentation and quality assurance measures to ensure goods were safe and met certification requirements.
- Adhered to industry standards and regulatory requirements, maintaining compliance at all times during the manufacturing process.
- Maintained high levels of customer satisfaction by ensuring desert quality consistently met or exceeded customer standards, always delivered on time.
- Developed 30 new product lines and brought innovative products to the market.
- Prepared reports and technical documentation of day-to-day production processes.
- Developed efficient manufacturing processes so one person could produce up to 1,400 cake slices per week, by hand.
- Managed all customer service, sales, deliveries, financial, quality assurance, manufacturing and marketing activities.
Goodness Gracious Healthy Food Van
Self-employed
04.2015 - 05.2016
- Developed a vegan food van business at West End Markets, Brisbane with customised menu to meet customer needs.
- Facilitated operations including customer service, food preparation, menu design, purchasing, planning and stock rotation.
- Managed all business aspects including budgeting, staffing, forecasting, and controlling costs, production, marketing, and inventory management.
- Ensured compliance with health and safety regulations through a clean and tidy space, documentation and council inspections.
- Fostered a welcoming atmosphere by maintaining a clean, organized, and visually appealing cafe-like environment.
Education
Bachelor of Engineering (Honours) - Civil
CQUniversity
Online06-2026
Bachelor of Business -
University of Technology Sydney
Ultimo, NSW05.2000
Skills
- Creative and resourceful
- Strategic planning and analysis
- Interpersonal and social skills
- Project management
Unpaid Environmental Projects
- Land Regeneration, Cushnie QLD, 01/01/20, current, Working on regenerating a 120-acre rural property by establishing ecosystems with native tree plantings, and habitats for local fauna and koalas, as well as invasive weed removal and water harvesting for future generations, the community, wildlife and reverse effects of climate change.
- Sustainable Food Production, Cushnie QLD, 01/01/23, current, Established and maintain a 1-acre food forest consisting of hundreds of fruit, nut and native trees to support self-sufficiency, education, community gifting, volunteer experiences and a model for future projects.
- Community Education & Projects, Cushnie QLD, 01/01/23, current, Author of blog EcoEngineers.com and working towards community workshops and groups to educate people on sustainable land regeneration, water management and food production for regional communities.
Accomplishments
- Documented and resolved [Issue] which led to [Results].
- Collaborated with team of [Number] in the development of [Project name].
- Resolved product issue through consumer testing.
Interests
Timeline
Work Experience With
Justin Crick Senior Engineer South Burnett Council
06.2024 - 08.2024
Community Cafe Founder & Manager
Nourish Cafe & Smoothie Bar
08.2018 - 05.2020
Plant-based Cake Manufacturer
Self-employed
07.2015 - 09.2018
Goodness Gracious Healthy Food Van
Self-employed
04.2015 - 05.2016
Bachelor of Engineering (Honours) - Civil
CQUniversity
Bachelor of Business -
University of Technology Sydney
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