Running a business while building a family


is challenging, and Nicole credits “a huge army of support” with helping her balance her work and home responsibilities. She also points out that being a mother has taught her a valuable business lesson. “Having my first child was a life-altering event that significantly changed my perspective. It forced me to become a better leader by efficiently devoting time and energy to family and the business to ensure that both thrived.” Nicole believes the demands of motherhood


have helped her focus on what’s important, both at home and at work. “When you have a child, you get really good at prioritizing, and your perspective becomes much sharper. Even though being a parent adds responsibility and takes time, it also helps you to make better, more effective decisions.” As a member of Women in Aviation


International and the Whirly-Girls in addition to the Ninety-Nines, Nicole is quick to acknowl- edge the support she receives from her industry network. “Fellow HAI Board member and former chair Stacy Sheard has been a huge inspiration to me. She had the courage to go out there and dream big,” says Nicole. “It really helps being able to talk through challenges with people like Stacy and other women in organizations like the Ninety-Nines. When you talk through a problem, it cuts it in half.” Nicole realizes that her story demonstrates


the industry’s increasing embrace of diversity. “Te fact that my fellow directors elected me—not just a woman but one who will be having a baby just days before I become chair—is a sign of how far we’ve come as an industry. I hope my experience shows that we all have the capacity to create ourselves as leaders, to carve our own path of success. You can be a pilot, you can own a business, and you can have kids and a family.”


Growing in Tough Times As with so many businesses, Nicole’s tour operation got hit hard by the COVID pan- demic, closing its doors for nearly eight months. But Nicole’s optimistic nature kicked in, and she chose to turn the situation into a positive. “Instead of buying into the doom and gloom, we actually bought an AStar and


Rainbow’s management team: from left, Susan Kim, general manager; Joshua Melaccio, chief pilot; Nicole Battjes, CEO and director of operations; Mike Iven, VP and director of maintenance; and Kamalani Ballesteros, senior operations manager. (HAI/Andy Stenz)


dove into rebranding,” she says. “We decided we were going to come out of the pandemic bigger and better, and we have. We continue to grow, and these last couple of years have been our biggest yet.” Te team considered more than 75 names,


but Nicole wanted one with a strong connec- tion to Hawaii. In Rainbow, she found a name that reflects the state’s natural beauty as well as the spirit of aloha she and her team feel for the islands and their people. “I’m in love with hospitality. I love flying


people. I love hosting people. I love everything about Hawaiian hospitality and the tour business,” says Nicole. She credits a dedication to customer service


with propelling Rainbow’s growth. “We call it our ‘mana,’ which is basically our good


spirits,” explains Nicole. “We’re obsessed with treating people well and giving them a good experience. It’s not just the guests; it’s all the people we work with. It’s also the vendors and those who are sel ling tours


us—everyone.” With up to 32 flights a day, Rainbow


Helicopters is a high-volume operation. Standardizing every process, from flying to maintenance to safety, is critical to its success. Nicole considers implementing a safety man- agement system (SMS) in her business in 2019 to be another crucial moment in her life. “Te SMS really strengthened the trust


between team members and the transparency around safety,” she says. Rainbow employees are empowered to speak up when they see a safety hazard and are rewarded for doing so.


JUNE 2023 ROTOR 29


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