Dyersville community commemorate Suzie Wright, Digga CEO

Suzie Wright, the CEO of Digga Australia who was instrumental in bringing the company’s first permanent North American plant to Dyersville, died Friday, June 8, at the age of 49 after a 15-month battle with ovarian cancer.

Wright lived in Dyersville for about a year in 2012 while Diggga’s 36,680-square-foot-facility was built in the 20 West Industrial Center. She lived in a home, owned by Digga, with two other Australians. Wright made an effort to become part of the Dyersville community while she lived here.

Jacque Rahe, executive director of the Dyersville Economic Development Corporation, said Wright made a lasting impression. “She loved to bring people together,” said Rahe, who became good friends with Wright. “Every time she was back in (Dyersville) she would invite everyone in the entire neighborhood to her house and prepare food for everybody. She just loved having people get together. She was very, very generous beyond compare.”

Rahe attended Wright’s wedding and Wright was on hand for the marriage of Rahe’s daughter. “She moved her wedding up because of her treatment schedule and we went over there last March and celebrated her then-fiancé’s 60th birthday and their wedding,” Rahe said. “The last time she was over here they came to celebrate my daughter’s wedding. She was just a great gal.”

Rahe said Wright came to love the Dyersville area. “This place meant a lot to her,” she said. Wright worked for Digga for 21 years. A native of Australia, she started in the marketing department and was eventually named CEO in 2004 at age 35.

According to Digga’s Facebook page, “she was heading a global company in what was, predominantly, classified as a man’s industry. Inspiring women globally, she paved the way for other females at Digga and throughout the industry to take on roles that were traditionally male stereotyped. “In what she would say was undeniably her greatest achievement, Suzie made Digga her family and built a workplace centered around its employee community. It wasn’t just the 200+ employees who worked for Digga; it was the 200 families she helped support which meant the most to her. Her friends and family would describe her as the most generous and caring soul imaginable.”

An email address has been set up on Digga’s Facebook page were those who knew Wright are able to share memories and photos of Wright, or send the family condolences.

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