Scott Williams, CEO of Rocket in Fredericton, New Brunswick is a leader who believes that employees are more important than clients—if you look after your employees, the clients will be looked after in turn. When COVID-19 forced many to lay off employees, Williams went in the opposite direction. He decided his company—a full-service communications provider offering digital and print marketing—would continue operating in order to maintain his team’s employment. It was a strategy that has more than paid for itself.

For this episode of Take 5 with the Top 50, Brooke Taylor, senior manager with Top 50 CEO presenting sponsor Grant Thornton—digs deeper to find out what motivates and guides this award-winning leader.

Taylor starts by asking Williams why he traded the security of a highly successful sales career for an uncertain future with a startup. His answer explains why he has “no regrets” about the decision, and why he has embraced the mistakes made along the way.

They continue by talking about the future of print in a digital world (definitely NOT dead), Williams’ methodology for identifying acquisition targets and the “important asset” that helped ROCKET survive the pandemic.

The interview closes with an insightful discussion around the topic of top talent and how “hiring people smarter than you” is accelerating ROCKET’s growth during a difficult time. See below for a link to the full interview.

For each episode of Atlantic Business Magazine’s Take 5 with the Top 50 CEOs video series, we ask five questions of a Top 50 CEO award winner. The cumulative result is a practical education in advanced executive leadership.

Nominations for the 2022 Top 50 CEO awards are now open. Click HERE to nominate.