Account Login
Don't have an account? Create One
Corrine McIsaac
Founder & CEO
Health Outcomes Worldwide
“I believe a team that is inspired individually, and as a group, can do much more than a team that is directed to do specific tasks and is micro-managed.”
From the birth of a great notion in the basement of her Nova Scotia house, Corrine McIsaac may well be on the cusp of reinventing a critical aspect of everyday health care. As the 29-year veteran of the nursing profession says, in 2009 she “made the leap” in developing her how2trak® technology, a software that provides physicians and clinicians with data related to wound management — an app that could very well take the medical-industrial complex by storm.
Teamwork needs no tourniquets By her own admission, Corrine has no formal business background. Nevertheless, she’s built a strong team, including a clinical advisory board. “Being surrounded with the right people, and maintaining the right mindset,” she says, “has (given) me the motivation to continue.”
Ripping off the bandaid Most of Corrine’s time this past year was consumed with the search for investment capital: revising her business plan, pitching to investors throughout Canada and United States. The operation was successful, securing her early stage company a multi-million investment. Stay tuned for further developments.
Dan Merzetti
President & CEO
DSM Telecom
“Set a clear vision and communicate it often. Be firm but fair. Get the right people on the bus.”
Dan Merzetti’s full service phone company, specializing in next-generation telephony solutions for business, pokes the big boys in the digital sphere the way Captain Ahab speared the whale. Dan’s result, however, has been somewhat happier than the fabled protagonist’s of Moby-Dick. Today, his independent, Halifax-based telco, established in 2002, provides service beyond Nova Scotia to all three major cities in New Brunswick.
The opposite of risk averse Dan runs headlong into a field of opportunity and makes his own luck. Along the way, he’s learned a few things about leadership. “I’m proud to have built my own organization from start-up to high growth stage,” he says. “I’m equally proud to have retained many of the original key employees and managers who believed in our success along the way.”
Service bundle A recent joint venture has positioned DSM for continued growth, increased efficiencies and new market opportunities. Though the 11-month negotiation required tenacity, patience and a certain amount of creativity, Dan says the result has been well worth the effort involved.
Tim Moore
President & CEO
TC Moore Developments; Moore Executive Suites
“I will never invest in an operating business unless I am involved in the day-to-day operation.”
After leaving the teaching profession in 1972, Tim Moore bought a pick-up truck and began hauling furniture. He actually made more money as a truck driver than he did tutoring youngsters. Today, the serial entrepreneur owns a suite of companies that defies categorization – everything from property management operations to car washes and van lines.
Raising the bar Tim is very clear in his management expectations. “Every employee, from the CEO to the janitor, is expected to perform, produce, be accountable and appreciate that our primary purpose is to service our clients,” he says. “Everyone must produce and pay their way or they are gone.”
Key takeaways Having founded four national organizations in diverse sectors, Tim maintains that skill sets are portable — provided you have a strong value system, outstanding employees and an exceptional work ethic. “Continued improvement is part of our DNA,” he says. As is strategic differentiation: AMJ Campbell Van Lines, a 1,000-truck company Tim founded and owned until 1999, required its drivers to wear ties. “It didn’t make us better truckers, but it sent a message that we were different.”
Troy Northrup
President & CEO
East Point Inc.; Shred Guard Inc.; King Mazda Inc.; Horizon Management; Haldor (1972) Ltd.; Multi-Line Leasing Ltd.; Innovative Record Systems Group
“You can never be too thorough in checking critical items… I am a firm believer that people respect what you inspect.”
From real estate to automotive dealer to document destruction and records management, Troy Northrup is the equivalent of a modern day Midas: it seems like everything he touches turns to gold.
No stone left unturned Troy’s transformation of his 80-acre East Point property into a premier retail destination is legendary in the Port City. His challenge? To create a workable site out of a mountain of rock, while attracting enough retailers to fill what will be the second largest retail development in Atlantic Canada. But for someone with Northrup’s determination and vision, what’s 1.5 million cubic meters of rock and dozens of national retailers and hospitality service providers? Apparently, not much of an obstacle at all.
Never see him sweat When a technical malfunction in his vintage float plane nearly grounded this serial entrepreneur/qualified pilot for good, Troy had the presence of mind to grab the rudder cables so he could make a safe landing. When someone doesn’t panic during a life or death crisis, you can imagine his intestinal fortitude for business. Pity his competitors.
Brendan Paddick
chairman & ceo
Columbus International Inc.; Columbus Communications; Columbus Networks
“I reduce all of our challenges and opportunities down to a simple golden rule: the bigger we get, the smaller we must act.”
Brendan Paddick made his bones by selling cable TV packages in rural Newfoundland in the mid-1980s. Thirty years later he’s one of the force majeures behind a $6-billion deal that will see him and his partners corner the market on Caribbean and Latin American fibre access to millions of TV-loving customers.
No capital here No, we didn’t make a typo in Brendan’s lowercase title. It’s a deliberate mind-framing strategy at Columbus, where no one gets a capitalized title. Says Brendan: “Whether you are a csr, cfo or ceo, we all have a job to do — together.”
Making a difference From its earliest stages, Columbus’s management team made a pact to improve the countries in which they operate. And not just in the digital space either. Columbus invests in nation building by sponsoring education, arts, culture and sports initiatives as well as public-private partnerships. “Quite simply,” says Brendan, “our focus on corporate social responsibility is viewed as a true competitive advantage, a meaningful corporate differentiator, and most importantly — the right thing to do.”
Comment policy
Comments are moderated to ensure thoughtful and respectful conversations. First and last names will appear with each submission; anonymous comments and pseudonyms will not be permitted.
By submitting a comment, you accept that Atlantic Business Magazine has the right to reproduce and publish that comment in whole or in part, in any manner it chooses. Publication of a comment does not constitute endorsement of that comment. We reserve the right to close comments at any time.