John (Jack) Kelly

President, Bulk Carriers (P.E.I.) Limited

Road Warrior It was, perhaps, a moment of dangerous driving, but to prevent himself from becoming road kill in the competitive regional trucking business, Jack Kelly switched gears in the 1990s and started hauling fresh and frozen foods. It was a far cry from the petroleum products that had been the stock and trade of his Clyde River-based Bulk Carriers since 1973. But, he explains, as that business was beginning to slip away, his new direction had to be one that allowed him to better control the day-to-day operations. To test his options, he actually hit the road for a year. He’s never looked back. Since 2000, his operations have expanded steadily, growing from two refrigerated trucks and trailers to a fleet of 70. The company also maintains 12 full-time dispatch and administrative personnel.

No to the Status Quo True to his peripatetic background and instincts, Mr. Kelly refuses to stand still. The tried and true simply won’t do. “We strive to develop strategies that create an environment of growth, both internal and external. We see our business growing (in five years) another 50-100 per cent in sales volume while maintaining excellent profitability.”

Jamie King

President & CEO, Verafin Inc.

What’s in a Name? Assuming “vera” is short for veracity and “fin” is an abbreviation of finance, then this is an instance when a company name is also its mandate. Verafin is an innovative software company providing user-friendly anti-money laundering and fraud detection solutions to the financial services industry. Fraudsters beware: the technology involved is considerably more complicated than it sounds, involving probabilistic networks, behavior-based analytics and artificial intelligence. Without getting into system specs, the bottom-line result is a significantly higher degree of accuracy in detecting financial malfeasance.

Stepping Back to Move Forward The hardest part of Jamie King’s job is letting go – stepping back from the product development and programming activities that are his passion. But it’s a bullet this CEO will have to take if his company is to achieve its long-term vision (already the 27th fastest-growing tech firm in Canada, they plan to double within the next five years). King’s solution has been to look at the business itself as a design problem. “Internal structure, our business model and the business as a whole can be looked at as a system of inputs, outputs and sub-systems. This allows me to continue to be an inventor.” Experiencing leadership problems of your own? There may soon be an app for that.

Barry Kyle

CEO, Industrial Rubber Company Ltd.

A Family Affair When Barry Kyle alludes to his business as a family affair, he means it in every sense of the word. He started working for Bathurst-based Industrial Rubber in 1978, right out of university. He bought the company in 1990 and has engineered its growth with strict attention to both the bottom line and, by every indication, his employees’ workplace welfare. Today, the company manufactures rubber products for the Department of National Defence, as well as the mining, pulp and paper, fishing and food processing industries. It also maintains agencies abroad. Significantly, through all the years of impressive growth, its employee turnover rate has been precisely three people. Says Mr. Kyle: “With approximately 50 employees . . . we have a pretty close group who know as much about our family as we know about theirs.”

The Rubber Hits the Road With two sons now working for him, Mr. Kyle believes that the mark of true leadership is the ability to listen and make decisions based on facts. “My father, Doug, always said you have to get the right people with you and treat them as you would want to be treated. I have tried to emulate that all these years.”

Gordon Laing

President & COO, Southwest Properties Limited

Happy Homemaker If times are tough, don’t tell that to Gordon Laing who says his biggest challenge nowadays is juggling opportunities. He’s not kidding. For proof, the executive in charge of Halifax-based Southwest Properties Limited, a leading Atlantic Canadian developer of residential and commercial property, needs only point to the company’s portfolio of more than 1,100 apartments, the Bishop’s Landing complex along the Halifax waterfront and hotel developments in Nova Scotia, New Brunswick and Newfoundland. Perhaps the firm’s 124 per cent, and 46 per cent, revenue and operating income growth rates (respectively) over the past six years is even more compelling evidence. Still, the biggest opportunity is yet to come: A new development of lands owned by the Sisters of Charity in Halifax’s Rockingham neighbourhood, which will shortly transform 63 acres of prime real estate into apartments, condos and retail space.

We Build, They Come Not surprisingly, Mr. Laing says one of his chief motivations is growth. “I am motivated by surpassing the results from the year before. Our company is positioned for significant growth over the next five years.” And yet, he adds, “I am motivated by leaving a mark through contributions to the success of others.”

Ron Lovett

President, RFL Group of Companies

Force of Venture Don’t bother trying to peg Halifax’s Ron Lovett. You’d have better luck harnessing a hurricane. But you would not be far wrong if you considered him a force of venture, if not precisely of nature. Commercial property owner (25,000 square feet, in total), landscaping and snow removal operator, fraud breaker (his Silver IT Solutions helps the Nova Scotia Liquor Corporation and the Halifax Regional Police spot fake IDs), and security czar (his Source Security & Investigations Inc. provides watchdog services for large outdoor rock concerts and nightclubs across Canada) – Lovett puts the capital “E” in enterprise. And he’s not shy about saying so: “My career as an entrepreneur requires me to be an operations manager, business development manager, people manager and time manager at all times.” How does he do it? He’s “levelheaded”. He “takes responsibility” for his actions. And he creates “a strong sense of accountability” in his businesses – if he does say so, himself. Then again, who’s arguing?

Innate Abilities On the subject of leadership, Lovett is characteristically candid. “Not only do I have the innate ability to identify unique market opportunities, I have also developed exceptional leadership skills through encouraging active participation from my management team.”

Earl Ludlow

President & CEO, Newfoundland Power Inc.

Act Like Angus Show me your friends and I’ll tell you who you are – that’s certainly the case with Earl Ludlow and his role model, Dr. Angus Bruneau. Bruneau is a well-known innovator, strategic thinker and international success story, as well as an accomplished business leader with extensive people skills, a dedicated community volunteer and a generous philanthropist. The same descriptors could be applied to the protégé as well: Ludlow is a respected industry leader who sits on the boards of Fortis Ontario, Caribbean Utilities Company, Canadian Electricity Association and Maritime Electric Company. Within Newfoundland Power, his top priority and personal mission is to protect the safety of his employees. And in the broader community, his dedication to “giving back” has earned him numerous volunteer recognitions, including 2010 Humanitarian of the Year by the Canadian Red Cross. Chances are that somewhere within Newfoundland Power is a young engineer who sees Ludlow as his/her own Angus Bruneau – and rightly so.

He’s All Ears While there’s never any doubt as to who carries the ultimate responsibility at Newfoundland Power, Earl Ludlow values the opinion of all his employees. “From the janitor to the CEO, everyone has wisdom to pass on – you just have to be willing to ask the right questions and listen.”

Shannon MacDonald

Atlantic Practice Managing Partner, Deloitte

No Glass Ceilings In a career of pathfinding “firsts”, Shannon MacDonald is at it again. In June, Deloitte’s Atlantic practice managing partner will relinquish her seat on the board to join the firm’s national executive team – which will mark the first time anyone in that position will reside in Atlantic Canada. Of course, she’s no stranger to personal achievement. After all, she is only the second woman at Deloitte to perform her current, critical role: managing partners and leading the firm’s regional audit, tax, consulting, and financial advisory services. Last year, she was recognized as one of Canada’s most powerful women by the Women’s Executive Network. She is also a founding member of the firm’s Diversity Council. Somehow, she’s managed to find time to counsel hundreds of women professionals while balancing the demands of her high pressure job with a rich home life and parenting responsibilities. Who does this role model admire? “I would love to talk to Hillary Clinton,” she says. Somehow, we’re not surprised.

Leadership Principles Ms. MacDonald thinks a lot about providing a good example. In fact, she even itemizes the qualities she thinks a good leader possesses: listening skills, collaborative approach, and emotional intelligence. “Be tenacious, resilient and persistent in achieving goals. Integrity is an important source of this energy.”