Troy Northrup
Principal & CEO
East Point Inc.; ShredGuard Inc.

MR. UBIQUITOUS Troy Northrup is one of New Brunswick’s leading entrepreneurs, overseeing an impressively diverse business portfolio His successful track record includes property development, property management, real estate leasing, construction, automotive sales and service, waste management and materials recycling and confidential document destruction. “I like the challenge of running a variety of businesses,” he says. “I can’t wait to get to work in the morning to see what the day is going to bring and what twists and turns the business world is going to throw at us. I get a lot of satisfaction from seeking new opportunities and building for the future. It’s who I am.”

WATCH AND LEARN Northrup says he learned the essential lessons in being a successful entrepreneur from his father, Don Northrup: the importance of anticipating consumer demands and trends; how to negotiate the best win-win transactions; the importance of managing risk; and financial management. “Working with my father was like earning an MBA on the fly.”

DOWNTIME When he’s not enthusiastically mired in business complexities, Troy Northrup enjoys playing the trombone, boating on the Saint John River and travelling with his family. This latter pasttime is made easier by the fact that Northrup is a qualified pilot with both land and sea ratings.

THANKFUL FOR “Our employees — they are the backbone of our operations.”

Sean O’Regan
President & CEO
O’Regan’s

RESILIENCE Hard times can bring out the worst or the best in people. For Sean O’Regan, the economic downturn of recent years was a true test of his entrepreneurial skill. Opting for strategic rather than decreased spending for the automobile business that bears his family name, O’Regan widened the company’s target market and sales, the latter of which grew by three per cent in 2009 (when sales trends in Canada were down 12 per cent). That same year, sales of used cars increased by 14 per cent compared to a national average of six per cent. But the crème de la crème came in 2010 when O’Regan’s achieved 10,000 retail car sales, making it their best sales year in the company’s 36-year history, despite operating in one of the worst economic climates in decades.

MOTIVATION “I am motivated by what is possible. I look around and see so many opportunities and say, ‘why not me; why not us? I also think about the 680 employees and their families that are tied to this organization. Their quality of life is tied to this business and I feel responsible to them. That is very motivating.”

FAVOURITE CAR “The one that sells quickly.”

Donald Peters
President & CEO
Horizon Health Network

THE STAKES The amalgamation of four health authorities created Horizon Health Network, the largest health authority in Atlantic Canada and one of the biggest in the country. When Donald Peters was appointed to the role of president and CEO in March 2008, his task was to make it work.

THE PLAN No stranger to healthcare or to demanding roles, Donald knew he had to create a strong management team and structure while continuing to provide services to over 600,000 patients. So he pulled together an executive management team. Then he and his team developed a comprehensive medical governance structure to bring cohesion to the newly amalgamated organization. Finally, he established a leadership advisory council with a focus on enhancing communications and fostering the exchange of ideas/best practices.

THE VICTORY “Healthcare is about people; patients, their families and our staff. My motivation and passion comes from what our healthcare system does for the hundreds of thousands of patients and families we care for 24 hours a day, each and every day of the year. To work with 14,000 staff, 1,000 physicians and 3,500 volunteers and experience their passion, dedication and commitment to serving the needs of their patients as best they can is motivation enough for me.”

Stephen Plummer
Group President & CEO
I.M.P. Group International Inc.

COMPANY MAN One of the core values at I.M.P. Group International Inc. is loyalty. Stephen Plummer is a living emblem of what loyalty can bring, as well as what it can give. He began his career at I.M.P. 33 years ago, straight out of university. It was 1978 and his first role was that of executive assistant to the president. Over the years, he accepted increasingly progressive roles, becoming group president and CEO in 2009. The company, which delivers a slew of services to customers in aerospace, aviation, airline, healthcare, industrial marine, information technology, hospitality and property development, has been doing well under his experienced eye, achieving revenue growth of more than 15 per cent in 2010.