Joan Posivy introduced the panel for business discussion. Fireside chat format – sort of, they fielded a variety of questions from the audience, each providing thoughts, insights, and advice from their individual standpoints and experiences.
Malcolm Hunter – was in the transportation business, retired President of Deeley Harley-Davidson Canada. He started out as a banker, alas that career was not to be. While on ski patrol at Whistler, a friend he skied with talked to him about an opportunity to be with a startup. The business started with 4 people and grew to over 300. They went from having drowning debt to the bank owing them money. A very successful career all told.
Paul Martin moved to BC in 1975 on a corporate transfer. He spent his first 16 yrs with Dunn & Bradstreet as a business analyst & in sales. He moved into a tech role, and fell in love with the industry. Paul left Dunn & Bradstreet and started his own tech company, DTM Systems Vancouver and ran it successfully for 35 years. The business was sold in 2021 to a firm in Montreal, and Paul is now enjoying the fruits of retirement.
Ryan Crean, CEO of Kearney Funeral Services. Kearney recently merged with Burnaby based family run Burquitlam Funeral Home, preserving some of the core values that these two businesses have maintained throughout and will continue to do so.
Mindy Tulsi-Ingram, has 30 years of experience running 3 divisions in her company Green & Green – Gifts with Flair, SnackHeros, and Abundance in a Box. She helps businesses build and solidify relationships constantly striving to find ways for companies to express gratitude and recognition to those who’s relationships they value.
What’s one moment that really stands out in their business career?
Malcolm – It was 3 years into starting the new company, the bank called the loan. Partners put up personal assets to cover it. It was such a hard decision to carry on and be committed to their decision. What was learned was that it is important to have a strong relationship with all your partners, and never take anything for granted.
Paul – it was not long after joining RCoV in 1987, about a year after starting his business, someone came in to talk about wanting to incorporate some technology solutions for their business. It was Gordon Christopher, a long-time Rotarian and mentor. The Rotary connection cemented their relationship very quickly – a wonderful example of how Rotary works.
Ryan – There is no one circumstance. Rather it was going through lots of shifts in their business. His dad buying out his brother, Ryan buying out his Dad, and now the merger. What he has learned through all those experiences have been extremely valuable in his professional growth.
Mindy – told the story of a particular client who requested a gift – Mindy did not agree with his choice, chatted with him about his reasons for wanting to give a gift and then helping him decide on something completely different than what was originally wanted. The feedback of sincere appreciation for the thoughtfulness of the gift from the recipient led to a long, long relationship with this client, and others they recommended Mindy to, was nothing short of fabulous.
Family and work balance, how does one do it?
Malcolm – commuted to Toronto for 4 years between his family here, with 4 daughters, and the business there. His wife and he regularly pulled out a calendar and he would arrange his schedule to accommodate his families needs.
Paul – It is very important to set aside family time on vacations regularly. You need to put you and your family first. Leave your business in your car when you arrive home and show enthusiasm and joy in seeing them, every day.
Ryan – taking notes! Still figuring it out with his young children.
Mindy – it has been 31 years in the business. She has a son, now grown through that time. She was very lucky to have a business where she was able to bring him to work with her, starting when he was two weeks old. That being what it was, she believes that exercise is key. Getting out, enjoying nature helps to ensure a healthy balance.
If you had a single piece of advice, what would it be?
Ryan – Relationship building, both within and without the organization, is key. The demographic curve with older people leaving and younger people taking over is creating a change. They younger people are adamant about wanting to know they are engaged and appreciated.
Mindy—To add to that, let’s clarify what is acknowledgement and recognition. Acknowledgement is what opens the door to create a bond. Recognition is a physical non-monetary (payroll) gift. You can work to amplify joy at work as well as at home. Regardless of the type of day you had, dance when you come home – something she learned from her father. This attitude can be transported to any venue, business or personal and is infectious to all around you.
Paul – Taking care of the corporate culture. He was able to spend time with every employee from when they started on, encouraging them to be part of the company’s success and embracing change. Everyone’s ideas are equally important as everyone else’s. Constantly looking for best practices. Poll your employees for what is important to them and for new ideas, then act on what you can.
Malcolm—Was in a fast growing business, acknowledged that it can be a challenge to make those one-to-one relationships with all of your employees. One of the challenges is that you have to go in with your eyes and mind open, be flexible for change. Even though Canada is one country there are significant regional differences. Realize you cannot do it all yourself. Recognize your strengths and find others who can fill in the gaps of your weaknesses. Listen to those others to help strengthen all.
How do you encourage and endorse your employees to give back?
Malcolm – Brand awareness really important. Partner with an organization that fits with your values and stick with them. We need to look outside of ourselves, recognize how lucky we are and how can we make a difference to others less fortunate. Harley is very proud of their relationships with the organizations they have chosen to support and be affiliated with.
Paul – It was a standard interview question: what do you do for your community? They gave paid days to volunteer, e.g., 5 days a year.
Ryan—He encourages support for the charities supported by their employees. For their recent merger the most important issue was ensuring they shared the same values. Rotary needs to look for organizations who share their values and approach them for memberships.
Mindy – Supports employees to volunteer and give back. Giving is the premise of her business after all. Her organization gives a lot for educational causes.
How do you know when it’s time to get out?
Paul – It was at a meeting with a large client in 2018. He looked around the room and came to the realization that he was the oldest person in the room. At that point he put a pin in the calendar and then went about planning his get out, his retirement. Paul shared the best advice about retirement he received that came from his family chiro. It was, are you retiring into something vs out of something? Make sure you are moving into something – thus no regrets, only excitement.
Malcolm – It was 42 yrs of building a business, then suddenly looking around and realizing that he was one of the grey hairs. It was recognizing that it was now a young persons game. Once you’ve made up your mind, you recognize and cherish the heritage you have behind you, then look ahead to see what excites you moving forward.
Regardless of how employees are generally your stars, there will inevitably struggles. Any strategies for dealing with hr issues?
Paul – At time he had to put himself in the role as facilitator with various hr issues. He sought out good legal advice but always went with his gut. Cannot pass the buck. The head of the company is ultimately responsible.
Malcolm – Echoed Paul. As owner and principal in the business you set the tone. Anyone who has a business will run into HR issues, you will run into situations that will disappoint you and cause you real heartache, but you need to deal with them head on and then move on.
What’s one final thought or tip for success in business?
Mindy – Take 15 minutes at the end of the day, every day, to reflect on successes (& challenges) of the day with your staff as much as possible. This has shown that it brings the team together and results in a 22.6% increase in business productivity.
Paul -- Set attainable goals, check in regularly to make sure you are on track.
Ryan – The importance of relationships and facetime with people within the organization cannot be overstated. Prevent silos, build relationships that allows the organization to become a coherent group building the success for all.
Malcolm – Vision, values, and strategy. These must be clear, understood, and ensure everyone is on board. Make sure the values are supported, and the strategy is reasonable and attainable. If it’s not measurable it’s not worth doing.
A final note there is Power with Rotary – Rotarians stick together and support one another.
