Approximately 20 years ago, I made a switch from the automotive to heavy equipment market, starting out in the heavy-duty truck and trailer market with Rentway/Penske in short-term rentals to leasing. I then moved on to Maxim International where I provided similar products for Northern Saskatchewan. The next opportunity came to me in the commercial heating & air conditioning business, where I sold maintenance and installation in Saskatoon, tailored to commercial & industrial buildings. When I realized that equipment, trucks, and trailers were my real passion, I went to Custom Truck Sales/Inland Kenworth to oversee their Paclease rental & lease division for Saskatchewan. Eventually I progressed into new & used equipment and into the business office, where I sold financing/L&D coverages/extended warranties, while also managing/specking trucks for some major fleet accounts.
In my new role with Stride Capital, I will be responsible for the province of Saskatchewan. During most of my career, Saskatchewan has been the territory I have grown to understand from the variety of markets within the province to the diverse types of customers that conduct business here. I have also come to understand that different locations in this province have distinct segments which are important to their local setting; agriculture, forestry, livestock, oil and energy.
The transport industry has been my specialty as I’ve been working in this sector for most of my career. I have come to understand the equipment and the specifications each market requires to successfully conduct business.
With Stride, I now have the opportunity to work with customers and vendors with all aspects of their equipment needs. Being from Saskatchewan, I feel that there are a lot of opportunities for partnering with customers and growing with them to be successful. I will personally have a chance to work with customers on the next level from what I was doing with freedom to do other equipment I have not been exposed to as of yet from a financing standpoint. Being able to offer such a variety of services I see the business in Saskatchewan growing as well as building strong relationships.
I see a huge opportunity in helping customers get the equipment they need to ensure their businesses can thrive. I look forward to making customers aware of who Stride Capital is and what we can offer. From my past experiences, I’ve learnt that most customers are people just looking to deal with people they can trust and easily access. Stride has finance options built to help customers meet their needs, which continually evolve. My goal is to enable my past and potential future contacts to re-market their used equipment, free up some cash to grow their business or just simply add to their existing fleet.
After 13 years with my previous employer, it seemed like a difficult decision to make the change to a new company. After my first visit to the head office in Calgary, meeting the Stride team, experiencing the culture and seeing how they interacted with each other that was the turning point for me. I knew then that Stride Capital was a place I wanted to work. After completing a couple transactions with Stride while still working with my previous employer, I had the opportunity to experience the ease of the credit, documentation and funding processes that were all evidence that I wanted to be a part of this team.
Outside of work, my life mainly revolves around my family. My 7 year-old twin girls keep me young and remind me everyday why I want to work hard to provide them with every opportunity in life. I enjoy fishing with family and friends and love anything to do with vehicles. I enjoy going to car/truck shows, races, and sometimes going to the odd race school to drive them myself is a rush. Someday my goal is to have either a show car and or a race car of my own.
5 years ago
