Georgian College

Brent Ackland Business, 2006 Owner, northern SuP northernsup.com Bored with the world of financial advising, Brent Ackland turned to a different kind of board to launch his second career – a stand up paddleboard (SUP). As owner of Northern SUP, he has no time to be bored now. He just completed his third season offering this popular sport on Lake Simcoe and Georgian Bay. "I'd always liked surfing and saw that SUPing was becoming a trend. I saw a market for it here because there is so much water around us," says Ackland. At first Ackland focused on rentals and lessons but realized he would need more to make it a sustainable business. He had always been interested in fitness and saw PaddleFit as a way to expand and differentiate his company. "Paddling alone is a killer workout, but when you combine paddling, progressive technique, on-land exercises and a healthy dose of consistency, the results are amazing. Plus, my clients have a blast. I get to make people smile every day for work." Ackland is only the third person to become a PaddleFit Certification Coach. He is PaddleFit's first Canadian affiliate and has further diversified his business to include training others who are launching PaddleFit operations, as part of the core PaddleFit coaching team. Expanding his business has been Ackland's biggest challenge as an entrepreneur. "I want my growth to be strategic, sustainable and in line with my business values and ethics. I also don't want to sink back into that corporate culture I was previously a part of." With a business background from Georgian College, he supplements the fundamentals with lifelong learning. "I take every PaddleFit and fitness workshop I can. It doesn't matter who is teaching it. I can always learn something." What's his one piece of advice to other entrepreneurs? Take advantage of social media. "My success to date has come largely from word-of-mouth." ENTREPRENEuRIAl AluMNI Ed Boutilier always dreamed of having his own company and seized the opportunity when the company he was working for closed its doors abruptly during a recession. It was 1990 and Boutilier drew upon his entrepreneurial inclination and the invaluable industry experience he had learned since graduating from Georgian College. "Purely out of survival I reached out to stranded customers and asked if I could support them. I was overwhelmed with encouragement and thus began my life- changing journey," says Boutilier. His company is Stealth.com Inc., which designs and manufactures high- performance, industrial-grade computer systems and peripherals. Stealth's products are designed and deployed in harsh- environment, high-availability and mission critical applications. Clients range from single-person operations to NASA and the defence departments of several nations along with a cross-section of Fortune 500 companies. "Georgian was my launch pad," says the entrepreneur with a self-described voracious appetite to learn new things. A large part of Boutilier's business approach is time management. "It's essential to become disciplined. Procrastination and not executing quickly enough on new ideas can be crippling to your long-term success." He's also passionate about what he does and encourages other entrepreneurs to be too. "Passion is the fuel that motivates you and keeps you engaged. Money is a by- product of success and not a guiding star." ed Boutilier electronic engineering technician, 1978 Founder and Chief Geek, Stealth.com inc. stealth.com "Purely out of survival I reached out to stranded customers and asked if I could support them. I was overwhelmed with encouragement and thus began my life-changing journey." GeorgianView 2013/14 | 9

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