Twenty lessons for every leader to live by

1. Three bottom lines are better than one

KBL Environmental (Leduc, Alta.)

500 employees, 430 million kilograms of waste reused or recycled annually

KBL Environmental’s trucking division is finding cleaner ways to move heavy loads. Some of its fleet now runs on partially hydrogen-powered systems and augmented fuels, cutting back on the usual prehistoric goo.

The company is also rolling out tech that converts used motor oil into diesel—a win for northern communities without access to natural gas and a measurable way to offset emissions in places that need it most. That data gets passed on to clients, with some companies using it in their own ESG reporting—one reason KBL can confidently charge a premium for its services.

It’s all part of a bigger push to track and reduce emissions year over year, a key pillar of KBL’s commitment to the triple bottom line: people, planet and profits. The company publishes detailed ESG reports that lay out everything from greenhouse gas targets to how much waste it diverts from landfills. On the people side, KBL runs regular engagement surveys and invests seriously in leadership development, with a strong record of promoting from within.

“The triple bottom line is about not only having the policies, but genuinely living by them,” says KBL’s CEO, Jeff Dirks. And it’s working—KBL has posted a compound annual growth rate of more than 100% over the past five years. Here, success is measured in impact as well as dollars—and leadership means taking responsibility for both.

2. Birds of a feather work better together

T&T Power Group (Wellesley, Ont.)

150 employees, 15 acquisitions across Canada

Acquisitions are central to T&T Power’s growth strategy—but the factors you’d expect to facilitate a smooth integration don’t always hold up. In one case, the retailer and service provider of industrial and commercial power equipment acquired a nearby business, expecting a straightforward transition. Instead, turnover surged, and aligning on goals was like pulling teeth.

Another acquisition, finalized just a week before the COVID-19 pandemic, posed much tougher logistical challenges. The business was located far away, and once travel restrictions kicked in, in-person meetings became impossible. Yet this time, the integration was seamless. Turnover was low, collaboration came naturally, and the team quickly rallied around a shared vision.

The difference? Culture. “Even though the first company was practically in our backyard, there was distrust from the start,” says T&T president Tyler Van Dyke. “From our perspective, they were more focused on presentability than rolling up their sleeves.”

Now, screening for cultural fit is a non-negotiable. That means spending meaningful time with leadership—and going as far down the chain as the target company allows, usually middle management. “If you’re too far apart on culture,” Van Dyke says, “it either means you need to invest more time planning—or you walk away.”

3. Structure sets you free

RCS Construction (Bedford, N.S.)

140 employees, 195 projects completed in 2024

RCS Construction was stuck. It was 2012, and the general contractor’s revenue had plateaued at $75 million. Its leaders had no idea how to spur growth. At the time, its organizational structure was siloed—leaders and managers didn’t have a unified system for making decisions, and operations were manual and reactive. Without strategic directives to help set the course, time management was largely a matter of individual preference.

Enter the entrepreneurial operating system (EOS)—a framework that’s sort of the business-management equivalent of the control room on the Starship Enterprise. The system gave RCS’s leaders and managers a structured way to communicate, prioritize and solve problems. When the company wanted to execute a much-needed website and search engine optimization overhaul, for instance, it used the EOS to break the project down into clear milestones and assign tasks in an organized way.

RCS’s lack of structure had crept in so gradually, no one noticed how limiting it had become—like the proverbial frog set on slow boil. Since adopting the new system in 2013, revenue has more than doubled. And in what was previously an opaque process, staffing needs suddenly became clear—and with a shiny new website completed in record time, it became that much easier to recruit top candidates in a competitive market.

4. Think like a customer

Fortigo Freight Services (Etobicoke, Ont.)

650 employees, 98.5% on-time performance

You might assume that in our hyper-connected world, transportation is tracked to the last mile. But the reality is that many businesses still rely on outdated, manual systems with limited visibility once freight leaves the warehouse. Elias Demangos, founder and president of Fortigo Freight, is keenly aware of that fact—and the headache it causes his clients. That’s why he directs his team to approach every client relationship with a simple mantra: Think like they do so you can better solve their problems.

When clients want savings, Fortigo doesn’t offer a box-standard solution and throw up its hands. Instead, it analyzes every detail of an operation to find hidden inefficiencies that only a company with its particular set of skills could catch. “The way I see it, the more complex a client’s problem is, the more value we can add,” says Demangos. “You can look at a challenge and say this is difficult, or you can say this is an opportunity—this is where we create real value, deepen integration and strengthen the partnership.”

By thinking and acting like an extension of its clients, rather than a separate entity with distinct interests, Fortigo drives a genuine value proposition and builds loyalty in a competitive industry. “That’s our edge,” says Demangos. “Clients tell us, ‘We never thought about it this way.’ Because they’re not just looking for trucks—they’re looking for smarter ways to run their business.”

Open this photo in gallery:

5. Empower your people

Coffrages Synergy Formwork (Lavaltrie, Que.)

1,500 employees, 70+ simultaneous projects across Eastern Canada

Early in her career, Isabelle Côté, founder of the Quebec-based concrete formwork company Coffrages Synergy, mentored a young employee struggling to find her footing in a new leadership role. Her mentee was capable and intelligent, but lacked the confidence to take charge. Côté could have done what many leaders do—take back the reins and micromanage. Instead, she adopted the position of a gentle guide.

Rather than offering answers, she asked questions. What do you think is the root cause of this challenge? What resources do you think would help you move forward? If you could try any solution without worrying about failure, what would it be? Her mentee ended up finding her confidence—and became one of the team’s strongest leaders in the process.

“I often tell people that leadership isn’t about being the smartest person in the room; it’s about creating leaders who will surpass you in skill and confidence,” says Côté. “The true measure of my success isn’t how much I achieve, but how many people I help grow into their potential.” And sure, that’s part of how Côté has built an industry-leading company, but her approach is also about legacy. “If I can help others find their confidence and become leaders in their own right, I’ll consider that my greatest achievement.”

6. Sustainability is strategy

Fresh Prep (Vancouver)

600 employees, 19 grams of single-use plastic eliminated per meal

Fresh Prep is Canada’s only B Corp–certified meal-kit company, which means it does things a little differently than its competitors. Instead of the hefty cardboard boxes emblazoned with meal-kit logos you might see on your neighbour’s porch, Fresh Prep delivers its meals in reusable, insulated cooler bags. Most of its kits come in a signature “zero waste” format: Rather than wrapping ingredients in layers of single-use plastic, Fresh Prep uses dishwasher-safe, reusable plastic cups that double as mixing bowls (read: fewer dishes for you to wash).

This approach saves an average of 19 grams of single-use plastic per meal compared to traditional packaging. And with a 95% return rate, the company’s system works—because customers get it. “The biggest cost in this business is loyalty,” says Daniel Clark, an assistant professor of entrepreneurship at Western University’s Ivey Business School. “Fresh Prep has focused on providing meal kits in a way that engenders loyalty.”

Roughly 80% of meals in Alberta and 60% in B.C. are delivered in Zero Waste Kits; Ontario and Quebec are closer to 10%, but the company’s goal is to reach 80% by the end of the year.

Balancing profitability and sustainability is anything but a zero-sum game. When companies clearly communicate their values, one reinforces the other.

7. Culture + rock-solid operations = success

Watson Gloves (Vancouver)

170 employees, 2,500+ SKUs

Marty Moore took the reins of glove manufacturer and distributor Watson Gloves from his father, Barrie, who had in turn inherited the business from his dad, Dinty. In terms of personality, the senior Moores couldn’t be more different. Dinty had a finance background and was meticulous (some might say a stickler) about the company’s books. He grew up in the Depression and would go so far as to reuse envelopes for outgoing mail. Barrie, on the other hand, was known more for the quirky names he gave various gloves; travelling around the world; and giving out big hams to staff at Christmas.

“I like to say I’m a hybrid between my grandfather and my dad,” says Marty, now executive chair. “My dad embraced the loyalty of his staff, the fun of Watson Gloves and the company culture. He also liked taking chances, being innovative, and not being afraid to fail. My grandfather, on the other hand, was much more fiscally responsible. I’ve learned that to succeed at leadership, you need a balance of both.”

Today, Watson Gloves still throws legendary staff parties—but the books are just as tidy as when Dinty was in charge.

8. Purpose fuels potential

EFW Radiology (Calgary)

600 employees, 400,000 patients served annually

Developing a pipeline of future talent is smart business no matter what industry you’re in. And in radiology, it’s crucial—at least for EFW. It partners with post-secondary institutions across Alberta to offer hands-on training for students in ultrasound, radiologic technology, nuclear medicine and medical office programs—hosting 78 practicum students in the past year alone. The company also plays a key role in advanced medical training, supporting 11 radiology residents and offering 12 fellowships in partnership with the University of Calgary’s Cumming School of Medicine last year.

But EFW also looks for talent in unexpected places. Beyond formal programs, the company actively supports career growth from within—helping administrative staff like receptionists and clerks transition into clinical roles such as sonographers or licensed practical nurses. It even goes so far as to make sure there’s a job waiting for these candidates once they get the training they need.

In a recent employee engagement survey, 96% said they feel as though they contribute to their employer’s mission of exceptional care. And that, says EFW’s CEO, Jackie Simonelli, is why someone who starts at the reception desk might feel inspired enough to pursue a career in health care. “We’re always talking about our mission,” she says.

Open this photo in gallery:

9. Drive the vision (even if it hurts)

Globocam (Montréal-Est, Que.)

590 employees, 7 new sites in 7 years

Maxime Boyer took over Globocam, a network of truck dealerships in Quebec, from his father. He had a new vision—and he had to make some difficult decisions to make it happen. The company, like many in the industry, was traditional, steady and slow to adapt. Over the past five years, Boyer has pushed through more than 200 changes, from expanding into Ontario and diversifying service offerings to restructuring operations and modernizing the company’s digital infrastructure.

Central to his strategy was building a culture that embraces experimentation and data. He introduced AI tools for pricing and market mapping, launched predictive maintenance programs and piloted new technologies like exoskeletons for technicians. Some initiatives didn’t land—an early software rollout faltered due to poor implementation—but Boyer treated the setbacks as part of the learning curve.

The most transformative shift came at the top. Boyer replaced nearly all of Globocam’s executives and directors, bringing in leaders who shared his appetite for bold action. It wasn’t easy, but it was necessary. With a new site opening every year for the past seven years, he’s positioned the company for faster growth, greater agility and a future that looks very different from its past.

10. Leave no call unanswered

Smith and Long (Markham, Ont.)

1,500 employees, 8 offices across Canada

During a major flood in Toronto, a client of skilled-trades contractor Smith and Long faced a critical failure: It operated an e-commerce fulfillment warehouse, and the facility flooded due to the lack of a backflow prevention system. Smith and Long dispatched a team immediately. When they arrived, the warehouse was so submerged that they had to navigate the premises in a small tin boat, carrying tools and equipment across waterlogged floors to reach the source of the issue. It was a dramatic response but emblematic of the company’s culture: Do what it takes, without delay. (That is, within an hour, in the vast majority of scenarios.)

In another instance, during a company retreat, many frontline managers were offline when an emergency call came in at 3 a.m. A client had lost power and needed an industrial generator delivered urgently. The call escalated through the company’s response system until it reached Smith and Long’s president, Robert Riopelle. He took the call, located the right team member, and had a generator delivered and installed within the hour, restoring operations.

Responsiveness is one of the company’s core values for relationships with its clients, which range from universities and hospitals to data centres and manufacturing facilities. No call for help goes unanswered—even if the company president is the one picking up in the middle of the night.

11. Ignore the market cycle

Capital Asset Lending (Markham, Ont.)

56 employees, $1 billion+ in assets under management

In the wake of the 2008 financial crisis, leaning into a mortgage brokerage he’d run for over a decade, Raj Babber made the decision to start funding deals himself—a huge risk, to put it mildly. Traditional lenders were retreating, and creditworthy borrowers with non-traditional income—self-employed professionals, investors, small business owners—were being left behind. Rather than pull back, he saw an opportunity to build something new.

With $250,000 in starting capital and support from friends and family, Capital Asset Lending was born in a deeply uncertain time. The early strategy was simple: Serve one client at a time, and let results drive referrals. By 2013, the firm launched its own fund to strengthen its risk profile and access bank financing. Today, Capital Asset Lending manages more than $1.1 billion in assets and is one of Canada’s largest private mortgage investment corporations.

Rigorous underwriting, prudent loan-to-value ratios, and efficient, common-sense lending is its throughline. While the business has scaled significantly, the philosophy has remained consistent: Offer straightforward, reliable solutions in an industry known for complexity. “We’ve always stuck to our meat and potatoes,” says Babber. “Over the years, we’ve evolved to a higher calibre of borrower, but we haven’t changed how we do it. We’re common-sense lenders. If you have a home and it meets our criteria, we will lend on that.”

12. Be decisive, build trust

Troy Life & Fire Safety (Owen Sound, Ont.)

1,250 employees, 28 offices across Canada

During the pandemic, a long-term care home’s fire alarm system started malfunctioning—it just wouldn’t stop ringing. The building owner was in panic mode, since his usual service provider refused to send anyone because of a COVID-19 outbreak on site. Desperate, he phoned his electrician, who suggested calling Troy Life & Fire Safety, a sales and service provider for safety systems. Within 30 minutes, a Troy technician was on the way.

“There was a building in distress affecting a bunch of people,” says president Jim McCoubrey. “Our technician masked up and felt comfortable going out. In my view, we were just doing our job—and that’s responding to emergencies.” That call led the building owner to move all his fire protection contracts to Troy. He didn’t need a sales pitch; he just needed a company to show up when he called for help.

Troy takes a similarly action-oriented approach to recruitment in a field few know much about. Through try-a-trade events at colleges and community centres, Troy introduces the work using real equipment—like fire panels or sprinkler pumps—and walks people through what the job actually involves. “It’s not unusual for people not to know much about our industry,” McCoubrey says. “So we show them.”

13. Show, don’t tell

Bannister Automotive Group (Kelowna, B.C.)

1,250 employees, $1.2 billion in revenue

Some leaders do their jobs from behind a desk. Not Bannister Automotive partner Mark Bannister. He’s always preferred to lead from the floor. In the automotive business, that can be the difference between an effective team and one that flounders. When challenges arise in Bannister’s sales department, the standard isn’t to hand down instructions; it’s to step in and model what good actually looks like. That might mean a sales manager sitting in on a tough customer conversation, or a general manager running a meeting to demonstrate tone and direction. “There’s a big difference between telling people what to do and showing them,” says Bannister, whose parents started the company. “The latter is how people grow.”

It’s an approach he’s used throughout his career and one he reinforces with his leadership team. In service, for example, sales advisers are trained to conduct a vehicle walkaround. Rather than just explain the process, however, managers are expected to demonstrate it, too—hood open, components explained, step by step.

This style requires balance, Bannister acknowledges—support shouldn’t slide into micromanagement, and stepping in should build confidence, not diminish it. But the core belief is clear: “Business gets better when our people get better,” Bannister says. “And people get better when they can see how it’s done.”

Open this photo in gallery:

14. Don’t deliver halfway

DirectDial/THINQ Technologies (London, Ont.)

50 employees, 15-year average tenure on the leadership team

When a major client in the construction industry approached DirectDial with a lucrative new deal, “yes” would have been the easy answer. The client wanted to expand its relationship with the IT provider by outsourcing a 24-7 multilingual IT help desk. At the time, DirectDial was actively building its global managed services offering, but it wasn’t quite ready to make its world debut.

It was a hard decision, but DirectDial chose to walk away. Taking on the project prematurely would have risked a poor outcome—not just for the help desk, but potentially for the entire client relationship. Instead, DirectDial helped the customer find a partner better equipped to meet its immediate needs. “Trying to do everything for that client and falling short would have been far more damaging than stepping back and offering an honest solution, even if it meant involving another provider,” says DirectDial founder and CEO Greg Bruzas.

Today, DirectDial’s global support capabilities are fully established, and while it could now deliver that same service that customer came looking for, it hasn’t tried to reclaim the business—the client is happy with the way things stand, and that’s good enough for Bruzas. That’s the type of long-term, values-based trust DirectDial built its reputation on.

15. Community insight drives better decisions

Leopold’s Tavern (Regina)

980 employees, 26 locations in Western Canada

There are many ways to make decisions in the hospitality business, from good ol’ gut instinct to data-driven analysis. For Matt Pinch, founder and CEO of Leo’s Group, making decisions comes down to community feedback.

That goes for both customers and employees. Leopold’s has a large social media following; activity on socials helps the chain of taverns zero in on new locations, determine where to allocate charitable donations and even decide on new menu items. (Recent buzz around poutine topped with a comically large “mega” mozzarella stick helped cement the latter’s place as a standalone menu item).

Staff, meanwhile, contribute ideas via regular surveys, monthly all-hands meetings and a three-day annual retreat called Leo’s Fest. At one recent retreat, the team overwhelmingly agreed that brunch could use some improvement—as a result, Leo’s rolled out an improved menu, complete with more drink options and better value (in other words, the same portions for less).

“We’re a feedback-based company,” says Pinch. “Our staff are closest to the customer, so they know exactly what works and what doesn’t. When we think about how to deliver a better hospitality experience, we pay careful attention to what they have to say.”

16. Chart your own course

Microserve (Burnaby, B.C.)

500 employees, 500,000 people used Microserve’s IT solutions last year

IT services provider Microserve has been around since 1987, but formal business planning only began in 2012. In the early years of trying to bring more structure to the company, Microserve focused its efforts on improving communication and teamwork. A lack of alignment within the leadership team meant that work was often scattered or even conflicting.

At the same time, the company was undergoing a major cultural transition—from a founder-led business to a second-generation family company, where both generations were actively involved at the executive level. Each year brought incremental progress guided by a mantra introduced by one of their earliest business coaches: Progress, not perfection.

“There are many books and systems out there about how to structure and plan your business,” says president and COO Heather Schaan. “We borrowed from different experts and methodologies but ultimately came up with something uniquely suited to our business.” That something is the Microserve Operating System (MOS)—a custom-built approach to strategic planning that’s the result of years of experimentation, iteration and borrowing what worked from different sources.

In 2020, the company complemented its custom planning system by creating an operational excellence department to lead cross-departmental transformation efforts. Since then, Schaan says the MOS has helped reduce order-to-cash time by 51%, supported organic growth of 111%, and strengthened collaboration across teams and geographies.

17. Lead with compassion

Royop Development (Calgary)

82 employees, 780 tenants

In the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic, when stay-at-home orders threatened to shutter small businesses across the country, Royop made a compassionate decision. With many small, family-run businesses on its tenant roster, the developer’s leadership team understood a basic truth: If tenants couldn’t sell goods or services, they couldn’t pay their rent, no matter how much they might like to.

While many property owners hesitated, skeptical of their tenants’ financial hardship or unwilling to share in the risk, Royop took swift, proactive action. Anticipating a shutdown of unknown duration, the company sent a letter to all of its tenants offering two months of free rent, no strings attached. It was a lifeline in a time of fear and financial instability, especially for mom-and-pop shops on the brink of bankruptcy.

“On the wall of our lunch room, we have a client accountability statement,” says CEO Jeremy Thal. “We act with a sense of urgency to all customer needs, we have our clients’ best interests at heart, and we provide efficient, cost-effective solutions.” Government support eventually followed, but those first two months of breathing room saved many businesses from going under. In the end, Royop lost zero tenants. Plus, the experience built trust: Tenants know they’re not just occupants but partners.

Open this photo in gallery:

18. Innovate—but not for its own sake

Manugypse (Quebec City)

270 employees, 3 locations in Quebec City, Boucherville & Mirabel

Innovation may very well be the buzzword to end all buzzwords. For Steve Rancourt—general director of Manugypse, which manufactures and distributes interior systems products like steel studs—investing in flashy new ideas is only worth it when you can articulate a very specific use case. That mindset led to the creation of Manugypse’s dedicated IT and innovation department, where a team of specialized engineers works with other departments to streamline operations and implement practical solutions. Key word: practical. This department’s job is to add value to existing processes, rather than chase abstract or flashy innovations. “Their focus is to ask people how they can make their work more efficient or just sit next to them, see how they work and what can be done better,” says deputy general director Jean-Michel Rancourt, Steve’s son.For instance, the company has significantly reduced errors by automating certain workflows, and introduced an iPad app for daily warehouse equipment checks. At Manugypse, small, consistent improvements—think 1% every day—win out over massive disruptive overhauls. “A lot of innovation in our industry consists of great ideas that are hard to implement, do not offer direct savings or are not coherent with the way a company works,” says Rancourt. Not so at Manugypse

19. Breakdown? More like breakthrough

Pitbull Energy Services (Edmonton)

350 employees, 260 trucks

During his first shift operating a vacuum truck, Pitbull Energy’s founder and CEO, Sami Hayek, worked 30 straight hours in the middle of nowhere, shovelling sand until exhaustion left him crying. Eventually, he started pushing sand out of the back of the truck with his feet. Everything was on the line—he owed the bank nearly $200,000.

Hayek moved to Canada from Lebanon at 14 and struggled to stay on track. After a blunt talk from his brother—“You either make something of yourself or you don’t”—he headed to the oil rigs to earn some fast money. He told co-workers he’d start his own business one day. They laughed. Within a year, Hayek had saved $85,000 and bought his first truck.

The early days were tough, but more experienced drivers helped show him the ropes. He added a second truck in 2009 and a third in 2012, building the business on customer service and operational excellence. By 2013, he’d hired a CFO, and the company was growing fast. Then the 2015 oil crash hit. Revenues dropped by 50%, and most of his competitors folded. Hayek didn’t.

Today, Pitbull is thriving, with two recent acquisitions and a new training facility for operators. Hayek has built a resilient, growth-focused business with little more than sand, grit and a work ethic forged somewhere during that minor breakdown in hour 30 of an excruciatingly long shift.

20. Communication banishes uncertainty

Lou-Tec (Montreal)

500 employees, 24 branches in Quebec & Ontario

Lou-Tec’s raison d’être is renting out heavy machinery, and its CEO, Jean-Marc Dallaire, regularly visits six or seven of its branches each quarter, holding rotating committee meetings in different locations to speak with staff and managers. During one such visit, a delivery driver flagged that he and his colleagues often had long stretches of downtime, even as the company relied on subcontractors for deliveries. At the time, Lou-Tec’s centralized dispatch system—which wasn’t based in Montreal—tended to overlook available in-house staff. The executive team changed the system to ensure its own employees’ time and skills were put to better use, reducing subcontracting costs in the bargain.

That level of direct communication has helped buoy the company over the past two years, which have been turbulent, to put it mildly. After all, Lou-Tec’s primary client base comes from the construction sector, which has been rocked by rising interest rates and inflation. By getting feedback from the ground up, leadership finds efficiencies that would be hard to spot from the top down.

In addition to site visits, Lou-Tec relies heavily on an internal communication platform called Workplace—essentially a company-specific version of Facebook—where employees and leaders share everything from business updates to team shout-outs and lunch photos. Most importantly, it keeps the conversation flowing. “We make a point of encouraging two-way communication with our team,” says Dallaire. “We want people to ask questions—whether they’re on site or online—even if they’re tough questions to answer.”

Your time is valuable. Have the Top Business Headlines newsletter conveniently delivered to your inbox in the morning or evening. Sign up today.