Guest: Troy Clifford (president of ambulance and paramedics union)
Troy Clifford identifies as a paramedic, but his mission is much more. He is the president of a union for ambulance and paramedics union, which is also the profession’s de-facto organization in British Columbia. His role is to support its workers and be the face of BC’s ambulance service.
His early days in the industry were disorganized – literally. There was no organization that was responsible for looking after the wellbeing of ambulance workers. Troy wanted people to be treated right and fairly. With the encouragement of people around him, that desire sparked a passion to make the paramedic profession a better place for everyone.
Supporting families during the worst part of their lives is what drives Richard Pass in his role as CEO of Ronald McDonald House in British Columbia. This includes not only building a place for families to stay during medical appointments, but also supporting the families themselves and fundraising enough to sustain the services and support that they need.
What does a vice-president of research do? This is Steven Zicherman’s role with Odlum Brown – he studies businesses by looking at their financial filings and trying to understand how a company “ticks.” This could be from internal factors within the company but can be affected by its ecosystem and competitors, which need to be taken into account; this requires skills geared towards recognizing patterns and seeing everything with a fresh set of eyes.
As far as Scott Jacob is concerned, he has the greatest job he can have. As the CEO of Jacob Bros. Construction, he deals with ensuring that the company runs smoothly and clients get what they need, while his brother (and business partner) handles more of the safety and finance. Knowing and realizing the impact of what the company does is what drives him forward every day – he believes that doing more than average is needed to become above average.
When people think of human resources, there is often a very narrow view of what it is. When Fit Foods hired Giselle Blackman as VP of People and Culture, this was something they wanted to change. How do you make people feel seen and heard? Addressing this is the key to cultivating a positive and healthy workplace – a place that isn’t afraid to ask allegedly “stupid questions” that could lead to innovations and ideas.