As we move into a new year, we are making a commitment to highlight the great people and culture at Starport Managed Services. We are firm believers that technology and tools are only as good as the people behind them. In this month’s employee spotlight, we talked with Brad Yeo, recently appointed CEO to learn more about the evolution of his career, Starport’s culture and the story behind the Toronto-Prince Edward Island (PEI) locations.
From electrical engineering to Managed IT Services
Fresh out of high school PEI native, Brad started his career studying Electrical Engineering at DeVry but later decided that field just wasn’t for him. He transitioned into customer service, working at a call center contracted out by Rogers, and eventually moved into IT. While in college, he was offered an opportunity to work with a company that needed an ERP system implemented. His expertise in ERPs led him abroad to Lebanon and then LA and eventually working for a Starport client that resulted in the introduction that changed the trajectory of his career forever. Brad joined the Starport team in 2010 and has spent last 15 years involved in every aspect of the company, from administration to account management to human resources.
We sat down with Brad to learn about their culture and how it is that they ended up having a location in Toronto and two in PEI.
How do you define success at Starport?
At the heart of our operations is the underlying importance in nurturing a workplace where the team is valued. When I first started at Starport we just had five employees; from five to 60 employees – building a positive workplace culture has remained crucial. This culture of value has extended beyond our workplace culture; we value our clients and the long-term relationships we’ve built over the years. Many of our clients have become our friends. The foundation of our culture comes down to communication, honesty, and collaboration. A culture rooted in these values requires open dialogue, respecting employees’ ideas, and working towards common goals.
As of late, I’ve been focusing a lot of my personal growth on better understanding human psychology. I’ve been researching the four-day work week, how it’s worked for some companies and others not at all. Interestingly, studies revealed that productivity has relatively stayed the same. Staff were happier and the cost of staffing was less because they were working four days instead of five. Other HR policies like unlimited paid time off also interest me. I am continuously looking at new ways to demonstrate value to our team.
What tools or industry partnerships could you not live without?
Our Backup Solution is the last line of defense. Without a solid backup, the team at Starport wouldn’t be sleeping at night. For many of us in Managed Services, our number one fear is our clients experiencing a cyber attack. Without adequate backups, Managed Service Providers (MSPs) like us would be out of business.
We use lots of tools in our day-to-day operations. We rely heavily on the industry standard line of business software, ConnectWise. I couldn’t live without Excel!
What are some of the key business technology trends across your client base?
More and more businesses are investing in cybersecurity. Canadian business leaders recognize that bad actors are not just after big corporations; small and medium-sized businesses are targets. Clients are investing more than ever before in security. We are at a time now when we all know that the risks are real and businesses have to protect their company and data.
The second most widespread trend is the ongoing move to the cloud. Customers are continuing to embrace cloud-based systems where they can.
Thirdly, the AI revolution is here. A few of our technicians are currently completing training in AI. We forecast that within the next 3-5 years AI is going to have a big shift on how businesses operate.
What challenges are you seeing among Canadian businesses?
Budget constraints are widespread, reducing IT investments and technology renewal. It’s always been a challenge to help small business owners view IT as an investment rather than an expense. This is a hurdle we continue to face.
Who inspires you in your day-to-day work at Starport?
During my ERP years I learned a lot from Sebastian Wiradharma. He taught me a lot about the business side of IT. Another inspiration, hands down has been Brian Everest. It always amazes me how much technical knowledge he can retain. Our Co-founder and former President, David Poulson has also taught me a lot about business. He’s great with the clients and despite the daily hustle of operating a MSP, he taught me to stay level and “don’t sweat the small stuff.”
In 2021, we were acquired by Lyra Technology Group. We’ve had the benefit of learning from and working with a diverse group of professionals who are experts in our industry. The transition was smooth and collaborative and involved making a series of incremental improvements. The Lyra team has provided so much advice to help mature and grow our MSP. It’s had a huge impact and I’ve learned a lot.
In recent years, I’ve also had the opportunity to attend a lot of conferences. It was so insightful to hear Jeff Totten and Ramsey Sahyoun speak. Two years ago we were going through a lull coming out of COVID. We weren’t performing as well as other MSPs. I went to the Evergreen Leadership Summit and came back with a bunch of new ideas. Our team was calling me Tony Robbins because I was so energized and positive. That positivity trickled through the organization and the following year we were right there with every other MSPs; financially and in terms of customer and employee satisfaction. 2024 was by far our strongest year.
The Toronto-PEI Story
Long story short, I moved to Toronto in 2005; I was born and raised in PEI. I met my wife when I joined Starport who grew up in Mississauga, but my family was all out East. As the business was growing, we started looking at different ideas, mostly around staffing. One thing that was always in the back of my head was the amount of untapped talent in PEI. There are government programs helping businesses setup in PEI and so we made a decision to set up our Service Desk operations in PEI. On a personal level, there was a lot of pride involved in this business decision.
We eventually moved our family (and our extended family) to PEI.
How do you recharge?
I am very involved with my kids. I help coach both my kids hockey teams. I’m the Vice President of the Tyne Valley Minor Hockey Board. We even built a backyard rink for the kids. We purchased a three-acre property here and we love it-it’s great!
Thanks for reading and stay tuned for more employee and leader spotlights!