ships with other companies,” Smith said,
and that has certainly made the transi-
tion from salaried employee to president
of Stratus easier. But sitting on the throne
sometimes sounds far more glorious than
it actually is. Being president means great
responsibility, but it also means a shift
away from what Smith calls the fun stuff.
For him, building the business is the fun
part, but in his present capacity, he does
less of that.
Though it is rewarding, the job comes with
zero breaks, and thick skin is needed to
brave follies and quandaries. There is also
a financial stress. Though he held a differ-
ent job title before, Smith still performs
the same sort of tasks in his present posi-
tion. The only difference is that as an en-
trepreneur, he and his partners are directly
impacted by successes and failures.
Taking on executive-level positions can
seem daunting, especially when a long-
time salaried employee is diving into it for
the first time, but it is an important part
of career development. This is why Stratus
is an employee-owned business. Although
the company does have external partners,
a large chunk of the shares is set aside for
employees. “Overtime we want that to
grow so that we have our key people with
their skin in the game,” Smith said.
Being a decision-maker in the company
also gives Smith the opportunity to give
back to the local and international com-
munities. He participated in a Habitat for
Humanity build in Vietnam, an experience
he described as simply being amazing. In
fact, Stratus is sponsoring one person ev-
ery year to partake in this endeavour.
stratusei.com
“I’ve spent a lot of time building relationships with other companies.”
Electrical integration of 46
VFD buildings
SEPTEMBER 2016
H
business elite canada
9
