Cover Story chairman of the board biographies to the Harry Potter series. He also attempts to have every third book he reads be authored by a Newfoundlander. “I like reading about leadership and not hen Steve Power laughs, he necessarily the how-to books,” he says. laughs with his whole body. Power also volunteers his time as And when he laughs treasurer of like that you really know the Kids Eat whatever you said was truly Smart Founfunny. dation. He The new Chair of the St. says it’s an John’s Board of Trade is sure to organization use his great sense of humour he strongly to his benefit during the next believes in. year as he sits at the head of the “The goal is table for the St. John’s Board of to make sure Trade. that all school While Power is often the aged-children Lorraine Ennis and Steve Power first in the office (He prefers attend school breakfast meetings before well nourished and ready to learn. I think dawn.), he’s also a family man, who likes it’s hugely important for the future of our nothing more than taking his daughters, province. We know that when kids go to Erin and Beth, and his wife Sue to Ice Caps school well nourished they learn more and games, climbing Signal Hill with the girls contribute more to class … it’s the right and coaching minor soccer. thing to do.” As the Chair of the Board for 2012, Power says he plans on focusing on the advocacy and the issues that matter to the members. “I hear about it from our members. I talk to a lot of our members at Board of Trade events and they tell me that the issues that we are talking about are the issues that they say are most important. I’m comfortable that we’re talking about is Andrew Molson and Steve Power what our members care about.”
Meet your new Chair of the St. John’s Board of Trade
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“Just spending time on the playground, whether it’s kicking around the soccer field, walking our dog or taking the kids sliding,” Power says, he likes just spending time with his family and the house full of pets. Aside from the Maltese cross, the family owns one cat and fosters two others through Heavenly Creatures. “It’s chaos,” Power admits happily. Power is an avid reader, pouring over the pages of everything from Nelson Mandela 2
When did you start your first business, and what was it? I started working for Grant Thornton out of university, but my first business was driving a Dickie Dee Ice Cream bike in 1987. What’s the weirdest thing in your office? (Without hesitation) Home-made ice fishing poles left at work after failing to get out of the office for a fishing trip. I’m ready to go ice fishing at a moment’s notice. Who do you wish would friend you on Facebook? Jo Mark Zurel. No, Wendell Clarke, my favourite hockey player. What business idea do you wish you had come up with? Google. Name one thing about you that would surprise your employees. I’m a Trekkie. Jean Luc was the best captain. Our first cat was named Worf. I’m also a closet wrestling fan. What’s one memento from your early days you’re still holding on to? My MVP award from Grade 8 soccer. What kind of kid were you in high school? I was a bit of a slacker with not so great marks. I played a lot of sports. I guess you could say I was the class clown. What’s the most fun you’ve ever had at work? It was only a few months ago, we had MAX Athletics for a day and we held the GT Olympics. If you never had to worry about making money, what would you do? I’d spend my time travelling. Probably through Europe, visiting a lot of the First World War and Second World War sites. What do you wish you had known when you started out in business? I think I underestimated the importance of relationship building. And really being yourself in those relationships. If you were dictator for a day, what’s the first thing you would change? I would eliminate payroll tax. And I would use all surpluses to pay down the debt. An M.B.A. is... A great resource and background. Experience drives you forward, but you need a sound foundation.
Steve Power and Yvonne Jones January 2012
What’s your favourite Board of Trade event so far? Skating at Mile One. No, wait, the CCC pub crawl.
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