The optimist

Age: 50
Company: Charlottetown Metal Products Ltd.
Business: Manufacturer of stainless steel food-processing equipment
2009 EOY category: Manufacturing

To flourish in an industry you know little about, Steven Kelley has conquered odds. How has he managed? "Life is about experiences," he says. "Try to accumulate as many as possible. I've changed directions many times and tried numerous careers. I think that's the key to personal happiness.

Kelley's taste for entrepreneurship developed in the early 1980s while he was working as a waiter and doing his MBA at Dalhousie University. "I knew then that someday I'd own my own business," he says. After graduating in '85, he dabbled in banking, became a lawyer, and then president of a retail chain. Finally, in 2001 he quit his job and borrowed against his home to buy Hydraulic Systems Ltd. in Dartmouth, N.S. "I had no experience," says Kelley, "but I knew that basic business principles, common sense, and good communication skills will take you a long way." Four years later, he sold the company for a 1,000% ROI and bought Charlottetown Metal Products (CMP), a struggling manufacturer of stainless steel food-processing machinery.

Today the company has increased sales by 100%, increased EBITDA by 500%, and doubled its staff. Kelley points out that his success is closely tied to his staff. "I have zero experience in designing and building industrial food-processing equipment, yet since I arrived CMP has thrived," he says. "That success has been achieved because my employees have been inspired to make it happen."

Kelley offers this advice to others: "If you think big and show people that growth is possible, they will buy in and make it happen. Too many Atlantic Canadians don't believe that we can be market leaders—and I mean the world market. We can."

First job: Packing groceries at IGA.
Most surprising thing on your CV: The variety.
Personality type: A.
Best strength: Perseverance and common sense.
Weakness: Impatience.
Biggest regret: Not pursuing entrepreneurship at an earlier age. Have you ever worried about losing everything? I put it all on the line to buy my first company. I was brand new in the business when two key employees left to compete against me. I almost lost our main product line and key customers. But I developed a competitive business plan, visited all of our key customers and suppliers, and explained what I would do for them if they stayed with me, then I delivered what I promised. It worked.
What has been the biggest factor contributing to the company's growth: Attitude. Once you establish a culture of growth and achievement, leaders within your organization will rise to the challenge and make growth happen.
What has been the biggest obstacle that has kept the company from growing even more: Finding quality personnel. We have great employees, but we need more of them and they're hard to find.
How would you like to improve yourself: I've always wanted to learn a second language.
How would you like to improve your company: Our biggest opportunity for growth is in the United States, and I've avoided it because of some larger competitors. However, when the U.S. economy turns around, that's where we'll focus our efforts.
How should we develop an entrepreneurial culture: North American media tend to characterize entrepreneurs in a negative light. That needs to change. We need to introduce the concept of self-employment as a career option earlier in the public-education process so young people can envision themselves as employers rather than employees.
How do you achieve a work/life balance: That has always been a tough one. I love my work and I work a lot.
What are you reading right now: Jon Krakauer's Into the Wild. I love reading. Even when things are crazy in the office, I sneak away to read for 20 minutes.
When are you the happiest: During peak production. There's a hive of activity—welding, grinders, heavy machinery, cranes, forklifts all moving in synch with loud rock music playing. Everything blends together in an inspiring tableau of productivity.
What characteristic would you most like to have: Wisdom. I have a healthy degree of common sense, and hopefully it will mature into wisdom.
If you could be anything, what would it be: I'd still be an entrepreneur, except I would start earlier.