For seeding excellence through teamwork

With the FIFA World Cup only a few weeks away, Rustum Southwell is hedging his bets on Brazil. “They understand the concept of teamwork as well as anyone,” says the CEO of the Halifax-based Black Business Initiative (BBI). “Soccer is a game where the whole is greater than the sum of the parts, and where individual success comes about as a result of a group effort.”

It’s a concept the 50-something businessman is more than familiar with, having grown up on the tiny Caribbean island of St. Kitts, where people got their kicks playing the world’s most popular sport. “My three brothers were on the national team,” says Southwell. “I played soccer also, but my game was cricket.” After arriving in Nova Scotia in 1972, Southwell studied at Dalhousie University before going to work for himself in the fast-food sector. “At that time it wasn’t easy for young entrepreneurs to set up shop here, let alone immigrants,” he recalls.

When the federal and Nova Scotia governments established the BBI as the province’s economic-development agency for the African-Canadian community in 1996, he jumped at the chance to make a difference. “We’ve created over 300 black businesses and nearly 700 jobs here since then,” says Southwell, who was one of nine African-Canadians honoured at the recent Black Business and Professional Association’s Men of Distinction awards in Toronto.

Today the BBI is partnering with similar organizations across the country to set up national networks. “We need to work better together,” says Southwell. “Our companies will only grow if we can collectively pool our resources and best practices.” As for Canada’s presence on the international soccer stage, Southwell is equally philosophical. “We’re getting there,” he muses. “It’s good to see so many young people involved with the sport. They understand and appreciate that the game is played as a team.”