Change

Change is a good thing.  To be honest, I thrive on it, and as I am hours from the end of the last day of my employment with Central 1, I can’t help but have a dollop of melancholy spread between my two slices of pure whole wheat excitement for my next venture.

The History

I have been in and around Central 1 and its products for 14 years now (Geez, where does the time go?).  It all started back in 1998 when I worked at Columbus Group one of Vancouver’s first big web development shops where we worked with Citizens Bank (and one of the first generations of MemberDirect) to build their second online banking site.  My next chapter involved me leading the web channel as well as the marketing department at North Shore Credit Union where I not only implemented MemberDirect to power the www.nscu.com website but also worked directly with great folks such as Kelly West at Central 1 (was Credit Union Central of BC at the time) to build a new vision for MemberDirect.  Chapter 3 involved me working at Karo Group, a BC/Alberta based brand agency where I worked again with Oscar van der Meer, Kelly West, Barb Symons and others to imagine a new brand for MemberDirect, one which was to take the brand from predominantly BC-based to one that was national (now at approximately 300 credit unions using the tool).  My fourth and final installment with Central 1 is the position that I’m currently departing,  where we launched the PaymentStream brand (Central 1′s suite of payment processing products) and further supported the evolution and promotion of MemberDirect.

So it is with that history that I reflect on which brings me to this state of melancholy and nostalgia.  I will certainly miss working with some of the great technology that I’ve been around for over a decade, but I will most miss the great people that make up Central 1.  One doesn’t always appreciate just how great the people are around you when you’re heads down trying to hit your objectives and just survive the day.  Something we certainly should all do more of.

There are countless people here at Central 1 that I truly do appreciate.  Thank you to everyone here at Central.

Drew Geldart and Paul Hollas; two Centralites I really appreciate

I will also very much miss Central 1.  Every organization has it’s issues.  Organizations are just groups of people and we as people have flaws, thus, organizations have flaws.  That said, Central 1 makes a concerted effort to support it’s employees whether it’s the corporate gym, a super speedy MacBookPro or cookies in the lobby every once in awhile.  One opportunity that I will certainly never forget, and will be forever thankful to Central 1, was the opportunity to go to New York to spend three days in a workshop with one of my  marketing superheros Seth Godin (you marketing folks will know who he is).  Here is a photo of Kelly West and me after our very inspirational three days.

My Next Step

I am extremely excited about my new role both for the opportunity it presents, and the great company I will be working for, but also I will still be focused on a consistent component of my career; helping credit unions be successful.  I begin in a week as the VP Marketing & Communications for Qtrade Financial Group.  Qtrade has really three key components to their business, (1) a fund company (2) an online brokerage and (3) a  dealer/partner network via a large number of credit unions and banks.  I am looking forward to digging into the challenge ahead and very excited to be meeting my new team and colleagues.

So it’s not really “goodbye”, but “see you later” as I still will be in and around  credit unions doing my best to help them in their quests for success.

All the best,

Ron

A day in the life…

Michael Zipursky over at FreshGigs.ca has been interviewing a number of marketing and web folks here in Vancouver on what their daily grind looks like.

For what it’s worth here is mine

If I knew then…..

Peter Reek at Smart Savvy and Associates invited a number of marketers from Western Canada to speak on what they believe they should have done differently in their career.

For what it is worth here is my 5 minutes:

Session 8: Ron Cann from Smart Savvy on Vimeo.

To see the other speakers check out Peter’s blog

Marketers are not advertisers – Seth Godin

Ever get a chance to meet your SuperHero?  I did.  As part of BCAIM’s Contagious Conference I had the most amazing opportunity to speak face to face with Seth Godin at his office in New York.

Here are two excerpts from my incredible experience.

Marketers are not Advertisers – Seth Godin, 2010 Contagious Conference from Storyspark on Vimeo.

Ship or Die – Seth Godin, 2010 Contagious Conference from Storyspark on Vimeo.

Bill versus Steve – Who is the real geek?

As Steve Jobs trys to shape our world and day-to-day life with usable computers and entertainment devices, Bill Gates is shaping the world in different ways.

Here is an excerpt from a recent speech that he gave at Harvard University.  As captured in the article, Mr. Gates seems to very much be living a principle handed down from his mother – “From those to whom much is given, much is expected.”

 Read on

Microsoft nails it

A great little short from Microsoft really hitting the point that the nature of creating bonds with customers has truly changed.  We’ve all been saying this, but it never has been said better before.

Retro Net

I remember “back in the day” when high speed meant 56K, and ads for websites started with “http://” almost falling on the floor laughing at this.  It must have been a tough day.

Yet another multi-touch demo

Demo of multi-touch screen

Here is another demo of a multi-touch interactive screen

Technology Helps Baby Say “Hello World”

 

I may have gotten carried away with my new Mac and iMovie, but here is a glimpse of my baby boy to be.  The 4d ultrasound just blew me away.  The advance in technology over less than 3 years since our last baby is amazing.  The clarity is shocking and a little surreal.  You can almost see him saying “Hello World”.