Barry Symons
Barry Symons is an admitted sports junkie. But the challenge of taking Jonas Software to the top of its game means he is now more obsessed with making it easier for other people to book their tennis courts, tee-off times or even buying a round of drinks post-game.
"You think of any aspect of the business of a club, we automate that aspect of the business," Mr. Symons says. "Name a club you find prestigious and chances are they are using our software."
Mr. Symons joined the software world after getting an Honours Business degree with distinction at Wilfrid Laurier University in Waterloo, Ont., in 1993. He earned his chartered accountant designation in 1997, again with distinction.
He says he enjoyed some aspects of being a chartered accountant, but wanted more exposure to the other requirements of building a successful business.
"If you're in the accounting world, you get much deeper into the finances and the accounting side of things, but you don't get as wide an exposure to things like sales and marketing, [research and development] that type of stuff."
Mr. Symons got that wider exposure after joining Jonas's parent company, Constellation Software Inc., in 1997, helping it become a leading independent software company in Canada.
He was also successful in taking the company public, in what he says was one of the largest software initial public offerings in Canadian history.
But Mr. Symons says he was still looking to move out of the financial role and into operations. He got that opportunity in 2007, when Jonas - a 100-per cent-owned subsidiary of Constellation, based in Richmond Hill, Ont. - needed a new CEO.
"It's the ultimate challenge, because you're not just focused in one area. You have to try to be an expert in all aspects of the business. And try to provide coaching and mentoring to the people running those various aspects of the business. It's that part of trying to get better every single day that really gets me excited."
Mr. Symons still tries to get his sports fix where and when he can, although these days it's more likely to be coaching his seven-year-old son's baseball and hockey teams. He and his wife also have three-year-old twin boys.
He says his goal at Jonas is to continue expanding the company into compatible markets.
"Since I've been here I've tripled the size of the construction business . . . and I've diversified the rest of our revenues into other niche markets that are close adjacencies but that help get us away from our dependence on club."
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