President Calina Asset Protection Ltd.
Former Mayor of Ottawa 2006-2010
Former Chair and CEO of Calian Technologies Ltd. 1982-2006
Public Speaker: entrepreneurship, politics, and the difference between politics and business
A true, life long, Ottawa insider in both business and politics, Larry has been a successful entrepreneur, the 58th Mayor of Ottawa and a student of ethics and values for success. Today, he runs his own private investment company protecting the assets of his family trust and consults to small and medium sized businesses.
Larry speaks on starting your own business, going public, surviving politics and protecting wealth in a world of filled with turmoil. His unique experience in business and politics has created an economic prospective of the world that combines the values of business with the realities of politics. His reflections upon the differences between politics and business are insightful, humorous and always very entertaining.
Background
Larry founded Calian Technologies Ltd. with a mere $35 investment in 1982. Today Calian has sales over $225 M and is one of the most highly respected public dividend paying companies in Canada. As CEO Larry took Calian public in 1993 and managed numerous acquisitions while continually growing the value of Calian over 25 years. Calian was the second company he started: the first company, Insta-Call was started in 1979. He refers to Insta-Call as his six month MBA course, which was a spectacular failure that led to bankruptcy and a minor heart attack at age 29. This disappointment also set the stage success with Calian. The story of turning failure into success is a victory for the ability of humans to transform themselves and grow when challenged by adversity.
After his retirement from Calian in 2006 Larry ran for Mayor of his home town, Ottawa, and turned a 3% name recognition into a blazing landslide victory in 2006. Riding to victory on the phrases “ Zero means zero” and “ Don’t feed the pigeons” as catchy phrases to fight taxes and crackdown on panhandling and drugs in the Nations Capital he won the election and then became a controversial figure through his actions and his words. Larry cancelled major programs, started and funded City rebuilding projects with private sector partners and fought it out with the Transit Unions leading to a nasty bus strike in the middle of winter. In short, Larry fought many alligators in his four years and got plenty bloodied in the process. Larry served as Mayor from 2006 until 2010.
Today, Larry runs his family investment business focused on strategies to protect assets and wealth. Although only investing for his “family trust”, he speaks out about combining investment approaches with the reality of business and politics. With firsthand experience in both industry and politics his investment ideas will often stimulate active debate and discussion. Larry is also an associate of Welch & Co. and a “Chairmans view” advisor for small and medium sized companies seeking to maximize asset value in their enterprise.
Larry has remarried to Colleen McBride and has two adult children; Michael and Matthew.
Awards
Ottawa Business person of the Year 1996
Ontario Premiers Technology winner 1997
United Way Person of the Year 2006
Contact
613-809-2721
