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John Maddigan: Lessons in Leadership, Entrepreneurship, and Resilience | #GaleForceWins

Join us for an inspiring and insightful episode of Gale Force Wins, where Gerry Carew sits down with John Maddigan—a dynamic entrepreneur, business leader, and innovator who has seen it all. From humble beginnings in Montreal to building a successful chain of veterinary hospitals in the U.S., John shares his journey of resilience, leadership, and the power of thinking differently. Discover the lessons he learned from competitive sports, his time in government and private sectors, and how he embraced challenges to create thriving businesses.

Key topics include:

The importance of mentorship in business.
Managing people and processes for long-term success.
How taking calculated risks can lead to monumental rewards.
Insights into U.S. vs. Canadian business environments.
John’s vision for contributing to Newfoundland and Labrador’s growth.
Stay tuned for practical advice, unique strategies, and heartfelt stories that will resonate with leaders, entrepreneurs, and dreamers alike.

Timestamps:
0:00 - Welcome to Gale Force Wins
0:10 - Introduction to John Maddigan
1:14 - John's journey: From Canada to the U.S.
2:28 - Lessons from childhood and competitive sports
5:26 - Choosing Carleton University over McGill
8:50 - The influence of John's parents from Newfoundland and Labrador
13:00 - First steps into the oil and gas industry
16:30 - Mentorship and navigating challenges at Texaco
19:55 - Transition from private to public sector
23:10 - Key differences between Canadian and U.S. businesses
25:55 - Insights from working on the Canada-U.S. Free Trade Agreement
33:00 - Managing communication in the Prime Minister's Office
36:15 - Pursuing an MBA at Purdue University
40:00 - Problem-solving and leadership lessons at Motorola
48:30 - Entering the veterinary industry with zero experience
54:00 - Building a thriving business through customer focus
1:02:45 - Unique strategies to combat economic downturns
1:08:50 - Embracing opportunities and counterintuitive decisions
1:15:05 - The decision to sell and passing on the legacy
1:24:30 - Using innovative solutions to grow during tough times
1:31:12 - John’s vision for Newfoundland and Labrador's business community
1:37:45 - Closing thoughts and key takeaways

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Gale Force Wins started out simply as an inspirational podcast releasing episodes wherever you get your podcasts every Tuesday evening. We continue to do that every Tuesday but have expanded into custom content for clients. We also have perfected a conference and trade show offering where you can receive over 20 videos edited and posted to social media at the same time the event is unfolding.

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