Pair to enter Manitoba Business Hall of Fame

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Winnipeg was a city of dreams when it was nicknamed Chicago of the North, and, as two local women can attest, dreams still come true here.

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Winnipeg was a city of dreams when it was nicknamed Chicago of the North, and, as two local women can attest, dreams still come true here.

At the end of the month, the Manitoba Business Hall of Fame will welcome Barb Gamey and Lee Meagher (both born and bred Winnipeggers) as its newest inductees.

Gamey founded Payworks Inc. in 2000.

Mike Thiessen / Winnipeg Free Press

Barb Gamey (left), co-founder of Payworks, and Lee Meagher, founder of Scootaround Inc. will be inducted into the Manitoba Business Hall of Fame later this month.

While now a large company, its humble origins are deeply rooted in Winnipeg. Its headquarters remain in the Manitoba capital, and due to growth, will be relocated to the South Pointe neighbourhood by 2024.

Its website boasts of more than 450 employees across Canada.

"We joke that Winnipeg is one degree of separation: you can literally get in to see just about anybody in the city by making one phone call, which is amazingly awesome… That's a little harder to do in larger centre like Toronto, Vancouver or Calgary," Gamey said Thursday.

Leading up to founding Payworks, the payroll industry had coalesced from a very crowded field into a duopoly — and Gamey sensed an opening.

At the time, payroll services were mostly conducted via call centres. Gamey felt customers would appreciate being able to deal with the same person on an ongoing basis, especially due to continuity of service being pivotal to the payroll industry.

Additionally, technology used in the industry at the time was antiquated, and Payworks was quick to make use of the internet.

There were also many practical advantages to opening a payroll company in Winnipeg, Gamey said.

Ceridian had centred many of its operations in Winnipeg, which gave Payworks access to a well-trained pool of potential employees. The central time zone was thought to be advantageous for a company which would have operations across the country.

Ultimately, though, it was the attitude of Winnipeggers towards entrepreneurs that drew Gamey.

"That connectedness in the business community I think is special and I think it's one of the reasons why we celebrate entrepreneurs in this province. We celebrate one another's success and we want winners and home runs. We want businesses to grow and thrive here," she said.

Meagher is the founder of Scootaround Inc., a business which rents and sells mobility scooters, wheelchairs, power chairs and rollators.

When she was in her 20s, Meagher's father suffered a debilitating stroke which confined him to a scooter for mobility.

For a family trip to Maui in 1995, the family left behind his scooter in Winnipeg, afraid of it being damaged while being carried as cargo. They assumed they would simply be able to rent one upon arrival. To their disappointment, no such rental outfit existed at the time.

Mike Thiessen / Winnipeg Free Press

Gamey (left) and Meagher had been selected as they are both remarkable people who started businesses from scratch, said Greg Leipsic, CEO of JA Manitoba which operates in conjunction with Manitoba Business Hall of Fame.

The family remedied the problem by entering into an agreement with a home health store in Maui, whereby the store agreed to sell them a scooter for two weeks, and then buy it back if the Meaghers bought it outright, rather than finance it.

The exchange led to Meagher founding Scootaround in 1997. The company has since grown to have operations around the world.

Speaking to the one degree of separation in the business community in Winnipeg, Meagher recounted she and Gamey attended Grade 7 at the former Beliveau Junior High together, as well as high school at Windsor Park Collegiate.

The Manitoba Business Hall of Fame operates in conjunction with JA Manitoba, a chapter of JA Worldwide, an organization which works to train and inspire aspiring young entrepreneurs.

Weekday Mornings

A quick glance at the news for the upcoming day.

JA Manitoba opened its business hall of fame in 2013, near the beginning of chief executive officer Greg Leipsic's tenure.

Leipsic explained Gamey and Meagher had been selected as they are both remarkable people who started businesses from scratch, which have since grown into multinational companies.

Additionally, both have given back to their communities through involvement with various non-profit groups, and serve as examples for aspiring entrepreneurs in Winnipeg and throughout Manitoba.

"(The Manitoba Business Hall of Fame) shines a light on the opportunities available here… You can have a business here and thrive and grow, without having to leave the province," Leipsic said.

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