In my own way: Technology, homework, and healthy food
PJ Emam has his own unique way of instilling his company’s values in his new employees: he gives them homework. In a drawer of his desk, he retrieves some recent assignments. On the first handwritten page, the words “Believe me” are written 50 times. On another, the expression “I’m on it” is repeated. He bursts into laughter, only to immediately correct himself: “I take this very seriously.” The goal is to encourage good attitudes rather than punish bad ones.
PJ Emam is the CEO of Quadbridge, a small firm that offers medium and large companies the equipment, programs, organization and implementation of their information technologies. In the sunny section of its sales department, boxing championship belts are placed on the corner of some desks. They periodically reward the most productive sales people.
Does that seem a bit basic? “It works so well, people love it!”. PJ Emam’s surprising methods can’t be all that bad.
Quadbridge employed two or three people when he took over in 2013. Three years later, it has 52. Its revenue reached $37.8 million in 2015 – $12 million more than in 2014, and $12 million less than the forecast for 2016.
Born in Shiraz, Iran, PJ Emam – everyone calls him PJ and he doesn’t introduce himself any other way – was a young teenager when he arrived in Canada with his mother in the early 90s.
He never finished the course he started at Seneca College in Toronto. “I’m a college dropout,” he says with that booming laugh that erupts at the slightest provocation. The 38-year-old has kept the uniform: baseball cap, hoodie, jeans, sneakers…
“My inspiration has been my sister. She’s someone who has been very present in my life, who has given me a lot of courage.” — PJ Emam, CEO of QuadBridge
His older sister, a programming engineer, had founded a computer company where he worked, living with her for a year before following his own path.
This path led to QuadBridge, founded in 2007 by Ryan Peters, Anouk Ledru and PJ Emam. They had observed the need for an efficient, fast and tailored service for the provision of equipment and programs for information technology.
For the first five years, the company’s progress was slow. PJ Emam had remained on the periphery, but Ryan Peters convinced him in 2013 to make his presence felt more—in fact, to take the reins of the company and leverage his dynamism. The question then arose: “What do we want to do? Small things or aim high? We decided: we’re going for it.”
They targeted the American market from the outset – which explains why the assignments are written in English. “We hired people and started developing our own way of being, our own way of seeing things.” To get things started, they obtained a loan from the BDC in 2014. “It’s the only organization that has helped us. We’ve always grown organically.”
From the outside, it is difficult to grasp what makes the company successful. “We are young, we are dynamic, we are ready to change. That has helped us a lot.” — PJ Emam
Agility, proximity to the field, and the short time between decision and action resonate with medium, large (and heavy) companies. Fast and agile? Just two months ago, QuadBridge decided to organize a technology conference. It will be held from May 31st to June 2nd. “Almost 150 customers from North America will be attending.”
The event allows them to meet, exchange ideas, and share best practices. Because support among entrepreneurs is a virtue that PJ Emam values and promotes. Quadbridge itself has benefited greatly from this. “When you start from nothing and work hard, everyone encourages you,” he observes. He immediately gives an example. “Do you know how much we pay here? It’s unbelievable”. They moved into their first 1300 sq ft space in 2013. The landlord told me: come in here, and I’ll always be behind you. I helped him find three or four other tenants.”
When it became necessary to expand, the same owner gave him a friendly price for a 14,000 sq ft space another building, near the Lachine Canal. “With all the renovations! Everyone is helping us. I don’t know why.”
His enthusiastic and seemingly disjointed speech illustrates another facet of the company’s philosophy: “We follow our instincts a lot.” A visit to its premises eloquently demonstrates this.
At the entrance to the office, a large room is reserved for a foosball table and a ping-pong table, where two players are busy. The frustrations of daily life are released with a few strokes of the paddle on an innocent little white ball.
A well-equipped gymnasium with a variety of torture devices occupies another large room. The bright company cafeteria is run by chef Niko Karagiannakis, who prepares healthy meals for employees morning and noon. Let’s repeat: the company has about fifty employees, not 500.
PJ Emam does not take credit for the initiative: it sprang from the sound convictions of her partner Ryan Peters. The intuition paid off. Since these changes were made last fall, productivity has skyrocketed. Given the success of their cafeteria and the interest it generates among visitors, our entrepreneurs will launch a catering service in two weeks called Simple Meals, to help businesses “improve their productivity with good food”.
They have a feeling it will work.
