Meet Gord! He's a loving family man who hopes to one day attend the Super Bowl!
Where are you from and how long have you lived in Kelowna?
Vancouver. I've lived in Kelowna since 1990.
Who is your favourite person to spend time with and why?
My wife and kids. Cheesy, sure, but it's true!
What is your favourite local store in Kelowna and why?
Pick the type? Restaurant/retail/specialty/sports? I've got one for everything, and if I can keep it local, I do!
Describe yourself in one word.
Reliable.
If you could go anywhere in the world right at this moment where would you go and why?
Koh Samui, Thailand, to visit my uncle!
What is your favourite activity in Kelowna?
Refereeing hockey.
What is the most inspiring thing that has happened to you?
Relaunching our company and in a year getting to where we are today!
Tell us your favourite childhood memory.
Building a soapbox and crashing it 30 minutes later...
Where do you volunteer or give back to in the community?
BC Schizophrenia Kelowna, Kelowna Minor Hockey, Fastball and the Kelowna Share Society at Christmas time.
Where would you sneak away to in Kelowna to spend some time alone?
The Cell Towers in West Kelowna.
Where would you like to see a positive change in Kelowna and why?
Downtown. We work there and it's sad seeing what we see every day.
What do you think makes Kelowna great?
Four seasons to play!
What are 3 things on your bucket list?
1. Travel more
2. Catch a cup final
3. Super bowl game
Tell us something that not everyone may know about you.
I'm a pretty open book.
How do people connect with you, personally, through social media? (Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, LinkedIn, etc.)
Facebook: Gord Hynes
Twitter, moreso to observe than participate: @GordHynes
What is the name of your business/organization?
Network Zoo Ltd.
Why did you get into/start this business?
I've always liked computers. From high school it took a couple of tries to find the vertical that fit - one that allowed me to be involved and see what they can do (and fix them I suppose), but to also allow me to keep my social personality active.
What is the goal of your business?
Manage client networks in a way that follows best practice, giving users what they need, but not necessarily what they want. Ensuring that clients understand the reasoning (if not the technical) of why we set things as we do.
What has been your biggest struggle either at work or in life?
My struggle, personally and in work is that I try hard to be buddy-buddy with everyone. It's tough in my personal life in hockey and fastball as an official, and it's hard in business as I tend to be "too nice" too frequently. It's something i'm working on.
If you could start all over again would you do things the same or would things be different?
I'm sure there are things I would do differently, but as I am proud of where we are at, I doubt very much that they'd be all that different.
What do you always find yourself saying?
I don't know that I keep that close an ear on my words... but maybe I'll start.
Tell us your best piece of life advice.
Make your money doing what you were trained to... leave the rest to those trained to do whatever else is there. This goes double for IT in the 2020's - there are so many different ways to attack you - it's hard to justify NOT having someone help. Always consider the cost of lost work for a day, or a week.... if your IT person is suggesting something to strengthen your security standpoint, and that cost isn't more than a weeks' worth of revenue... seriously consider it!
If you could spend one whole day with anyone in the world who is currently alive, who would you select?
There are probably a few, but I probably would want to meet with someone wiser than me, to give us ways to help our business grow. Picking any single person I couldn't do at this point.
Why do you think it is important to shop locally?
Local shopping equates to local revenue and prosperity.
What has been your proudest accomplishment?
My Family. My kids are amazing at (almost) 9, 7 and 17, they're growing so quickly.
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