The monthly member spotlight is an opportunity to learn more about a leader at one of our member companies and showcase the work they are doing. This month, we spotlight Gary Svoboda, from Adventus Research.
Learn more about Adventus Research in our member directory.
Name: Gary Svoboda
Title: President
Company: Adventus Research
Adventus Research is a full-service market research company. Services include: surveys, market assessments, focus groups, customer satisfaction studies and industry studies.
What is your role and what is your favorite part of your job?
As President, I oversee all client-related work and write most client reports. I think my favourite part of the job is sitting down with the client at the end of a project and reviewing the results. I definitely get a charge out of knowing that I am helping the client company make better business decisions by providing them with market and customer feedback.
If you could have coffee with any business leader or industry expert, who would you choose, and why?
I think that I would sit down with Steve Jobs – what I really like about his life story is that he went through more than one cycle of success and failure. And from my experience, the ability to get off the ground when circumstances have knocked you down, and to dust yourself off and carry on is one of the real identifying marks of a real innovator. Great ideas are more common than great innovators.
What is the #1 business book/blog/website you would recommend?
I may be a traditionalist, but I go to the Globe & Mail website several times a day, and subscribe their “globe unlimited” analysis. It is still the gold standard for me.
Looking at your company’s future, what are you most enthusiastic about?
Right now, we are in the midst of making some major changes and improvements – we should be ready to announce in early 2014. It is a really exciting time for us right now.
What excites you most about the local tech community?
I love the dedication and enthusiasm of the local tech community, together with the support that has developed around it with TechAlliance at the core of it all.
What causes or community activities is your company involved in?
Well, probably the most relevant community activity that I do is serving as the voluntary Chapter Chair of the Manning Innovation Awards – SW Ontario Chapter. On the personal side, I am a dedicated sports car enthusiast, and am currently the President of the Trillium Miata Club (Ontario).
