34 OCTOBER/NOVEMBER 2024 www.vanguardcanada.com
G A M E C H A N G E R
See the full interview
online
Q How did you start out in this
industry and how has it brought you to
where you are today?
I started my career in sales at Xerox, Bell
Canada and AT&T. When I had my first
child I went to assist my husband's family
company, which was the first powder coat-
ing company in North America. I came
in to assist with some sales and marketing
and I was hooked. I was hooked on manu-
facturing, small business and the defence
industry. Our employees are wonderful.
Many are first-generation Canadians with
amazing stories (check out our employee
profiles on our Facebook page and on our
website). Our customers in the defence
industry have the highest integrity and are
salt of the earth people. We are blessed.
Q What is your role at your
organization today?
I am vice president, new business develop-
ment.
Q What was your most challenging
moment?
There is one every day. If I had to pick
one, it was maintaining our U.S. govern-
ment business with Buy America legisla-
tion. Energy unaffordability with carbon
tax and clean fuel standards is also driving
manufacturers from Canada. Canadian
manufacturing needs a strategy to main-
tain jobs for Canada.
Q What was your A-HA moment or
epiphany that you think will resonate
most with our readers? Tell us that
story.
Earlier in my career I worked in corporate
Canada. When I came to work in the fam-
ily business and we were debating a deci-
sion my husband looked at me and said,
"What don't you get? We don't just make
decisions for you and me, we make deci-
sions for you and me, our employees and
all their families." Then I understood the
responsibility of working in a small busi-
ness. Talk about a light bulb going off!
Q How has innovation become
engrained in your organization's culture
and how is it being optimized?
We are always inventing and improving,
every day.
Q What technologies, business
models, and trends will drive the biggest
changes in your industry over the next
two years?
Taxes, capital gains changes, unaffordable
energy, companies leaving for other coun-
tries.
JOCELYN
BAMFORD
VICE PRESIDENT
AUTOMATIC COATING
LIMITED
