Tyrone Gan, Senior Vice President, HDR Corporation, gave a fascinating talk about his personal journey from a young engineer to the owner of one of the leading transportation consulting firms in the Toronto area. “Entrepreneurship – A Personal Journey from Employee to Owner” took place at the UT-ITE seminar series on March 1, 2019 and was welcomed by a huge audience consisting of professors, postdoctoral fellows and graduate students.
Tyrone walked through his own career path to entrepreneurship. He opened with his career background as an employee, and followed with the reasons he decided to start his own business, iTrans, in January 1996.
Tyrone pointed out that the two main challenges for a business owner are (1) cash flow and (2) getting recognition in the marketplace. He advised that a business plan is essential for a new business to obtain financing. He also stressed that a distinct company mission is necessary for a new business to differentiate itself from competitors.
In conclusion, Tyrone attributed his success as an entrepreneur to many factors, in particular:
- working with great people
- having a people-focused culture
- focusing on client service, and
- offering technical excellence and innovation.
These are just a few points from Tyrone’s presentation. For the full seminar, please see his presentation slides.
Abstract
With 40 years in the industry in the private and public sectors, Tyrone will share his personal journey as a transportation professional, starting as an engineer in training with a large consulting engineering firm, and then eventually starting his own consulting engineering firm that became one of the leading transportation consulting practices in the Toronto area. The talk will focus on being an owner and entrepreneur – the challenges, trials and tribulations, and the rewards.
Short Biography
Tyrone Gan is a Senior Vice President at HDR Corporation, responsible for the transportation practice in Canada. He currently manages: Eglinton East LRT concept design for City of Toronto; extension of Hurontario LRT into Brampton; Greater Golden Horseshoe transportation study for MTO; Relief Line South TPAP for TTC and City of Toronto; and Relief Line North TPAP for Metrolinx.
He is a proud University of Toronto Skule graduate with a BASc (1975) and MASc (transportation planning) (1977). Tyrone Gan has worked for a variety of firms, and is also an entrepreneur. His career spans four decades and has included work on many high-profile projects such as Highway 401, the Don Valley Parkway, and Highway 407 in Ontario, and the West LRT in Calgary. He started his own company, iTRANS, in 1996, and in 2009 merged with HDR.