Episode Transcript
Speaker 0 00:00:01 Good morning, Fort McMurray, wood, Buffalo, and the rest of the world. You have tuned into the Mac city morning show. My name is Elliot, Pierre, your host, and we'll start the show off the same way we started all, all the shows off by a moment of gratitude. Thank you so much for tuning into the show. I know you could be doing so many other things with your time and the fact that you've taken your busy time and spent it with us does mean the world to me. So thank you very much. Now on that note, Tanner hit him with the,
Speaker 1 00:00:29 Oh, she caught me loves you're listening to the next any morning show.
Speaker 0 00:00:39 All right. And we're back. Today's going to be a banger. I really enjoy talking to this gentlemen. Every time we have an opportunity to sit down together, uh, he is an entrepreneur to say the least he's a hustler. He's always got something on the go. And I love talking to people who are driven. So as per usual, I do not introduce my guests. I let them introduce themselves cause they can do a much better job than I. So on that note, uh, sir, can you please say who you are, what you're about to the people at home and then we can get going.
Speaker 2 00:01:08 Sure. First of all, thank you for the opportunity. And my name is <inaudible>. Um, uh, I consider myself to be serial entrepreneur after running for robot the last 17, 18 years from starting and being a hustler, a self-employed person to a small business owner back to self employed. That's back to sorry, like going through the cycle on the, on again. Uh, yeah. Uh, I'm local here. Uh, since 2006, I consider my Fort McMurray. My hometown's four so far. Got my three kids born here. Actually one of them in Calgary, but nevermind Valor one. But uh, yeah, so that's what it is.
Speaker 0 00:01:47 There you go. That's awesome, man. So you've been, how long have you been in formulary for 2006, 2006. Wow. So a long time now. That's awesome. So when you immigrated to Canada, was Fort McMurray your first stop or did he stop somewhere else first?
Speaker 2 00:02:03 Oh, no, I actually, when I first left home back home, which is 10 years in North Africa, I was in year 2000, started with the United States, Detroit to Germany stood guard then, uh, throughout each year in Canada, that was my entry point. I was student in mechanical engineering. I was pursuing my degree, which is the one I had you back home from there to Hamilton, Mississauga, Hamilton and Mississauga, where I lived there until up to six, I heard about Fort Mac with all my stuff in my trunk. It was little stuff I could fit and uh, just hit the road to end up here sometimes in August, 2008.
Speaker 0 00:02:46 Very cool. Very cool. So, uh, what kind of car do you drive out then?
Speaker 2 00:02:51 It was beautiful. Nissan Ultima all arrested the 92 and I was like, I was good. I missed dot God.
Speaker 0 00:03:00 That's awesome. I just spent two years. I'm going to in Fort Mac with it. Yeah. It's funny. Like as you get older, you get these cars that I guess are quote unquote nicer. You know what I mean? But you remember those first cars that like you said were full of rust, like gave you a problem, but you know that, that was the car.
Speaker 2 00:03:18 Yeah. That was the one you just try to stick to it as much as you can because you know what, with those optimists I will, I will say you can hit a wall and just back up and keep driving. Right? Try that with a newer one now. Yeah.
Speaker 0 00:03:33 I had a horrible car in college. Um, and I was like, nobody's ever going to steal this. So like I never locked the doors. I was just like, yeah, if anybody wants to take, take it, take it. So I used to park it anywhere in Edmonton and people begin to lock the car doors. I'm like, I'm quite sure nobody's going to steal this.
Speaker 2 00:03:50 Speaking of which, uh, driving from Michigan from Detroit to Chicago to get my, my driver's license, actually, I was in the learner at that time and I was driving a 90 Buick Skylar. Oh, nice. And with a Michigan license plate in Illinois, people, they will be like, how the hell
Speaker 0 00:04:09 Did you make it? Right? Seriously.
Speaker 2 00:04:11 I was like, it was all fallen apart. But the drivers and the guy got me my first.
Speaker 0 00:04:16 There you go. That's all that counts. I love that. You said, I didn't know that you spent some time in Detroit. Um, I had the pleasure to, uh, fly out to Detroit. Uh, a company out there hired me to do some marketing training a few years ago. Um, health quest. I'm telling you, I, I love Detroit. It, it has, uh, it has a reputation, but listen, I, I spent a week and a bit there and I loved it there. How was your time in Detroit?
Speaker 2 00:04:44 Well, no matter what they hear about Detroit, no matter what they say
Speaker 0 00:04:47 For me, it's a great place. Yeah.
Speaker 2 00:04:51 They had good time. Only met good people, stayed out of trouble for sure. But you know what trouble comes when you look for it. That's right. Um, that's the bottom line? I had all kinds of friends there. Actually. I, I learned my English there. I know that from Ashley and Allie and then nine and 10 years old, I was working in the hotel there and Daisy and learned my English there, learned my left from right. And North America generally speaking, I was just this, a new guy. And uh, with no English, no experience, one phone number. And uh, that's it. And a hundred bucks. I'm not actually a hundred. Yeah.
Speaker 0 00:05:28 Yeah. That's it nice if I would've known, I still have a shirt that they gave me when Isaiah says Detroit verse, everybody. If I knew you were coming, if I knew that you had a history in Detroit, I would have worn that shirt today. Cause it's a, it's a great shirt. So Detroit verse everybody. So big shout out to Detroit, really like Detroit. But then now you say you drove to Chicago. I've spent a bit of time in the States over my life. Chicago, hands down is my favorite city in the United States. I love Chicago. Well, Chicago,
Speaker 2 00:06:01 Well, Detroit is big and I already went through New York, Miami, Orlando, and all the Eastern part. But that was the farthest going West toward the West mid center West. Yeah. Uh, yes, it is. It is quite a unique, especially with the towers and the, the, the downtown is just, it's just so big and it's got its own, uh, I would say, or is it's different. It's different from New York is different from anywhere else I've been. And yeah, for me, like just, uh, I was actually twice, uh, had a chance to go there. It's at that age, I was like the guy with long hair at 22 years old, 22, 23. So everything was like, whatever I see, always good. But uh, got him this far and looking back definitely is special and different. You have something. Yeah,
Speaker 0 00:06:56 That's right. Somewhere else. So we've been talking about different places, which I love. You've traveled around the world. I love to travel as well, but uh, you have something going on here locally right now. Like I know you own four different businesses in town, but you've started something new that I, it popped up on my Facebook a few days ago and I was like, Oh, this is interesting. And then serendipity, it happened and you messaged me. Um, so I don't know what it is. I don't even, I barely know the title. So please like tell everybody at home, what's this new venture that you're getting into.
Speaker 2 00:07:25 All right. So I will start to, I will start you on what you know, it's called the local gate, local gate. And actually I, the point of the name before even going further is I was looking for a name. I always a problem with the.com like to grab anything. And that comes virtually impossible. And because it's a shopping platform, uh, I was thinking, what can I name it? And how can I tie it to something local? So I tried all kinds of the.com combination that could ever have nothing work done. Then it was like the South gate in Edmonton. I was like, okay. So I'll just take the word local and just make something out of it. And the concept basically, uh, behind that name is I built this e-commerce platform for local vendors and stores for them to sell and promote their products all for free.
Speaker 2 00:08:23 And I just try and to play, to leverage of the ever-growing sentiment of keep it local, talking about keeping it local shop locally, YMM Fort McMurray. That's our neighbors, business owners and vendors. Locals are our neighbors and it's in our best interest to keep them alive, especially in this hard times going to pandemics, but it's not just the pandemic is just the pandemic came with this Amazon or online, I should say, not just Amazon, this online habits. And when it comes to that, Fort McMurray was left behind it. This all businesses, uh, people are staying home that for whatever reason, whether it's restrictions, government restrictions or because they fear for their health, which is legit for anybody. And they all means they stayed from their conference, uh, from their homes. And they just kept shopping where all our daughter's going on. Okay. Now, before he used to, is it going to Edmonton or go, and like, let's say to elsewhere to shop for the big thing, sort of a thing. Like we don't find here, but now it's even worse. Now we lost the whole fame even, right? Like, so, so that's, that's where it is. Um, I build this platform again, it's all free. It's all for, uh, for the local owners and local vendors and store or the store owners for them to put their stuff.
Speaker 0 00:09:48 Very cool. So it's creates an EA uh, an internet platform basically where local vendors can sell their products online. So they don't have to go through the process because it is a process, as you obviously know, to create a platform that you can sell online. Like it's, it's costly to say the least
Speaker 2 00:10:08 Owning one of the four businesses I ran. Uh, this one, I ran it since 2009. Uh, I'm sorry. Since 2010, uh, it's an it company where I always develop, uh, business solutions and, uh, software's and apps in that. Um, I work in very around that and just three, four since 2010 time. And I still, I have the capacity and the knowledge, the experience to be able to build such a platform. So it's a fully transactional e-commerce platform where every store or vendor, they will have their own portal, their own store. And they will be able to just put their products with the description of the categories, wherever they need to put, where to enter that. And from that, they can monitor the Provo prime and monitor their cells, provide the customer service and all of the whole line.
Speaker 0 00:10:59 That's awesome, man. Great, phenomenal. Good. That's so I love it. I can't wait to check it out now. We're at the part of the show called the Mac city minute. This is Tanner segment of the show. He's going to ask you a few quick questions, do your best to answer them. I have no idea what he's going to ask. So best of luck to you. My friend Tanner hit him with the max 80 minute
Speaker 3 00:11:19 Question. Number one. What is your favorite part of owning your own business in Fort McMurray? People? Question number two. What is one way for McMurry reminds you of your home country?
Speaker 2 00:11:34 For sure, not the cold, but uh, it's uh, the people, again, the people, the connection between the people, uh, the community here is great and it's different from anywhere in the world where I've been at least at the very least. And I traveled a lot. I can tell the people that got
Speaker 3 00:11:56 Question number three. What about forming? Mary kept you here versus other places you've been, Oh, I love that question. The opportunity when I was driving up
Speaker 2 00:12:05 My first time ever in highway 63, uh, around Mariana Lake around the a hundred K Mark there to the city, uh, it was this couple. I noticed this car and, um, I just pulled it because I knew they're struggling and they had the flat tire and they missed a Jack or something, part of whatever they needed to replace it. And the lady, I remember the lady, she goes like, uh, Ren, you here for how long you been here? I said, I'll just came here. And uh, she goes like, uh, welcome to the city of opportunity, the opportunity cut me.
Speaker 3 00:12:42 And next question. What is one place you might go to get a good meal?
Speaker 2 00:12:48 Oh, surely cause tonight. Yeah.
Speaker 3 00:12:51 Oh, and your final question. What is one hobby you have that people might not know?
Speaker 2 00:13:02 Not sure about that. Hon. I'm an open book. Uh,
Speaker 0 00:13:08 So it's a hobby of yours then. What do you do? What do you do in your free time?
Speaker 2 00:13:12 Uh, watch movies, uh, and my computer, uh, play around with my kids. So it's my, my, my family time is my hobby. Here we go.
Speaker 3 00:13:24 Those have been your five questions.
Speaker 0 00:13:26 There you go. Good job, man. He didn't miss a beat on those ones. So, uh, what kind of games are you playing on your computer? We playing video games or you just, are you, cause I know this is what you do. One of your companies is computer. So yeah, well, uh,
Speaker 2 00:13:41 Less and less now as I'm growing older, but I used to play big time. Age of empire play one game will last like four days and days to start strategic games, generally speaking. That's my favorite. Okay.
Speaker 0 00:13:56 Okay. Do your kids play video games? Did they get that bug from you?
Speaker 2 00:13:59 Nah, not really. The different bugs. They are always on their phone with, so these are all blocks thing. Actually. I'm trying to get them off the habit and uh, just, uh, basically I create them this back to the local gate. I've created this hand made by kids hand made by kids. Uh, and I'm trying to actually, they started up their store. They are making their products is home-based products by kids. And I'm going to just give it a shot and keep them away from them.
Speaker 0 00:14:31 There you go. Yeah. Roadblocks my kids on that too. I'm just like, I don't get it, but you know what? I'm old. My dad used to say the same thing about me when I was doing my thing. He's like, I don't get it. It's a generational thing, right? A hundred percent. So man, that's the end of the show. We keep it tight. But like I tell every guest and I do mean this. I want you to come back again. I love with you. You and me can talk for hours. So please come back. Anytime you want to promote anything, any one of the businesses, anything you have something going on, or if you just want to come out and chat with me and Tanner the couch or the chair is already open for you. Okay. Thank you so much. And uh, last but not least for all vendors, store owners and Fort Mac, it's free.
Speaker 0 00:15:11 There is no catch. You will always be free. And for more than that, I will help you to set up your store and that will put your first five products are just free to, I love to do that. I have particular feelings for business owners. I'm one of them. And I do believe it's not fair for them to go through all what they go, go and feel without the community support shoppers, please, before you buy it somewhere else, try to find it here. And what's the name of that platform. One more time. The local date, the local gate. There you go. Awesome. Well Fort McMurray, wood, Buffalo, and the rest of the world. Thank you very much for tuning in today. As I always say it warms my heart that so many people tuning in it really blows me away. And uh, thank you very much for that. I really, really do appreciate it. We'll be having a great day and we'll see you tomorrow. Please.
Speaker 4 00:16:02 <inaudible> talk about quenching your ugly thirst.
