Idea of creating a virtual industry in the rural world launched by Traction on Demand
By Timothy Schafer Local Journalism Initiative Reporter
The idea of building community through the tech world in a rural context is gaining traction in Nelson.
The seed of Traction on Demand’s Small Town Initiative has been sown in the Heritage city and looks further afield to germinate in areas that have historically been devoid of the technology sector.
The initiative addresses a need to establish tech employment opportunities where people want to live, Traction on Demand’s (ToD) chief executive officer and founder Greg Malpass said, not where tech companies are often located.
A company that solves business problems with technology, Traction on Demand designed the Small Town Initiative to create employment opportunities outside of traditional tech hubs and urban centres like Vancouver, and Malpass, the born-and-raised Nelsonite, chose his hometown to start it off in 2018.
The initiative now realizes the vision of creating an industry where it previously did not exist.
“We see this as an opportunity to build up the tech talent in this area, while supporting and contributing to the community,” said Malpass in an interview with The Nelson Daily.
“These offices not only create alternative career opportunities, but also generate a more diverse work force and support the revitalization of small towns.”
And Nelson isn’t the only stop on the Small Town Initiative route.
“We’re committed to opening more offices in small or rural communities that have traditionally depended on natural resources, moving from a scarcity-based economy to an ideas-based economy,” Malpass explained.
The Legion Building has been transformed into a technology hub for the Kootenay region since ToD assumed ownership of the structure over one year ago. It has the capacity to fit up to 100 ToD employees — without COVID-19 restrictions — once it is safe to do so.
There are currently eight Traction on Demand full-time employees living and working in the Kootenays, but all Tractionites have the opportunity to take advantage of working out of the Nelson office if they wish to do so, Malpass pointed out.
Open but not open
The city’s newest technology-based company opened its doors in Nelson at its new permanent location in the basement of the Legion Building on Victoria Street late last month.
Although the company planned a grand opening at the time, the event will officially be put on hold until the smoke clears on the wildfire situation embracing the region.
However, although the office has safety protocols and capacity restrictions in place, any of the current roster of “Tractionites” — employees of the company — can work from the office if they chose to do so.
Idea gains traction
Malpass knows the forces that draw technology talent away from rural areas.
“After graduating from Simon Fraser University, there were few opportunities in Nelson that aligned with my career goals and interests (primarily sales, marketing and tech), leading me to my career in Vancouver,” he said.
His home-grown connection to Nelson inspired the creation of Traction on Demand’s Small Town Initiative.
“Being from a small town played a large part in who I became and, ultimately, what Traction on Demand is today,” he noted. “I’ve always tried to find creative ways to harmonize work and play, which is characteristic of someone from a small town.”
Traction talking
After spending nearly a decade in marketing and enterprise sales roles, Malpass founded Traction on Demand in 2006.
The idea was simple, he explained, to serve a small number of clients and help them better unite their sales and marketing teams.
That simple idea has grown the one-man show into one of the continent’s largest, dedicated sales force consulting firms (over 800 employees), with Traction on Demand being recognized as the best place to work in Canada.
That award wasn’t by accident. Malpass had originally hoped to sculpt a company that played “a positive and purposeful role in the lives of its team members, customers, partners and community.”
In addition, Malpass has created a suite of SaaS product companies including bettr.me, Traction Guest, Traction Rec, Traction Hierarchiesand Traction Complete.
