On Monday, July 1, Canada celebrated its 146th birthday, and I enjoyed the festivities in the nation’s capital, my hometown of Ottawa. Years ago, a shutdown in northern operations for Canada Day meant a lighter workload for AvePoint’s Chicago sales team, which provided services to both Canadian and Midwestern US clients at the time. This year, it meant a nationwide workforce, with AvePoint representatives located in cities from Vancouver to all the way to Montreal, took a long weekend to toast the True North.
I first joined AvePoint in 2011 as one of the first ten inside salespeople working at our Canadian headquarters. In two years, I’ve watched our small sales team expand to include a well-rounded lineup of managers, marketers, administrators, and engineers. We outgrew our office for the second time, this time relocating from the quiet suburbs to bustling Centretown near both commercial businesses and the majority of Government offices. But even that wasn’t sufficient to contain our rapidly expanding team, and so AvePoint officially opened its second Canadian office at the start of 2013 in Toronto’s downtown core.
AvePoint’s presence among the Canadian enterprise collaboration and Microsoft SharePoint communities is spreading just as swiftly. This year, AvePoint was granted a Supply Arrangement from Public Works and Government Services Canada (PWGSC), an exciting step in furthering its relationship with the Government of Canada. AvePoint was a Platinum sponsor of both SharePoint Summit Quebec and Toronto, and is proud to have played a large role in the creation and organization of the first ever SharePoint Summit Vancouver. With two employees sitting on the board of directors, AvePoint will also serve as a Platinum sponsor and host three speaking sessions at the October show. Offering bilingual staff and materials at all events, I’m pleased to be part of a team dedicated to serving the entire nation and respecting Canada’s cultural diversity.
Members of AvePoint’s team in Canada at SharePoint Summit Toronto 2013.
Two years ago, I knew our small, passionate team was heading for great things, but I never fully envisioned the success we’d be capable of in such a short period of time. Needless to say, I’m excited to see what lies ahead!
