Our Insights Podcast this week features a conversation with Rannie MacDonald, the VP of JD Irving's Retail Division and Patrick O'Neil, the General Manager of Kent Building Supplies that is celebrating its 50th anniversary this year. Since its founding in Bouctouche (Kent County), Kent has become the market leader in the region in building supplies. Most Atlantic Canadians have shopped at a Kent's at one time or the other. The company has 48 retail outlets ranging in size from its large big box stores of up to 125,000 square feet to its smaller 24,000 square foot sized traditional stores located in smaller communities. Kent has become one of the region's largest private sector employers, with 3,700 full-time employees generating more than $200 million in wages that are mostly spent in the region. It supports nearly 1,400 vendors in the region, spending $300 million a year on local goods and services. It has a major 560,000 square foot distribution centre in Moncton with over 25,000 product skus and sources the vast majority of its products from Canadian manufacturers. Indeed, only 10 percent of their products come from US suppliers. It has spun off Atlas Structural Systems that now has 11 locations and an incremental 600 employees, as well as Industrial Commercial Supplies with another 100 employees. It is proudly an Atlantic Canadian success story and one that you will enjoy learning more about.

A few weeks ago, Gerry Pond, one of New Brunswick's great business leaders, passed away. On this week's Insights podcast, Don and David welcome Curtis Howe, Gerry's long-time friend and business partner, to discuss his life and legacy. Few in New Brunswick have had such a meaningful business career. For more than three decades, he helped shape NBTel into one of North America's most innovative telecommunications companies. He then went on to co-found a top information technology (IT) company in Atlantic Canada and invest in over 80 companies through East Valley Ventures.

After a 40-year relationship, few are better positioned than Curtis to share the story of Gerry Pond. After leaving NBTel, he mused about starting an asphalt company. While there is no doubt he would have succeeded in this business, Atlantic Canada's IT sector and the dozens of successful entrepreneurs he supported are glad he went in a different direction. This one is well worth an hour of your time.

On this week's Insights Podcast, our guests are Todd and Jeff Bishop, who, along with a third brother, Alex, founded the Dormie Workshop in 2014. The company is the market leader in producing high-end leather head covers for golf clubs, with production facilities in both Halifax and LA. Golf Digest has recognized the company multiple times as the category leader in its niche. The company has both a wholesale and direct-to-consumer sales channel. Their products are found in many of the most prestigious golf clubs in the world, and the company has deals with Augusta National and the upcoming British Open at St. Andrews next year. The brothers admit the business suits their lifestyles and have ambitions to diversify into clothing for golfers, recently adding a line of high-end belts to their product offerings. This was a fun conversation for us, and we know you will enjoy the brothers' journey to their current success.