Supporting a healthy community

Ross McNamara has been the owner of Gerick Cycle & Ski in Nelson, B.C., since 1996. I had an opportunity to ask him some questions about his business and other aspects of his life.

What do you like best about your workday?

I like the various aspects of dealing with customers. I like meeting and greeting people who are new to the community, but I also love dealing with familiar past customers. When you live in a small community it’s very tight.

What sports are your favourites to participate in?

I’m a bike rider—road bike and mountain bike. In the winter I love to cross-country ski and skate-ski. Nelson has a very well-established cross-country ski club.

What was your first paid job, and what did you learn from it?

I was a paperboy in Edmonton. I learned to be self-sufficient and somewhat organized. It gave me some financial independence and I learned self-determination to achieve things.

What’s some advice that you would give to your younger self?

Diversify your investments. Have clarity about what you want, and then go for it. If you go after something without a clear understanding of what you want, then you won’t be as successful as you could be.

Why did you choose to go into business in the field of sports equipment?

I was in university when I first started working in a bicycle store, and I loved it because I was working in a healthy environment with active people. Even today, I enjoy going to work with my staff—they’re all very talented and they are good people to work with. That’s another one of my favourite things about my job.

We usually think of doctors and dentists as being in health care, but they’re actually in the sick-care field. I consider myself to be involved in health care because we are facilitating healthy activities for people. We help sustain both healthy bodies and healthy minds. We help to make people happy, and it’s a great place to be spending our time.

Do you have a favourite inspirational quote or a statement of your philosophy?

I believe that what goes around comes around, or you reap what you sow. The more energy you put into something, the more you get back from it. The idea or attitude you feed is the one that will become powerful in your life.