Marley O'Donnell's Path from Employee to Entrepreneur

Submitted by Cindy Swanson, General Manager, Enterprise Brant

Marley O'Donnell's path from employee to entrepreneur is one that has taken a couple of twists and turns.

But O'Donnell, the 52-year-old owner of AirCorrect Inc., of Brantford, learned a lot of lessons and made a lot of valuable contacts on his journey.

After working as an environmental consultant for a Guelph company, selling engine and compressor components for 12 years O'Donnell joined another company as a minority partner – a position that lasted a year until he parted ways with the company.

"I really couldn't have done it without the team at Enterprise Brant."

 “I learned a good lesson about being a minority partner. I was let go after a year,” O'Donnell said. “But at the same time, I had already had a taste of what it would be like to be on my own and so I was looking for something else to do.”

O'Donnell found what he was looking for at a trade show.

Marley O'Donnell, owner of AirCorrect Inc. learned a lot of lessons and made a lot of valuable contacts on his journey.

“I saw this product – the KeepTheHeat Air to Air Heat exchanger – it's a technology that improves the air quality in welding and machine shops,” O'Donnell said. “It's made by a company out of Iowa and I teamed up with them to become their representative for Eastern Canada.”

The air to air heat exchanger replaces poor air in a welding shop with fresh air and at the same time recycles the heat that would normally be exhausted.

He was able to start AirCorrect Inc. with the help of Enterprise Brant and was busy building his business when he started receiving phone calls from the contacts he made during his days supplying wear parts for reciprocating compressors and engines.

“These are people who work in the refineries and chemical plants and they were looking for technical advice,” O'Donnell said. “They were also looking for compressor, pump and engine components.

“You have to remember that refineries can't have their compressors down for repair for a long time. It costs them a lot of money and they need the repairs done as quickly as possible.”

He is now trouble-shooting and servicing several Ontario-based manufacturers and his work in that area has become the biggest part of his business.

The help he received from Enterprise Brant was a huge factor in his success.

In addition to a loan, O'Donnell was able to get some solid advice.

“Starting your own business can be daunting but they took away the fear and helped me feel more positive about what I was doing,” O'Donnell said. “They had resources that I could tap into.

“They helped with the business plan and offered seminars covering things like bookkeeping and marketing.

“I really couldn't have done it without the team at Enterprise Brant.”

AirCorrect Inc.
17 Easton Rd. Unit 6
Brantford, On.
N3P TJ4
www.aircorrectinc.com