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The job of transporting school-aged children to class is big business in Canada, a $1.35 billion a year business. Marnie Walker found a niche and built it into an $11 million business—transporting special needs children who need individual care.
Marnie Walker is a woman with big ideas. Armed with an MBA from York University in Toronto in 1975 (only the ninth woman to ever do so), she worked for several years in the corporate world before setting her sights on launching a business venture of her own.
After spending eight years on crutches and canes due to a serious illness, Marnie had a clear understanding of the transportation issues facing people with special needs.
She began her company, Student Express, by landing a small school bus contract with York Region near Toronto. That contract and a good business plan was enough to convince her bank to finance her start-up company and she was off and running.
Student Express grew from eight buses and $240,000 in revenues to 250 buses, 300 employees, and $11 million in revenues over a 14-year period.
In November, she was presented with the 2004 Rotman Canadian Woman Entrepreneur of the Year Award based on the positive impact her company has had on the local economy. She grew her company by creating a culture of caring and accountability, creating a work environment where her employees felt valued and really wanted to work.
Marnie says she has always focused on identifying the customer’s needs—making sure that her company offers services that no one else offers. Having targeted a niche that large companies ignored, Marnie added important services to differentiate her company such as hiring French speaking employees who could communicate her company’s services clearly to French public schools. She also placed field supervisors on the buses to help drivers with routes and handle passenger issues. Account managers made sure that individual needs were addressed by communicating directly with parents and drivers.
In October, Marnie sold her company to Toronto-based Stock Transportation Ltd. An active member of the Toronto chapter of the Women Presidents’ Organization, Marnie willingly shares her advice with other women business owners and mentors other women in business.
Marnie Walker—a woman who came from a small town in Ontario and sought higher education at a time when it traditionally wasn’t afforded to young Canadian women—went on to make a name for herself with an immensely successful transportation business by always putting her customers first.
(This article is reprinted from the Winter 2005 edition of Enterprising Women magazine. Copyright 2005 Enterprising Women Inc. Reproduction in whole or part is prohibited, except by express permission of the publisher.) |
