It has often been said that necessity is the mother of invention.

“In my case, frustration was the mother of invention,” says Vericorder CEO Gary Symons. “I spent years as a journalist dragging around heavy, cumbersome, expensive, and often unreliable gear for reporting from the field.”

Research-based solutions
Through extensive research and his inside knowledge of the industry, Gary knew that he could solve his frustrations and move the industry into the future by allowing journalists to file the story and broadcast without returning to the office.

“I could see the traditional media was dying, dragged down by high production costs and new competition from Internet-based companies,” says Gary. “I decided to build a system that would allow companies in my industry to better make the transition to online media, and mobile journalism.”

Since its inception, each new innovation from Vericorder seeks to give more power to individuals — whether it’s FindStringers (a system designed to connect media companies with freelance journalists), or their latest addition VeriLocal (a system that allows for quick and cost effective content delivery). It is Gary’s entrepreneur spirit that keeps the company on the cutting-edge of new solutions for a fast and ever-changing industry.

Vericorder’s home of Kelowna has benefited from the company’s growth with 15 jobs being provided for the community - including hiring recent graduates from the city’s expanded university-level software science program.

“The types of jobs we provide are critical,” says Gary. “We’ve seen a decline in manufacturing jobs here in the Okanagan. Vericorder is one of a core group of tech companies that are rising to fill the gap, with high-paying jobs in a sector that also brings Canada and British Columbia much-needed export revenues.”

Praise for B.C.
Some people would expect a cutting-edge technology company to be based in the Silicon Valley, but Gary points to advantages such as government incentives and low taxes for housing Vericorder in British Columbia.

“B.C. is quite simply one of the best places in the world to launch a startup,” says Gary. “When I researched my business, I was surprised to find that B.C. has one of the highest rates of successful start-up companies in North America. Obviously, we’re doing something right.”

For more information, visit www.vericorder.com

This small business profile first appeared in Small Business Profile 2011: A profile of small business in British Columbia. Aussi disponible en français.

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