Education/training
Engineering a better worldSuccessful entrepreneur Jeffrey Collins puts his heart into his business and community work. LIZ BENNEIAN |
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 [ 2005-10-19 ] |
Jeffrey Collins is teh CEO of three successful companies.
The CEO of three successful companies, including one that produces leading-edge medical imaging software, this Centennial College graduate is also a passionate environmentalist who is helping to bring salmon back to the Credit River, as well as engaging school children to learn the importance of protecting our environment.
Turning a good idea into a good business isn't always easy. Centennial's Automation and Robotics Technology program gave Collins the skills, knowledge and hands-on experience he needed to become successful in industry.
Collins says a college education gives people the opportunity to "put their heads in their hands" -- in other words, to apply learning in a practical way that can allow innovative concepts to become useful applications.
In his very first post-graduate job with City Industrial Sales Company (CISCO) of Mississauga, Collins revised his sales target from $120,000 to $1.2 million -- and made it. Along the way, he changed how the firm's fluid power (hydraulics) division did business, turning it into a one-stop shop for all of his customers' needs.
By 1987, only two years out of college, he was ready to strike out on his own, founding CASTAR Corporation, servicing computer-controlled hydraulic systems. By the mid-1990s, CASTAR had attracted the attention of U.S. competitors who made offers to buy the business. Collins decided to sell it to Paragon Technologies in 1997.
Inspired by the loss of his aunt to breast cancer, Collins founded Medipattern Corporation, a publicly traded company that creates medical imaging software that helps doctors analyze medical images with increased confidence.
Collins recognized there was a clinical need to improve breast cancer diagnosis. About 15% of breast cancers are not detected through mammography, allowing cancer to progress to more advanced stages.
Employing his knowledge of neural network and pattern recognition technology, as well as his industrial diagnostic and automation skills, Medipattern unveiled the first computer-aided detection application for ultrasound approved by the FDA in the U.S. Marketed as B-CAD, the software is now being sold worldwide.
A man of diverse interests, Collins is also the chairman and CEO of Buzz Technologies, a consulting service, and Jetty Enterprises, a commercial property company.
Yet his business achievements are only half of the story. Collins has a deep-felt connection to the environment. An avid golfer and fisherman who enjoys many outdoor activities, he became interested in the health of Mississauga's Credit River watershed.
Once described as "the Queen of the rivers," its waters teeming with Atlantic salmon, the Credit River ecosystem was severely compromised over the years. As early as the 1850s, mills blocked the migratory adult salmon from traditional spawning areas. Deforestation along the banks, dam building and pollution all added to the degradation.
Fortunately, conditions in the Credit Valley watershed have improved over the past 50 years. But the salmon were still missing.
In 1997, Collins founded the Belfountain Hatchery, dedicated to returning breeding populations of Atlantic salmon to the Credit River, and started the Belfountain School Program, a public-private environmental co-operative program that fosters environmental steward- ship in children.
Through his efforts over the past eight years, 89,000 fry and 200 adult Atlantic salmon have been released in the Credit River. The hard work has paid off: for the first time since 1872, salmon were noted to be returning to spawn in the river this year.
Thanks to Collins -- an innovative entrepreneur who brings a concern for people and the environment to his business and volunteer life -- the Credit may once again become the Queen of Ontario's rivers.
For details about Centennial College's Engineering Technology programs, visit: www.centennialcollege.ca/setas.
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