After 15 years in the group insurance and pension business, Kevin Brady felt he could do a better job of tailoring group benefit and compensation packages to meet the needs of clients than the larger firms.

He had been a group and pension consultant with London Life Insurance Company, responsible for servicing 250 corporate accounts and $150 million of assets in Southwestern Ontario. Kevin attained Chartered Life Underwriter, Chartered Financial Consultant and Chartered Financial Planner.

In 1998, Kevin left London Life to start his own Employee Benefits practice.

The major changing point in the growth strategy of the business occurred when Kevin suffered a life-altering experience due to complications associated with running Burlington's first marathon – The Millennium Marathon – which raised funds for the Carpenter Hospice.

Kevin collapsed from extreme heat during the 1999 marathon, and was rushed to hospital where he slipped into a coma. He was on full life support and the doctors gave him a 10 per cent chance of living. But he made it through and during his recovery, Kevin committed to a strategic change in his business so it was less dependant on him alone, thereby ensuring its future growth.

And while the firm now operates like a large corporation with departments and divisions, Kevin has striven to ensure the thinking is innovative and creative. Innovation is a Core Value and the firm continues to develop unique programs making it more entrepreneurial today than it has ever been.