 As a specialist in animal
health, Dr. Vincent Guyonnet did a lot of traveling,
particularly to the Far East, during the fifteen years that he
worked at the animal health division of Pfizer. For many
of those years he commuted into New York City from
Westchester. His most recent position was as general manager
for Pfizer’s Australian operation, based in
Sydney.
Family commitments brought him back to Ontario, Canada,
last year, and he now works as vice president of research and
international business development at Burnbrae Farms, a
family-owned and -operated group of companies processing and
distributing eggs and egg products across Canada.
We asked him what, apart from the obvious, were the major
differences between his high-pressure career with an
international pharmaceutical giant and working in a family-run
business on a farm.
Not a Slave to the Stock Market
Without hesitation, his first response was “ I really miss the first-class travel!” Not so surprising a response, since in his old job he must have circumnavigated the world many times on business trips.
On a more serious note, however, he continued: “I’ve been working in a family business environment for almost a year now, and the biggest benefit I have found is that, because the company isn’t a slave to the stock market like the major corporations, it can spend much longer developing a market segment, investing for the long run.”
“There isn’t the constant pressure to produce public reporting, so the company can simply get on with the job, “ said Guyonnet. “Larger corporations worry so much about what financial analysts and shareholders will think that often it is a case of the tail wagging the dog.”
“And I really do not miss the endless meetings, the constant preparation of budgets, and the almost-as-constant cutting of those budgets that were a staple of corporate life.”
“In a large corporation there is always enormous pressure to deliver more sales, and ‘Do More With Less’ seems to be the philosophy,”
Smaller Workforce
“Working with a smaller workforce is challenging,” continued Guyonnet, “but it allows you to do a bit of everything and learn all aspects of the business.” On the other hand, large corporations “gave much more priority to market research and project management.” Added Guyonnet, “At a company such as Burnbrae, these disciplines may be considered less important because of the company’s history and experience. As we move into new markets this is something we would need to change.”
Guyonnet joined Burnbrae Farms in June 2005. Burnbrae Farms (www.burnbraefarms.com) is something of an innovator, and was among the first producers of eggs with Omega 3, low fat, and vitamin and Lutein-enriched products, all vital dietary nutrients needed to promote healthy living. He is responsible for the recent introduction of their Egg Creations product into the U.S. market, an egg substitute enriched with omega 3 fatty acids and lutein, currently distributed throughout the North East.
The chain of events that led to his return to the farm started before he joined Pfizer, when Guyonnet earned a doctorate in animal sciences at the University of Georgia. This is where he met his Canadian wife, Dr. Helen Anne Hudson, a specialist in poultry science. Commented Guyonnet: “I really loved my job at Pfizer, in particular the posting to Australia, but am happy to be back in Canada with my wife and three children.” Not to mention their five cats, two guinea pigs, two wood ducks, a tame pigeon, and soon a few sheep.
When asked what he appreciated most about his new job, Vincent responded “The one-minute commute!”
Dr. Vincent Guyonnet is a veterinarian and a graduate of the University of Georgia, and has a doctorate in poultry science. He joined Pfizer’s Animal Health division in 1991, and worked in their New York, Sydney and Montreal offices. He currently lives in Lyn, Ontario with his wife and three children. He is also an enthusiastic athlete and has run in the New York, Boston, and Melbourne Marathons, not to mention coming second earlier this year in the Brockville, ON, “Freeze Your Buns” 5K! |
. Courtney received the Stevie Award for
Best Entrepreneur in The 2005 Stevie Awards for Women
Entrepreneurs. 
