The Niagara Agency

Rod Morris

Work

Owner/Manager – Morris Management – St. Catharines, ON: Tax accounting, general mgmt./startup consulting. Plus non-profit volunteer. 

Owner/Manager – Style Communications – Toronto, ON Published established fashion and jewellery titles for retail trade with 15 employees. 

Owner/Manager – Morris Marketing and Media Services – Toronto, ON: Started publishing business: Titles included magazines for Canadian Tire, Mattel, Toronto Board of Trade, Federation of Canadian Municipalities, Canadian Power Squadron, etc. National titles all bilingual. 

President/Jr. Partner – News Canada – Toronto, ON Managed public relations company distribution of news releases. 

Divisional Vice President, National & Regional Sales Manager-  Comac Communications – Toronto, ON: (i.e. New)Career Woman Division, national women’s magazines & TV, events & related products.

District Sales Manager, The Financial Post – Toronto Responsible Finance and Travel markets nationally.

Business Ed

McMaster Entrepreneurship (Lean Startup) McMaster – Hamilton, ON – Used Lean Startup precepts for launching new businesses. 

Diploma – Finance: McGill University cash flow management

Published by R.Morris

Consumer & B2b magazines, interactive web-sites: Sportsman’s Show Guide; Federation of Canadian Municipalities (Eng.& Fr.);  News Canada; Actualite (Fr.); Style(Est.1888); Homme; Canadian Jeweller (Est.1879); Toronto Board of Trade Annual; Autoroute (Eng. & Fr. issues); Barbie (Eng. & Fr. issues); Today’s Boating; Quebec Yachting (Fr.); Worldways Inflight; NHLPA Be A Player; www.canadianjeweller.com; www.style.ca 

Volunteer Boards

St. Catharine 1812 Steering Committee; Royal Niagara Military InstituteVP; South Niagara Rowing Club – Board, CSSN (Meals on Wheels) – Board; Next Theatre Company, Brock U. – Ex. Producer/Board; Canadian Coast Guard Auxiliary – Manager of Development (n.b.Central & Arctic)

Professional Achievements 

      • Financed the purchase and eventually sold Canada’s oldest publishing co. Style Inc. 

      • Created Style’s online business, managed digital transition, updated design, increased sales. 

      • Developed Canada’s largest on-line web portal for all facets of the apparel industry. 125,000 pageviews/mo.

      • Built web based on-line retail platform for Canada’s retail jewellery business. Included 3D inventory mgmt. and retail buyers’ guide database. 

      • Started Canada’s largest recreational boating magazine/website: Today’s Boating.

      • Started Canada’s Annual Safe Boating Awards (CASBAs) for safety and the environment. Still running after 20 years, supported by all levels of government & security services.

      • Managed turn-around at News Canada, a public relations firm, changing staff, improved morale, tripling sales as President. Top Client: Gov.of Can. 20+ Depts.

      • Created 200,000 circ. bilingual custom travel magazine ‘Autoroute’ for Canadian Tire Corp.(Welland). A 10 year, Multi-Million customer retention project.

      • Started and managed Canada’s largest custom publishing company in the early ‘90s.

      • Launched and managed division for Comac, a public company, as Divisional VP including national magazine, web site, TV show and pr blitz.