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鈥淭here are always opportunities. It鈥檚 all about your attitude鈥�

George Armoyan (BEng鈥�83) is one of Atlantic Canada鈥檚 most successful business leaders and entrepreneurs. Armoyan built his real estate empire from the ground up, and in recent years has significantly expanded his portfolio with investments in deep-technology.听

On September 23, Armoyan took the virtual stage as a keynote speaker at the third IDEA Speaker Series. The presented this keystone event digitally for the first time in collaboration with Dalhousie鈥檚 Live. Armoyan shared the most pivotal moments in his career, his attitude towards risky decisions, his passion for investment in innovation and technology, and his dedication to giving back and supporting the next generation of entrepreneurs.听

鈥淎s they say in real estate there are three factors that make real estate successful and that鈥檚 location, location, location. What makes entrepreneurs successful is the following: persistence, persistence, persistence. You can call it pushiness, you can call it tenacity, but that鈥檚 what drives entrepreneurs and that鈥檚 what makes them successful.鈥澨�

This mentality is reflected in his own career path.听

From his humble beginnings immigrating to Sackville, N.S.,听where he started his first business, to where he is now with companies across Canada and down the Eastern Seaboard, persistence has been the cornerstone of his journey. George is now an investor in 80 technology companies with a value of over $80 million invested.

Mentorship and the Next Generation

鈥淲hen I started in business I remember going and trying to talk to anybody that was willing to talk to me鈥�

After sharing his story, Armoyan was joined by Mo AlGermozi (BEng鈥�17) for an audience led Q&A session. Mo AlGermozi is an up-and-coming entrepreneur who built his business with the support of Dal's and where he met Armoyan for the first time. Armoyan was among the first investors in his company, .

Like Armoyan, AlGermozi also began his first company while he was a student at Dalhousie. Since it鈥檚 humble beginnings in a closet on Sexon Campus, GIT has grown exponentially, and recently secured a $2.4M contract with Transport Canada. Armoyan and AlGermozi answered questions in a live Q&A moderated by current third-year electrical engineering student leader Gina Park and Dal鈥檚 Executive Director Innovation & Entrepreneurship, Jeff Larsen.

There was one special person in the audience during Armoyan鈥檚 keynote presentation. Dr. Rob Gilkie (BSc鈥�60, BEng鈥�62, Meng鈥�64) taught Armoyan while he was a student at Dalhousie. In the live comments during the Q&A section, Gilkie shared a fond memory of his former student:听

鈥淒o you remember the time you bought the construction company in St. John and sold the rebar the next day for more than you paid for the company? One of my favourite memories of you.鈥�

Student moderator Park weighed in after the event sharing that the community and support here in Atlantic Canada are what make accomplishing great things possible. Building on the influence of leaders like Armoyan, both Park and AlGermozi volunteer and give their time to mentor and inspire next generation of engineers and entrepreneurs. Park is passionate about women in STEM and is one of the lead organizers for , an event that brought over 150 girls in grades 7-12 to campus last Fall.听

鈥淚t was great being part of George and Mo's discussions. I was excited to hear that ideas of people in my generation are being listened to and to be part of who Mr. Armoyan believes are challenging perspectives and methods in the 21st century.鈥澨�

Armoyan gave the audience lots to think about and left us with this parting thought:

鈥淐reating an ecosystem in Atlantic Canada to help young people to stay, and give them the opportunities both for mentoring and for capital to help them succeed; it has been a very rewarding experience for me鈥�

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