Paul Tiessen, Saskatoon, Saskatchewan
Day job: President of Action Office Interiors, distributor of office furniture. As head of the Saskatoon MEDA Chapter, Paul developed the successful MEDAffinity breakfast series where businesspeople tell their stories. What does he like about MEDA? “There are lots of NGOs out there that do lots of good work, but what I’ve always liked about MEDA is the business model of creating sustainable livelihoods and employment.”
Most fun: He and his wife, Lois, won’t forget their trips to Nicaragua and Tanzania. “Besides being an adventure, you get to see the work that MEDA’s doing; you get to actually see the faces of the people and see the kids actually being clothed and going to school with books,” Paul says. He also appreciates the interaction with other MEDA people. “At the annual conventions you get to know a wider variety of individuals from diverse business backgrounds.”
Hobbies: Besides being a “golf nut,” Paul is an avid cottager who enjoys the solitude of his summer getaway on Lake Emma, which is actually a series of three connected lakes north of Prince Albert, Saskatchewan. He recently graduated from a ski boat to a more leisurely pontoon boat that holds four or five couples. “Every time I have a stressful day I think about sitting on the boat and drifting through a narrow channel, seeing the loons and ducks. Sometimes you have to remind yourself that there’s another part of life out there.” This summer Paul showed his new pontoon boat to long-time cottage neighbour Mike Babcock, coach of the Detroit Red Wings, 2008 Stanley Cup champions. Babcock said, “We’re going to put the Stanley Cup on there and take it around the lake.” And so they did.
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