Veronica: (continued) By 2003, the corporate funding associated with Y2K activity had declined. Revenues decreased, and we had to lay off staff and relocate to a smaller and less costly office space at Yonge & St. Clair. The new space, however, is centrally located and easily accessible via public transit.

In 2004, I bought the business and became the sole owner. At the same time I registered Front Runner Training as a division of Front Runner Publishing Solutions Inc.

In the past couple of years we have moved to different suites within our Yonge & St.Clair office building to better serve our clients.

B&P: What were you doing before starting Front Runner?

Veronica: I had been working as an office manager for a software training company. I started with them in 1986 after finishing the first year of a general business diploma program at Humber College. I had decided to get a job and find out about business instead of just sitting in a classroom. The company had just started a year or two before, and were looking for someone to be receptionist, maintain their database, register participants, etc. When I started, I was using dBase II, III, and IV for DOS to maintain their database and WordPerfect for DOS to register participants. Ah, those were the days!

My family decided to move from Toronto to Newmarket, in 1986-87. I continued to work, commuting from Newmarket to Toronto. I didn't enjoy the commute. After short time away, living and working in Newmarket, I was contacted in 1992 to return to work for the same company.

B&P: What for you is the most interesting part about running a business like Front Runner?

Veronica: The most interesting parts are meeting new people, and building and maintaining business relationships. I find this business rewarding when I see people enjoying our training, sharing their experiences of what they've learned with others, and referring people to us for training.

B&P: Are you involved in other technical communication related activities beside running Front Runner?

Veronica: Yes, I'm involved with the STC (Society for Technical Communication) Toronto Chapter. We host STC Toronto's executive meetings at Front Runner's office. I wish I could be more involved, I'll have to wait until my two little ones are bigger.

B&P: Part of Front Runner's business is training, but when did *you* last go into the classroom as a trainer or a student?

Veronica: The last time I had time to be in a classroom attending a course was our two day WebWorks ePublisher course last spring. I took the training to know the differences between the older version of WebWorks and ePublisher Pro when discussing the software with clients. It's enjoyable to be in the classroom, interacting with the class, and hearing first hand the student's questions and concerns about the software. It's always good to keep the instructors on their toes too!

B&P: What noteworthy changes have you seen in Front Runner's business environment since the business first started?

Veronica: There have been so many companies that we have dealt with over the years that have been acquired or merged. Despite this, many of the same people are still in touch with us, either through other companies or personally.

B&P: Do you have any interesting or funny stories to share about life at Front Runner?

Veronica: There is one story that was funny, but now that I tell it, it could be one of those "you had to have been there" stories. I was letting one of my contacts know by email that we had three levels of courses for Acrobat: Introductory, Intermediate and Advanced. In the message I used short versions of the levels: "Intro course", "Inter course" and "Adv course" . The reply I received was, "Do you need an Intro course to take the Inter course?" Oh man...

B&P: When you're not busy with business or family, have you got any pastimes or hobbies you like to take part in?

Veronica: Yes, there are a few things that I enjoy doing: yoga (I must start again); reading a variety of genres, including fantasy, historical fiction, biographies, and Canadian history; watching movies from the 40s, 50s, and 60s;and listening to most music, especially classical, rock, hard rock and jazz.

B&P: Thank you for speaking with us.