Marvin Devries-“Reflections on Entrepreneurial Succession: The Experience of Trojan Technologies”

Marvin Devries, President, Trojan Technologies, London, ON, Canada

TOPIC: “Reflections on Entrepreneurial Succession:  The Experience of Trojan Technologies”

BIO: Marv is President of Trojan Technologies.  Trojan is the global leader in the supply of ultraviolet light (UV) based treatment systems for municipal water and wastewater treatment, with over 8,500 successful installations in more than 60 countries.  Trojan also provides UV–based treatment solutions for industrial, commercial and consumer applications, as well as technologies to enable space and energy-efficient filtration and energy recovery from bio-solids. Trojan has 750 employees, with global headquarters in London, Ontario, Canada, and with offices in 14 countries around the world.

Marv joined Trojan in 1988 as Sales and Marketing Manager, serving in this position for 5 years, during which time he helped to establish a global network of over 100 industry partnerships as the foundation for developing broad acceptance and support of UV-based solutions globally.  In 1993, Marv was appointed Executive Vice-President of Trojan.  He provided global leadership for Sales, Marketing and Customer Service, and led the business development activities of the company, resulting in three acquisitions and two strategic investments into adjacent markets.  He joined the Trojan Board of Directors in 1998.  Marv was appointed as President of Trojan in 2003.  With the support of the Trojan Board of Directors, Marv led the transition of Trojan from a publicly traded company (TSX:TUV) to an acquisition by Danaher Corporation (NYSE:DHR) in 2004.

Prior to joining Trojan, Marv spent 8 years with World Renew, an international relief and development agency.  Marv worked as a project and program manager on water–related and infrastructure development projects in Bangladesh, India & Haiti.  He served on the Board of Directors of World Renew (formerly CRWRC) for a total of six years, three years as Canadian Board Chair.  Marv earned a B. Sc. in Water Resources Engineering from the University of Guelph in 1977, and a Masters of Environmental Engineering from the University of Western Ontario in 1983.