The world has indeed become smaller, or at least more accessible, since the pandemic made remote working a reliable alternative.
Dennis Hancock is not restricted by borders when he searches for those with the skill sets he requires to further advance Mountain Valley MD, a biotech company.
“I still find the hybrid is really powerful, but we’re never limited by geography anymore,” says the president and chief executive officer of Mountain Valley MD.
Hancock, who was raised in Barrie and lives in Midhurst, says the biotech company emerged from its initial roots as a research and development (R&D) start-up in the cannabis space. It currently focuses on products and technology in the human and animal health and agriculture fields out of its Vaughan offices.
When he took the helm of the company in 2019, he says he could see the cannabis industry becoming saturated and commoditized. He saw potential in pursuing the technology involved in the overall wellness space to create what he calls new value propositions.
Mountain Valley MD focuses on three biotechnology applications. It employs a technology focused on nutraceutical products, which are derived from food sources that provide health benefits for people. Its Agrarius products are designed to help farmers increase crop yields with less reliance on fertilizer and pesticides. The third area is a focus on animal wellness, disease prevention and nutrition.
“We look at technologies in that enable people ... living a fulfilling meaningful life,” he says. “We have two principal technologies that fund our licensing business.”
The company employs 10 people in Vaughan with manufacturing taking place through a partner in Tampa, Fla. And the company’s accounting team is on Canada’s west coast. Another 40 people are involved in distribution in several South American countries.
Statistics Canada reported earlier this year that the remote-working trend has been rolling back, with more people being called back to the office. After rising to about 40 per cent in April 2020, the percentage of Canadians working most of their hours from home fell to about 20 per cent in November 2023.
Mountain Valley MD has a mix of working arrangements. But, Hancock says, those arrangements aren’t being prescribed. That allows the company to recruit talent wherever it happens to be.
“We’re sort of a … local hub working globally,” he says. “The idea of hiring someone local is also a limiter on language and skill.
“When we take that filter off on how we do business, it opens up the talent pool significantly and it creates a flexibility in our ability to pivot and do things that are culturally correct in the right market.”
That combination of working on location combined with remote work helps to remove geographical borders, which Hancock says results in a robust corporate culture.
“It’s amazing on our team calls how rich our culture is: the languages, the perspective on how things work into the market, it’s fascinating,” he says. “Going from startup, it’s way easier now culturally now because the Zoom and teleconference facilities.”
As he looks into the future, Hancock considers the role his company plays on environmental concerns and how it can stand behind its products.
By using finder distribution networks rewarded through commissions, Hancock says the result is more of a partnership approach, changing the type of person attracted to the position.
