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Paul Meyers 0:01
Hey everybody, here we are with Ray snow, president of heart zap safety training and equipment. Ray, how are you?
Ray Snow 0:09
Not bad yourself?
Paul Meyers 0:11
Excellent. Listen, thank you so much for coming on. Sorry, we were laughing before we started recording. So you kind of caught me off guard a little bit. But thank you for coming on. I appreciate it.
Ray Snow 0:21
Thanks for the opportunity.
Paul Meyers 0:22
Yeah. So tell us a little bit about HeartZap. Now, let me just interject and say I thinking Heartzap was originated from a doctor here in North Bay. And then I’ll let you take it from there.
Ray Snow 0:37
So Heartzap started back in 2002. In June, by Dr. David Henstridge resided in new in North Bay, and obviously, he was instrumental in getting defibrillators throughout Northern Ontario. And I started working for him back a number of years ago. And, you know, he just recently I guess, wanted to retire from, I guess, part of partial retire in the business, and we had taken over from him. almost five years ago. However, Dr. David Henstridge is still involved with our business. He’s still our medical director. Both our training programs and also our defibrillators. He does all of our data reads throughout Canada for us.
Paul Meyers 1:33
That’s interesting. Okay, but you’re more than just defibrillators. Tell us more about that part.
Ray Snow 1:39
Exactly. So Dr. Henstridge started to branch out into the training market many years ago. And we’ve just taken the next step. After we purchased it, the company, we started about, I guess, two years ago, started to branch out into more health and safety field with more health and safety training, and health and safety products.
Throughout Ontario, North Bay, of course, and throughout Canada. We last year, we rebranded the business with a new name, obviously, you already mentioned Heartzap safety training and equipment. So that people started to think about us as more than just defibrillators that we do have that health and safety, product and training programs available. And we’ve got into consulting as well, consulting on your health and safety program, either North Bay or anywhere in Ontario.
Paul Meyers 2:41
Interesting. So you guys offer CPR training, first aid training. These are basic life-saving skills. You also offer the defibrillator training, I suspect,
Ray Snow 2:54
we have very much so so we have a gamut of as you mentioned, first aid, and CPR, and AED (automated external defibrillator) training programs in class, but we also have a blended program for our first aid, where the part is actually online. And then you come to the classroom for your skills assessment, which you know, cuts down to be a shorter period of time in the classroom. We’re hands-on in the classroom, versus getting all that theory in our class, you really just gain all that hands-on practical part of the program. And with COVID.
Obviously, that has been really huge because we’ve been able to offer our online piece to our clients. And then if they feel comfortable enough to come into the classroom, they do that and when we have our skills assessment. So again, instead of spending 16 hours in the classroom, we’re spending four to five hours in the classroom, so less contact with people. That’s just, you know, one of the programs we offer, we’ve moved into the latest set to world health and safety.
So we have anything from your joint health and safety program, part one and part two that we have available that we partner with another agency to deliver. Now we also offer working in heights program. So that’s obviously a new program throughout Ontario. So we deliver that program as well. And then we have a number of online training programs from your WHMIS to your workplace violence programs. So the full gamut of safety problems is available to our clientele.
Paul Meyers 4:34
Okay. And did the blended training program come because of COVID?
Ray Snow 4:40
Actually, no, actually, Dr. David Henstridge was the one that started that process of creating it did prior to I guess him passing over to business to us. But it certainly was something that I know myself and him chatted many, many years ago when I started working for him.
We talked about, we need to have a blended program. I, you know, we said together that we see that being the future. And yes, it was way before that we started talking about it, that it came to fruition. But now it’s there. And of course, now being COVID, it’s the apple right time to have that conversation with our clients, that if they’re still doing traditional, here’s really an option for you. Now, what happened out of our blender program, because of COVID, we received approval from the WSIB and Ontario, that we can offer our online components, and the client would receive an interim certificate that will be valid, on to COVID is over, and then they can come into our classroom.
So for those clients that were not comfortable in, coming into the classroom to do that skill assessment, they are still getting their certification and staying compliant with WSIB regulations by doing the online component. And that’s still it is today that we’re offering it that way. We have clients that are coming in doing their practicals because, you know, we have all the protocols put in place of how to be safe in our classroom.
ut for those that don’t want to, you’re still getting an interim certificate, again, that if a somebody comes in and is expecting your health and safety program, you’re still in compliance with that certification, because it says in terms certificate, and it’s because of COVID. Under changes that happened, I guess because of COVID with the blender for us.
Paul Meyers 6:40
Yeah, that bringing that brings me to, you know, how has COVID affected your business? I understand you guys probably did a little bit of a pivot or a shift. Talk to me a little bit about that.
Ray Snow 6:50
Yeah, I guess like most businesses, you know, COVID is definitely affecting every company in Canada. And yes, definitely affected us in regards to, you know, our products and services that we deliver.
So, you know, obviously being a health and safety company, we’ve always had the ability to offer, you know, the PPE supplies, and we’ve always did sell those to some of our clients. Certainly, that’s been a real big pivot for us. Because, you know, that’s what we started to sell. You know, people weren’t obviously buying defibrillators from us or training, you know, the months of March to July.
But they need a hand sanitizer, facemask, nitrile gloves, you name it, anything to do with the PPE world face shields. And we obviously started to offer that as definitely a major part of our business for the last six months. And we continue to do that. And at the same time, you know, that really drove us in into the consulting world we started a year ago, but really put us in more to do more consulting, because clients needed to understand, well, what do I need to do to keep my staff and my patrons safe when they come into the workplace? So we started to offer those services and give analysis to their workplace of what they should do.
Paul Meyers 8:19
That’s great. I’ve interviewed many businesses that did, you know, some pivoting, if you will, through COVID. And they just, they just crushed it, they did such a great job. So it’s great to see another local company and talk about local because this is all about support local businesses.
And, you know, to know that Heartzap has been around for almost 20 years, started in North Bay, still has a local office here, yes, you have a head office in Cambridge. But we know that the roots are here in North Bay. This is a company that we want to get behind and support. So you know, if you’re listening and you’re a local business owner, and you need this type of training, whether it’s working at heights, CPR first aid, you want a defibrillator in the building, Heartzap, let’s get the rebranding Heartzap Safety Training and Equipment is the company, Ray any final parting thoughts that you’d want to add?
Ray Snow 9:15
We are lucky to live in Canada for sure. Yeah. And some great fabulous things through COVID and I continue to promote local in every aspect. And as a business owner, myself, I purchase locally, in my local community, but also in Canada.
And that’s a big for me, whatever I can get in Canada, I continue to purchase and I think, you know, if there are no lessons learned that should be one lesson learned in Canada through this COVID is that you know, support locally support your Canadian businesses, so they are around. Yes, sometimes they are a little bit more expensive than, you know, you can search online. And get it elsewhere. But those are the people that are going to be around to support you. And they’re there when there’s a problem. And you just got to pick up the phone, give them a call and chat with them.
Paul Meyers 10:10
Yeah, that is so true. It’s nice to be able to walk into a building, and actually see someone and speak to them. And, and sometimes, of course, if it’s in Canada, then you’re dealing online, but at least you’re still supporting Canada.
Ray Snow 10:23
Yes.
Paul Meyers 10:24
I think a lot of countries are kind of leaning that way, too. That’s the way it should be. You know, support where you live.
Ray Snow 10:31
Yeah. I totally agree with you.
Paul Meyers 10:34
Listen, Ray, thank you so much for hopping on. I greatly appreciate your time. This was fun. And it’s really interesting to see the company still thriving 20 years later, getting into different things, learning to pivot when they have to, so Well done, my friend. Good job. And we’ll talk to you again.
Ray Snow 10:51
Yeah, thanks a lot. I’ll take care.
Paul Meyers 10:53
Okay. Thank you. Bye.
