Sacrificing a more traditional career path in favor of pursuing an entrepreneurial endeavor demands drive and determination.
The road to success is challenging, but the resilience to keep pushing forward in tough times is essential. Superheat’s CEO Norm MacArthur chose to take the risk.
MacArthur first began working in the onsite heat treatment industry for a company in a remote area of Canada that had contracts for the construction of two large nuclear power plants. Although he was only employed there for a short period of time, it allowed MacArthur to see that there was enough scope to support a different, smaller, local operation. He chose to start his own business that could provide regular maintenance onsite heat treatment services.
Superheat’s MacArthur underscores the importance of attentive risk-taking
Norm MacArthur, CEO, Superheat
The start wasn’t easy. "It was a oneman band, but eventually, a very large project landed in our lap, and we had to grow quickly in a short time," MacArthur recalled. The company, Global Heat, experienced a rapid rise in the 1980s to twelve offices throughout North America. In the late 1990s, MacArthur made the difficult decision to sell the company to a larger competitor as part of an acquisition strategy.
However, not all hope was lost. As the old saying goes: "When one door closes, another door opens."
"Selling my first company and gaining the knowledge and confidence to build a second one" is credited as the most pivotal moment of MacArthur’s career. With the same adventurous mindset, he established Superheat in 2000.
Superheat follows the principle that innovation and technological advancements can produce a Better. Safer. Faster.™ way to provide onsite heat treatment services. With almost 25 years under its belt, the company is still striving to be the leading provider within the marketplace, with the ultimate goal of delivering the best customer experience possible.
Looking toward the future, MacArthur wants to see the company "expand its footprint in the vast Middle East market and grow its induction offering business in North America while organically expanding its standard market services." MacArthur says the company’s growth has been entirely organic, with over $100 million in sales annually and currently aiming for its next plateau.
This feat could be credited to one of MacArthur’s missions: finding growth opportunities for all departments within the company. The importance of a strong team is valuable to a business, and keeping the best people around requires active listening. "By building a runway and giving employees support, they will reach their goals," he said. "When employees can reach their own goals, it plays a big part in keeping the best people around."
There are many things MacArthur has learned during his tenure. In fact, one of his biggest lessons learned was the ability to be attentive.
"Listen to your clients. Listen to your team. It’s from learning where we build visions," he said. MacArthur attributes Superheat’s success to listening and taking good advice from experienced people.
In his entrepreneurial endeavors, MacArthur not only founded Global Heat and Superheat but also served as CEO and president. Remarkably, he has remained in the position of CEO ever since.
While business is MacArthur’s passion, he added, "Be sure to enjoy what you do, and family always comes first."
"If it were easy, everyone would be doing it" is MacArthur’s favorite saying. Based on his ambitious nature, it’s apparent that he’s one willing to take the road less traveled.
For more information, visit superheat.com or call (888) 508-3226.
