Candidates for National President Elect

Doug Baker - CPC Halifax

I was born and raised in Dartmouth, Nova Scotia. Growing up, being in a navy family meant being very active with sports. We always loved the challenge of competition. We played hockey, football, and baseball. Of course, being in Nova Scotia, swimming and paddling always occupied the summer. I was very lucky. For a while I played at the Junior “A” level for the Halifax Junior Canadians.

A professional hockey career wasn’t in the cards. I attended Dalhousie University and then moved on to the working world.

My work has been mostly in retail. I started with Tip Top Tailors and moved through the ranks. My career has taken me to New Brunswick, Alberta, and Ontario. At one point I was the buyer at the Head Office in Toronto. Eventually I wanted to come back to the ocean, to that end, as many of you know I moved back to Dartmouth and am now with Staples.

Retail can be a tough business. It’s not for everyone. I love it. It’s fun working with all kinds of energetic staff and helping them achieve their full potential. The annual sales targets seem daunting. I just break it down, work with the staff, provide a little encouragement, listen to their ideas, make a few improvements, and have some fun every day.

My career in Progress has been equally rewarding. I was inducted into the Canadian Progress Club Halifax in 1982. I was active until 1987 when I moved west where I was introduced briefly to the Bow River Club. When I returned to Nova Scotia, my Progress career was reactivated in 1995.

Over the next several years I got involved at the club board level starting as a director, on to club secretary, president elect and then president in 2002/2003. The Halifax club is run by 50 business professionals who, since the early 70’s, have been the number one service club in Atlantic Canada. In some aspects we are a benchmark for Progress in Canada. That being said, we learn something every year from all the clubs across Canada who are making a difference.

I moved on to become the Zone Governor for a year and than on to National Vice -President for Eastern Canada for two years. Eastern Canada is strong with Progress. Through good business skills, working closely with and educating the club presidents, helping to coach and mentor new members, and holding clubs to our eight standards we have seen a significant increase in our membership in all clubs.

However, we know that we can’t rest when things are going well. Going forward we need to run our organization as a business while embracing the social aspects of a club. We need to define our focus and key priorities as well as continually educate our members. A member who is knowledgeable in our history and procedures is a valuable, productive, and committed progression.

This is me in a nutshell. I look forward to seeing everyone in St. John’s. If you’re traveling to Halifax, please give me a call and enjoy some famous maritime hospitality.

Yours for Progress,
Doug