THIS WEEK'S TRIBUNE  THIS WEEK'S TRIBUNE Steven Goldhar stays ahead of the high-technology trends
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Steven Goldhar stays ahead of the high-technology trends |
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Written by Marcie Somers
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Tuesday, 03 June 2008 |
TORONTO – Some people are born entrepreneurs and innovators. Steven Goldhar happens to be one of them. Since he was a teenager growing up in Willowdale, he’s been creating and innovating.
When he was 18 and still in high school, he started his first business – importing air purifiers. What made his business unique was that the purifiers used a special mineral whose absorbing properties are used in water purification, solar heating storage and nuclear waste containment. The product was extremely popular and the young Goldhar wound up selling the purifier to nursing homes, factories, offices and retail stores throughout the GTA. One year later he was recognized for his leadership and was awarded the Raymond Aaron Entrepreneur Award, after beating out 20 other young entrepreneurs.
PROGRAMMING AT 10
The self-confessed technology aficionado had been programming computers since he was 10 – “from the time I was a child, I enjoyed learning about computers and how they operate.” He was asked by one of his father’s friends to electronically produce a set of financial statements. Things snowballed from there.
While a student at the University of Toronto, to make money, he did tax returns online, which, at that time (late 1980s), was relatively new. He also worked for a prepress company where he noticed that technology, specifically computers, were starting to replace manual systems. Goldhar quickly realized that this was the wave of the future in advertising and marketing.
After graduating with a bachelor degree in molecular biology (“my original plan was to be a doctor”), he opened his own media company, Sundance Media.
When he started his company in 1997, it was a web design shop. However, a few years later, he saw a niche in the marketplace that few companies were playing in at the time; search engine marketing (SEM), a form of Internet marketing that seeks to promote web sites by increasing their visibility in the Search Engine result pages. It is a tool that many marketers use today. However back in 2002 it was in its infancy.
“Very quickly on, I saw that SEM marketing was a very useful way for companies to track the effectiveness of their advertising,” he said.
Today, Sundance Media helps its clients improve their Internet and new-media performance by helping them understand and target consumers, track competitors, win new business and cement customer loyalty.
In keeping with his forward thinking, his company spent four years developing a comprehensive and integrated online marketing portal for Ogilvy & Mather Worldwide (O&M), a world-renowned advertising agency, called InSite.
The program provides O&M offices around the world that lack either the expertise or resources in online advertising with a structured and intuitive process that also gives them access to the industry’s best online and mobile marketing technologies and expertise, giving them a substantial competitive advantage over other agencies.
NOMINATED FOR AWARD
Goldhar said, “InSite provides our clients with information including industry and competitor market intelligence and strategic assistance with campaign development, deployment and performance measurement, so that they are empowered with the necessary information to develop programs as requested by their clients.”
As a result of his initiative and ground-breaking work with Ogilvy & Mather, he was a nominee and finalist for the 2006 Canadian New Media Award.
Two years ago, he assisted Fanshawe College in creating the first SEM course in Canada. Now in its second year, the program is becoming increasingly popular. He is currently using his expertise in online and mobile marketing to develop a modified version of InSite, including search engine marketing training for members of The Interactive Advertising Bureau of Canada (IAB), an industry-recognized, non-profit association providing education, resources and communication forums for marketers, publishers and practitioners.
When not working, he enjoys spending time with his 10-year-old son. Goldhar, who lives near the Lakeshore, can often be seen roller-blading or bike-riding along the waterfront.
Goldhar feels fortunate that he was able to find his true calling at a young age.
“I learned that your interests tend to often be part of the greater picture and can lead to what you’re going to become. I was excited and passionate about technology from when I was a child and I feel fortunate that I was able to make that turn into a successful career.”
At the end of the day, he’s just doing what he loves. And as he says, “I’m having a blast.” |
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Last Updated ( Wednesday, 11 June 2008 )
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