Manitoba's Top Employers

22 RAPID RTC When was the last time you've had a quality and fast response from a dealership during your car-purchasing journey? For Winnipeg-based RAPID RTC, that purchasing experience is the on-ramp to a successful business. "Our mission is to empower salespeople to deliver the best first impression in the automotive industry, by responding to every lead, every time with personalized experience," says RAPID RTC founder and CEO Glen Demetrioff. RAPID RTC provides this unique software and service to 50 dealerships in Manitoba, with about 3,000 clients worldwide, including North America and Europe. The company began in 1996 when Demetrioff, a new car sales manager, and his wife Sharon founded DMT Development Systems Group Inc. Demetrioff was already creating software in his spare time. His goal was to deliver a better experience for customers while making sure salespeople like himself got the leads they needed in as short a time as possible. That effort finally paid off with RAPID RTC Lead Manager, a suite of software tools, such as Chat and Text, that can immediately send notices to the devices of salespeople when a potential customer posts a question. "Whoever gets that lead first can respond to it," says Demetrioff. "To date we're the only provider of this type of invention in the automotive space." Although RAPID RTC is a global company with 300 employees, most of them are located here in Winnipeg at the University of Manitoba's high-tech Smartpark Research Park. Smartpark's vision statement "Building a Community of Innovators" is something Demetrioff says is at the core of RAPID RTC. "Our team of LEADERS has built everything from scratch, and we've used that source code to propel new ideas into the marketplace," he says. "We look for individuals who are innovative, collaborative and view challenges as opportunities to succeed to join our growing team." Some of that mindset is found right next door at the University of Manitoba. "We've had the opportunity multiple times to speak to students, provide them insight into what it's like to have a career in IT. Our ties to the university are very strong," says Demetrioff. So strong that starting last semester the company began providing a $2,500 scholarship to students in computer science. That scholarship is part of a five-year agreement with the university. Having a husband and wife team as ownership fosters a family environment with accommodative and flexible benefits for all employees. New hires start with three weeks of paid vacation and three family days each year, encouraging a work-life balance. Demetrioff says while his company attracts employees who are innovative thinkers, they must also know the value of being part of a team. "If they feel like they are giving to the project, and they actually have a say in the direction, that provides the highest reward back to anyone, and that's what we're focused on," he says. Demetrioff says all that hard work is celebrated with many family events, such as company sponsored food truck wars, bowling nights and a highly-anticipated May long weekend "Amazing Race/Scavenger Hunt" activity. RAPID RTC also supports employees who give back to the community. The company calls it Humanitarian Day. "Humanitarian Day is one paid day per year we give to employees to give back to the community in any way they feel has a meaningful impact," says Demetrioff. "If they want to volunteer in their child's school classroom, they can do so. If they want to go to a food bank and distribute food, they can do so. There's no real limitation other than it's helping people in need." For the past few years the company has also encouraged employees to work collectively with a donation drive called Payroll for the Needy. Last year, RAPID RTC employees donated $147,000 to the Children's Wish Foundation. Previous recipients of its employee generosity have included the Children's Hospital, the Salvation Army and the Christmas Cheer Board. TEAM SPIRIT DRIVES INNOVATION BY NEIL COLIGAN

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