Brandon Wright
Bored of protecting kings and countries (seriously), Brandon decided to take on fear itself - specifically for boaters, with his company Barnacle Systems.
Finalist for:
Emerging Leader of the Year
What brought you to Victoria?
I moved to Victoria from Comox when I was accepted into Electrical Engineering at UVic.
Where did you go to school and what did you take?
University of Victoria – Electrical Engineering.
What was the biggest obstacle to getting where you are now, and how did you overcome it?
By far the biggest obstacle to beginning Barnacle Systems was making the decision to quit my job back in 2017 and having to make that decision with my wife and then 2-year old daughter. My wife and I made a plan and have stuck to it ever since. Now, my daughter is 4 years old and my wife is thriving in her own small business. I certainly wouldn’t be where I am today without the love and support from my wife and daughter.
What are you most proud of in your career?
One of the highlights in my career was presenting to the Ret. US Secretary of Defense, William Cohen, on how to protect a border using advanced surveillance technology. I had been selected to do this presentation by the CEO of FLIR, a multi-billion dollar company, after having done this presentation to him hours before!
What’s something most people don’t know about you?
I was a sponsored skimboarder… Yes, the sport where you throw a board onto the sand and slide off into the sunset. If anyone is looking to go for a skim, let me know! I’ll do so many pop-shuv-its I’ll make your head spin. Haha!
Who has been the biggest influence on your life? What lessons did that person teach you?
My parents are by far the biggest influence in my life. I know that’s not “one” person, but they function as a unit, accomplish goals together, and make decisions together. They’re constantly looking out for each other, caring for each other and best of all – having fun with each other! While building Barnacle, I always looked to them for advice, but what I have learned from them is very ‘cliche’… To be successful in life is to be happy and to be surrounded by friends and family. I feel like I am already successful based on that measuring stick. Financial success will be ‘icing on the cake’.
For a Colleague or Client to answer: What do you admire most about this finalist?
“A path to success is never easy, it’s a sum of many internal and external factors and requires many traits from a motivated leader. Accountability, decisiveness, integrity, perseverance, innovative thinking, respectfulness, intelligence, likability, insight, modesty, drive, and vision. These traits are essential in dealing with the obstacles that stand in the way of success and Brandon Wright embodies them all.
It’s not at all surprising that Brandon has ended up where he is today and is now being considered for the Emerging Leader Award. In a very short period of time, Brandon has identified a problem, created a solution for it and has done it far better than anyone else in the Marine market to date. All of this has been as a result of leading a very small team. This seems impossible, but this is Brandon’s reality.”
– Sean Battistoni, Sales Manager, BRNKL