Leading by Example
Scott Paddock
Co-President
When Scott Paddock was a kid, father-son time always involved a truck.
Luckily, Scott was hooked on his family’s business from an early age, eager to ride around with drivers, transfer freight and, when he was older, repair tires and run to Toronto for parts. “It was a colourful childhood with too many stories to tell,” Scott says. “My poor mother would just roll her eyes.”
Scott got his commercial driver’s license at 18 and drove for Paddock until his late 20s. He remembers the old days, when truck drivers had nothing more than the money in their pocket and the smarts between their ears to deal with situations 2,000 miles from home. “Back then it was the wild west,” Scott recalls. “Today, technology keeps everyone in the loop.”
When his dad became sick, Scott and his younger brother Mac moved into dispatch. A bit of a night owl, Scott worked nights while Mac took the day shift. “When my dad and uncle both died in ’92, it was sink or swim. We weren’t looking to be co-presidents but we knew the business inside out and responsibility was something we’d had since we were very young.”
Today, there’s a lot of overlap between their roles, but Scott oversees maintenance, purchasing and research and development for specialized equipment to be used for moving out-of-gauge or oversized goods, while Mac focuses more on the sales side of the business.
Asked what he’s most proud of, Scott is quick to reply. “We’ve done this long enough and well enough that we’ve earned a lot of respect in the industry. We do what we say we’re going to do. And it takes a very dedicated group of people—you can’t even imagine some of the hurdles we run into on a daily basis.”
It’s precisely those challenges that have made Paddock Transportation Scott’s first—and only—choice of workplace. “It becomes addictive,” he admits. “Every day is a new ball game. You have to be able to think on your feet and solve problems.”
Scott has been told more than once that he’s like his dad. “He was a great role model. To more than just his own family. He had a knack for bringing out the best in people and I think we strive to do that today as well.”