Episode 6: Maureen Lucas (Past President/CEO of LucasWorks)

On this episode of No Coaster Needed, I sat down with Maureen Lucas. She is both Past President & CEO of LucasWorks and an Entrepreneur-In-Residence with the University of Windsor’s EPICentre.

Maureen has been recognized for many years on the Profit W100 List for Canada’s Top Female Entrepreneurs and the company she founded, LucasWorks has been on the Profit 500 List for the last 7 years consecutively. Maureen is also a proud Rotarian and a founder of 100 Women Who Care Windsor-Essex, a group dedicated to giving large contributions to local community causes and who are committed to community service.

On the show, we talk about Maureen’s start in the hospitality industry, founding, growing and selling a business, adjusting to changes in the market and her own company, her work outside of work and all of the anecdotes in between.

If you want to follow the work that Maureen does, check out these organizations and causes: The University of Windsor EPICentre: epicentreuwindsor.ca The Windsor Rotary Club: rotary1918.com. 100 Women Who Care Windsor-Essex: 100WomenWindsor.com

Finally, if you wanted information about the company that she founded, LucasWorks, you can check that out at LucasWorks.ca.

Interview Notes: 1:40 Growing up in the Windsor area and working in hospitality 2:45 Making the transition from hospitality to recruitment 4:35 What is a Recruitment Agency and what does the day-to day look like? 5:55 Starting in industry as a receptionist & working with unique customers 8:40 Starting her own company: LucasWorks 13:00 Hurdles, early milestones and the 2008 recession 15:40 Opening an office in London 17:45 Maureen’s support system and business growth 20:10 When should you let go of certain functions of the business to other people? 21:30 Expanding into Professional Search 23:50 Selling LucasWorks and how people reacted to selling the business 28:05 One piece of advice for a former self 29:30 Transitioning to work with the University of Windsor EPICentre 33:25 Working with the Rotary Club 35:05 The importance of a mentor 37:10 Biggest piece of advice for entrepreneurs 39:30 A note about employee recognition 40:25 What’s next (i.e.: 100 Women Who Care Windsor-Essex)

Season 1 of No Coaster Needed focuses on people with ties to Windsor, Ontario.

To see updates about future No Coaster Needed shows, visit NoCoasterNeeded.com or follow me on Twitter @JacobMcCourt.