Senior Care Franchise Leadership Team

It's all about having the right people who are passionate about what they do.

To become a member of the Nurse Next Door team, the first requirement is that you are a passionate person.  When you meet our leadership team in person at our onsite tour day, this will be obvious.

John DeHart, B.Sc
Co-founder

John, along with co-founder Ken Sim, got the idea for Nurse Next Door based on the personal experience of trying to find quality caregiving.  Prior to Nurse Next Door John launched early stage hi-tech companies but left the lucrative career in search of something more satisfying. After taking significant time off, John re-entered the business world with a mission: to build a leading health care franchise that would make social responsibility and ethics a number one priority.

John’s “Top 1” is to build Nurse Next Door into a new kind of health care franchise – one where compassionate care, hotel-like customer service and true employee loyalty are the basis of their expansion across the country.

John’s professional achievements are impressive. He holds a B.Sc in Hotel Administration (Major in Finance) from Cornell University, won his alma mater's Johnson School of Business "Entrepreneur of the Year" Award in 1995, was recently accepted into the MIT “Birthing of Giants” program, was named one of Vancouver’s “Top 40 Under 40”, and most recently received the Ernst & Young Entrepreneur Of The Year Award 2006 for the Pacific Region as an Emerging Entrepreneur.

A strong believer in giving back to the community, John is an active member in various community and non-profit organizations. He is currently a Board Member and Treasurer of The Caregivers Association of BC (CABC), a founder of the DeHart Foundation, and an active member of the Young Entrepreneurs Organization.

John lives in Vancouver with his wife, Gayla and daughter, Daisy.  His hobbies include trail running on any mountain, windsurfing and reading (philosophy and classic literature are his favorites).

Ken Sim, CA
Co-founder

Ken co-founded Nurse Next Door, along with business partner John DeHart, through his own need to find quality caregiving for a loved one. In a former life Ken was an investment banker but left the high profile, financially lucrative position in favor of starting a company that could make a real difference in people’s lives.

Focusing on operations, finance, and technology, Ken’s “Top 1” is to continue to improve the quality of care Nurse Next Door provides while expanding across North America through franchise partners.

A decorated business leader, Ken holds a BComm from the University of British Columbia, is a Chartered Accountant, is a member of MIT’s “Birthing of Giants” program, was named as one of BC’s “Top 40 Under 40”, and recently received the Ernst & Young Entrepreneur Of The Year Award 2006 for the Pacific Region as an Emerging Entrepreneur.

Ken is also heavily involved in his community and has brought with him a philanthropic gene to Nurse Next Door. Ken mentors UBC Commerce students, is a Board Member for the Kerrisdale Business Association, is a member of the Young Entrepreneurs Organization and has made Nurse Next Door a corporate donor for various organizations including The Heart and Stroke Foundation, The Healthy Heart Society, The Vancouver Foodbank, The BC / Canadian Cancer Society, The Alzheimer’s Society, and many more. Ken’s ultimate ‘giving back’ goal is to establish a foundation that provides scholarship to the children of caregivers and healthcare staff.

While his schedule is demanding, Ken always finds time to spend with his wife, Teena, and their three children. 

David Reeve
VP Client Services

With an extensive track record of excellence in helping businesses become more effective, David’s responsibilities at Nurse Next Door include business development, customer service and operations while making the organization a model for others to follow.

David joins Nurse Next Door with impressive experience in working with and building call centres. Most recently, David was the head of Operational Excellence for Club Intrawest, a division of Intrawest, owners and operators of eleven mountains in North America. Prior to his role with Intrawest, David was the Director of Professional Services for Seattle based Who’s Calling where he developed 6 core sales/service products as well as their web based University training offerings. David has also served as the Vice President of Strategic Alliances for Fox Marketing Group, a provider of outsourced call centre operations for clients including AT&T Wireless, Bell Canada, and Intrawest.

With years of experience dealing with business development issues, David’s “Top 1” is to help build Nurse Next Door into a dominant international organization that is both sustainable and poised for continuous growth.

David’s community involvement highlight is helping to raise $16,000 for the United Way. A speed enthusiast, David enjoys F1 and motorcycle racing. When not tackling complex business problems or watching thrilling races, David unwinds by spending time with his wife of 15 years, Michelle.

Board of Advisors

Milton Wong

Chairman

Milton is currently the Chairman of HSBC Asset Management Canada, founding shareholder and director of A.L.I. Technologies Inc. (acquired by McKesson Corp.), Chairman of Genyous Lifesciences, a Director of ALCAN and a member of the board of directors of both Genome BC and Stemcell Network.

Milton is also known for his extensive community involvement.  He has played a pivotal role in establishing and continually supporting several high-profile institutions and events around Vancouver, including Science World, the UBC Portfolio Management Society and the Canadian International Dragon Boat Festival.  Milton is the co-chair of the BC Cancer Foundation Millennium Campaign, is the founding chairman of the Dragon Boat Festival and is an advisory board member with the Salvation Army.  He is also the founder and chair of The Laurier Institution, an independent and non-profit organization dedicated to the advancement and dissemination of knowledge concerning the economic and social implications of cultural diversity.

Milton had been awarded the Order of Canada, the Civic Award from the City of Vancouver, the Distinguished Leadership Award and a doctorate degree from Simon Fraser University, the Socially Responsible Entrepreneur of the Year Award (1994) and Honour Roll distinction from MacLean’s magazine. Milton is also a former Chancellor of Simon Fraser University.

Cameron Herold

Cameron Herold joined Nurse Next Door's Board of Advisors in 2006 and has been a key part of the company's expansion North American wide.  Prior to Nurse Next Door, Cameron served as Chief Operating Officer of 1-800-GOT-JUNK?, and was one of the principle architects to this explosive brand. Cameron brought a wealth of experience to the leadership team, where he helped grow all facets of the organization as it grew from $2 Million to $105 Million in 6 years.

Prior to his arrival at the 1-800-GOT-JUNK?, from early 1998 to late 2000 Cameron was employed by Ubarter.com, a division of Network Commerce (NASD: NWKC) in Seattle, WA, as Vice President of Corporate Development. He also served as President of Barter Business Exchange in Vancouver, BC until it's acquisition by Ubarter.com.

From October 1994 to March 1998, Cameron served as VP, Franchise Development for Coast to Coast Franchise Services (Boyd Autobody & Glass).

In these positions, Cameron was involved in the sale, branding and integration of 120+ franchise locations, development and deployment of e-commerce and Internet strategies, negotiation of corporate acquisitions and development of numerous strategic partnerships. He has built and led teams in PR, Marketing, Sales, Strategic Alliances, Franchise Operations, Coaching, Training, Call Center and Product Development.

A husband, and father of two, Cameron enjoys working in Granville Island. An avid runner, skier, and speaker to businesses and entrepreneurs across North America, his high-energy approach to business is contagious. With a unique understanding of brand marketing and PR, Cameron’s leadership strategies have been covered by The Associated Press, Bloomberg, Wall Street Journal, NY Times, Fortune magazine, and many others.

Michael Drever

Originally a CruiseShipCenters Franchise Owner, Michael has been at the helm of the company since 1988.  Under his direction, CruiseShipCenters has become an industry leader with over 1,400 cruise consultants operating through 93 retail locations Canada wide and has enjoyed an average annual growth rate of 30%.  Michael has been recognized with numerous business accolades including the Royal Bank of Canada Franchisor of the Year Award from the Canadian Franchise Association and was also ranked 8th “Top Entrepreneurs under the Age of 30” in North America by the Association of Collegiate Entrepreneurs.  He is a past president of the Young Entrepreneurs Association and is married with four children.

Judi Richardson, MBA

Judi Richardson has been described as one of the top marketing minds in business today. With an MBA from York University Judi has 20 years of corporate, entrepreneurial business and marketing experience with major brands including Starbucks, Scott Paper and Krispy Kreme. Judi spearheaded the record-breaking launch of the Krispy Kreme brand in Canada. She also championed KremeKo’s foray into Quebec. Judi, a former member of the Canadian National Ski Team, is now the principal of Richardson Management Inc., a strategic consulting company specializing in business strategy development, planning and analysis.  Her company’s diverse client list has spanned technology, service, retail and consumer goods industries. Judi has held advisory, board and committee positions with Kids.now, Jugo Juice, BC Chapter of American Marketing Association, and BC Children’s Hospital Foundation among others.

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