Jared Burry is a Digital Marketing Specialist for Harris Computer, a software company headquartered in Ottawa, Ontario. Jared works remotely out of Prince Edward Island (PEI), where he grew up and attended university. Jared graduated from the Business Administration co-op program at the University of Prince Edward Island and specialized in Marketing. Outside of work, he uses his creativity and design skills to run Spectrum Creative and help businesses establish their own digital footprint. Jared works hard to be the best father to his newborn son.

How did you get into IT?

Technology and the greater evolution of it has always been a passion of mine, so it has always been my goal to mix that with my passion for human behavior and how that can be translated into the business world, aka marketing. I decided early on in my path through university that the best way to get into the industry of my choice was by joining the co-operative education program where I could get direct experience in industries and roles I was interested in. After the completion of my degree, I had completed three work terms in differing industries, one of which was in the Information Technology space.

Can you describe your background and how you came to this point in your career?

The one co-op work term in the IT space was with a local utility software company called Cogsdale Corporation. During that work term, I was able to hone my skills in graphic design, information management, and creative content writing. From there I have been able to work in a variety of different fields doing a variety of different marketing functions including internal communications, brand management, market research, and marketing planning. This has prepared me to be a marketing generalist that can allow me to strive in any particular marketing facet which, most recently, is digitally-focused.

What’s your greatest accomplishment to this point?

My crowning moment to date however is internally-directed, where I helped an organization reduce overdue training by 25% by creating a wrestling-style training incentive tournament, complete with wrestling-style department logos, a bracket for employees to fill out on which department they think would reduce their overdue training the most, and the grand prize of a genuine wrestling belt that the winning department would get to hold until they are dethroned.

Tell us about your current role and company. What does your company do for what sort of customers? What sorts of problems are you solving for customers? What is your main expertise and how do you use it in your current role?

My current role is as a Digital Marketing Specialist for Harris Computer. In this current role, my job is to manage digital communications and marketing activities in an effort to increase brand awareness, manage audience relationships, and attract more companies who are considering selling their business.

Harris is a particularly interesting software company, as it does not technically provide software to any of its customers. Instead, they are a diversified software acquirer that purchases turnkey, best-of-breed software in a variety of vertical markets including healthcare, utilities, and public sector.

At the corporate level, Harris helps business owners transition from a position of business ownership, while ensuring their employees, customers, and products and/or services are taken care of for the foreseeable future. At the business unit level, each Harris business unit helps their customers with their everyday operating challenges. This varies by vertical industry, but can include activities such as record management in hospitals or private practices in the healthcare sector, local government accounting in the public sector, and mobile workforce management in the utilities sector.

My role is to help our [Mergers and Acquisitions (M&A)] team generate leads by creating various communication channels that we can use to connect with potential business owners. This helps those who are looking to sell their business connect with people from our M&A team to see if they are a good fit for the Harris family of companies. I do this by creating engaging content through press releases, social media posts, and other brand collateral that we can use to increase Harris’ brand awareness.

Can you tell us about a person who greatly influenced the success in your career?

I credit a lot of different people with the nurturing and development of my career, many of whom helped out before I even began work that contributed towards my career such as my parents who helped out with my post-secondary education, and my professors and mentors who taught me invaluable skills in both marketing and in life.

However, if I had to narrow it down to just one person in particular, it would be my two-time former boss Casey Dowd. Known to him as “Billy the Kid”, Casey saw my potential during my second co-op work term and allowed me to get my start in the technology field once I graduated, hiring me when he could have hired FAR more qualified applicants. Without that vote of confidence from him, I may not have ended up in the field that I know I am meant to be in.

What made you decide to work remotely on PEI?

Prince Edward Island has always been the province I call home, as I have lived here practically my whole life (other than being born in Newfoundland). It is also home to those I am closest to, including my parents, my friends, my life partner, and my son. While my work does allow me to work essentially anywhere in the world, there is something about the small-town, “everyone knows who you are” vibe of PEI that I know draws me back in.

What is your favourite part about living in PEI and working remotely?

Working remotely allows me the flexibility I need to help support my family. I can be there for when my newborn needs his diaper changed or to get my partner some lunch while she is taking care of him, and get straight back to work when I am done. Remote work is the perfect way to balance work and life and is 100% the future of work.

Where is your favourite place to go to unwind from your work day?

After work I like to relax with my family, which currently involves tummy time with the baby or taking him for a drive so he will sleep. When the weather is a bit nicer, we like to head over to Lakeside for some beach time as we are just a hop, skip, and jump away.

What technology or tool are you excited about? What are you actively learning?

Artificial Intelligence is, obviously, the way of the future, but it isn’t all about robotics and replacing jobs. Many AI tools are being developed that can help marketing efforts and have the ability to scale even the smallest of companies such as ChatGPT, StockAI, Browse AI, and much, much more. I am constantly on the lookout for new and exciting tools that can be used to support my marketing efforts.

Other than learning about how to be a good father (the hardest thing I will ever learn), I am continuing to hone my craft in graphic design through my side-hustle Spectrum Creative.

What is one thing that you hope to achieve in your future career in 10 years?

My goal in the next ten years is to continue working on my marketing expertise so that I can lead the charge of marketing operations in whatever organization I am a part of. I also want to be able to teach young marketers everything I have acquired along the way so that they too can be effective communicators in an increasingly digital age.

Can you provide us with a way that people can find you online?

For someone who does digital marketing and social media for a living, I keep a relatively small digital footprint. I am most active on LinkedIn, and you can connect with me there at https://www.linkedin.com/in/jaredscottburry/,

Would you like to promote a product or service?

If you are a small business owner, not-for-profit, startup, or entrepreneur and need some initial branding (logos, icons, etc.) done, check out my creative project Spectrum Creative, where I can help out for little to no cost: https://www.behance.net/specreative/