travelling salesperson , holding a briefcase or samples in their hands and going door-todoor in order to meet face-to-face .
THE FUTURE IS IN NEW TECHNOLOGIES , NEW COMPUTERS , NEW SOFTWARE , AND MORE . WE HAVE TO LEARN TO EMBRACE THAT CONCEPT OF THE FUTURE AND WORK WITH IT , NOT AGAINST IT .
Ultimately , it is where the younger generation is , and to capture their interest , the industry must move to where their minds are captivated . Things that took years and years to develop now only take weeks or months , if not less . Technology is advancing faster than most can keep up , but the younger generation can keep up , and that is the message that the industry must take hold of . The actual physicality of technology probably won ’ t change quickly , but the software — the foundation of it — is constantly updating . Like Zoran said , “ It ’ s IPOs on steroids .”
According to Statistics Canada , “ The working-age population ( persons aged 15 to 64 ) has never been older ,” 2 and so Canada is seeing great opportunities for economic immigrants but headaches for business owners due to retirements from the labour force . Zoran is also facing this issue as much of his workforce is comprised of immigrants . Pittsburgh Steel Group began its operations in 1996 , and some of their employees who started there on day one are still there .
Zoran , along with his partners Danny and Ross Goboitsios , know that they have an incredible team of long-term employees dedicated to the company , and they are grateful for them . He will admit that 100 % of his employees in his fabrication facility are men , and he wishes there were more women to allow for equal opportunity , but it is simply not the case right now .
One thing that Zoran concerns himself with regarding the use of new technologies is how it creates the possibility of eliminating the human factor in fabrication . If you create a machine that eliminates the need for a human to operate it , that is the downside of technology . Yes , there are numerous benefits to technology , there is no disputing that . But when we talk about the workforce and the changing needs of industry , it ’ s hard to keep up .
Zoran immigrated to Canada from Sarajevo in 1994 with his wife and then five-monthold son , Andrej . The Bosnian war in the 1990s was the catalyst for this life-changing decision . When deciding on which country to move to , Canada was a no-brainer , not only for the Mounties with their friendly nature and big hats but also for it being a country of possibilities for someone who had dreams of raising his family in safety and prosperity . Canada accepted him and his family , and he is very grateful for that and for all that he has achieved as a proud Canadian .
Montenegro holds a special place in Zoran ’ s heart , not only because it is where he attended university and met his wife but also because of the connections he made over the years . Many of the men and women who work with him now come from Montenegro , a small country in Southeastern Europe with a population less than 630,000 and roughly 13,812 square kilometers .
Zoran ’ s life story so far is one of determination , dedication , and drive . Determined to make a difference to those near and far ; dedicated to his family , friends , colleagues , and employees ; and driven to do more . His heart goes out to the people of Ukraine and the war they are suffering through right now . He will never forget where he came from , and he knows to never say never to the possibility of a bright , healthy , and safe future for everyone . +
Photo Credit - Marcie Costello Photography
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1 . Périlleux , A ., & Szafarz , A . ( 2022 ). “ Women in the boardroom : a bottom – up approach to the trickledown effect .” Small Business Economics , 58 ( 4 ), 1783 – 1800 . doi . org / 10.1007 / s11187-021-00475-8 2 . https :// www . cimmigrationnews . com / more-canada-jobs-for-economic-immigrants-due-to-wave-ofretirements /”