Darris Cameron
It all started when…
I was 21 years old, it was 2002 and I had just told my parents and friends I would not be returning to university. “Dad, Mom, I just don’t believe I can learn the things I want to learn about becoming an entrepreneur or business person from people collecting a salary and future pension from a school. I gave it a chance, but it isn’t for me…”
This went over quite well, and other than the single piercing question: “What now son?” There weren’t a lot of concerns.
Initially my dream and goal were to play NCAA hockey at a university in the US, get a degree and see where life went.
Funny what you learn about yourself; I was accepted, but felt my life moving in another direction.
The year 2003 would see my first failure: absolute, full and only mildly soul crushing.
After my hockey days were pretty much over, I began to spend a lot of time in the mountains. A lot of time skiing and enjoying a lifestyle. I didn’t have the technical ability to make skiing a vocation, or the connections, but I did enjoy the people I was around and had experience in retail.
I wanted to open a ski shop in North West Calgary, to service well over 100,000 people and build a community of like minded folks to help grow a business. Without going into detail, it was a complete failure, and I learned a ton from watching myself go through this alone.
The first lesson: Don’t do it alone.
The biggest lesson: that I indeed wanted to work for myself.
I was single, no real responsibilities and I was lucky enough to have parents that could help support me, and were pushing me in the right direction to become successful.
In the early winter days of 2003 I was offered an opportunity to build a branch with the Global Education Marketing Corporation (GEMC), marketing RESP (Registered Education Savings Plans) Scholarships to families in Alberta.
In January of 2004 I became RESP licensed and got after it.
Recalling the early days of struggling and striving, I remember getting ready to head to an appointment and my parents asking where I was going in a suit, at 8 o’clock at night. (This is entirely out of character for me then and now.)
“Going to work, see ya later...”
Later, dad would recall this and mention:
“That moment was the moment I was sure you would make it in the business. Time and place didn’t matter, you went for it.”
The RESP game was interesting in many ways, but few of them positive and in the next year I was facing a defeat from within, I wasn’t sure if this was all I wanted to do.
Ever the mentor, dad mentioned that now that I have clients, perhaps it is a good idea to become life licensed. This was the tail end of winter 2005, and by Summer of 2005 I became licensed in the Life Insurance industry. (LLQP licensed)
At that time I became a member of Advocis and the Independent Federation of Brokers Canada (IFBC) and have been active in those associations, working with them to do my part to craft legislation and ensure our industry remains independent.
Over the next two years I would transition from being on my own, to working with my father at what was then called Abex Value Inc. To becoming Vice President of Financial Value Inc. (FVI) and eventually President & COO.
My father and I initially worked with a hundred or so wealthy farmers and ranchers around southern Alberta, racking up hundreds of thousands of kilometres a year travelling to see them, to building a business with a few hundred households around Alberta, BC and Saskatchewan.
We did this through referrals, our clients trust us, and they often refer their friends, family, neighbours and acquaintances.
Word of mouth works.
We have built a thriving business together, mentoring and evolving with each other, and continue to grow our business. More recently through acquisitions.
We have built new ventures into our business, raising money to expand irrigation in Saskatchewan. Using the Saskatchewan River and Lake Diefenbaker to transform a region that has not seen a lot of growth in the last number of decades.
But ultimately our story begins and ends with the humble life insurance policy. We can do a lot of interesting things, but our bedrock is built on Life Insurance.
And we have done a lot of things… some of my highlights are below, but as we continue on, as dad moves more and more into retirement, I know we have a business that can provide for our family, help your family grow to see financial success and safety, and that one day I can pass it along to someone eager to help others and find their own success.
Through life insurance and annuity contracts we can give back to the community in ways society ignores. We can ensure widows and orphans can get on with the important things in their lives and don’t have to concern themselves with how they will pay all the bills, keep food on the table and pay the taxes.
I would like to see a ‘gofundme’ account accomplish the things the tax free benefit from a life insurance contract can.
I entered this industry because I had an urge to help people. Doctor, Health Care Worker, Scientist, Farmer and/or Politician were not careers I could navigate, so I chose an industry where I could directly aid people in ensuring their families and future were protected from financial issues we all face.
Career highlights:
President & COO Financial Value Inc., a wealth management firm
Dually Licensed Financial Advisor (Life Insurance & EMP)
Received RESP Scholarship license January 2003 (Resigned license in 2007)
Fully Life and A&S (LLQP) Licensed August 2005
Exempt Market Licensed 2010
Registered Dealing Representative of Pinnacle Wealth Brokers Inc. (2016 to present)
Advocis & IFBC member in good standing since 2005
15+ years of experience in the investment and insurance industry, helping build and ensure wealth for a clientele based in rural and urban Alberta with a long-term focus on portfolio and insurance management of over 200 farm/ ranch households and businesses as well as hundreds of other urban households in both Calgary and Edmonton.
Currently enrolled in the industries newest designation program: the Professional Financial Advisor (PFA) designation
this will lead to a Certified Financial Planner (CFP) designation in 2020
With goal to complete the Chartered Financial Analyst level 1 course soon after
Member of the National Exempt Market Association (NEMA) board of directors 2014
Directly shaped new regulation, working with the Alberta Securities Commission
2015 – 2016 Chair of the ‘NEMA advisor committee
Helped to shape new regulation and provided input from the perspective of the advisor/ licensed registrant
Reported Directly to NEMA Board to provide input on the challenges and successes of industry registrants, Exempt Market Dealerships, Product Issuers and most importantly investors
Published multiple times in the Exempt Edge, and industry magazine in print and online read by more than 100,000 people
One of Four original founders of Swift River Farms LTD Promoter/ Advisor to board of 2015 Swift River Farm and Water LP launched in the spring of 2015 Focus on marketing LP to accredited investors in Alberta.
Tasked with the creation of paper and digital marketing material for LP as well as Swift River Farmland 2017 Trust
From 2000-2016 I and a large group of my friends and acquaintances volunteered every summer at the Rotary Stampede Roundup & Oxford Stomp helping the Downtown chapter of the Rotary Club of Calgary (a local arm of Rotary International). (click here for more info)
These events helped raise millions of dollars for local and international charities
These are events that were managed and built by my father as General Manager and a small group of dedicated individuals
taking these events in a short period of time from 2-3000 person events to well over 35,000 people over two events over two days during the Calgary Stampede week
These two events were the largest events held during Stampede week, but had no affiliation or connection to Stampede in any way.
These events were 100% volunteer run and funded every year of their lifespan. (well over 40 years)