“Summerside is a beautiful ocean-side city; if you have a chance to work and live here, take it!” – Shawn 

What is your name, and how long have you been living and working in Summerside?
My name is Shawn McCarvill. I was born at the Prince County Hospital and have lived and worked for most of my life in the greater Summerside area. I grew up in Kinkora and have lived in the Kensington area since 1993.

What was your journey to be the President of Slemon Park Corporation?
I graduated from UPEI in 1980, became a Chartered Accountant in Ottawa in 1983, moved home to PEI in 1985 to work with Kevin and Danny Murphy’s businesses in Charlottetown, and then joined Slemon Park Corporation in 1991 as its first chief financial officer. I worked at some other organizations on PEI from 1996 until 2008 when I had the opportunity to return to Slemon Park Corporation as president.

Tell us one of your most memorable experiences while working in Summerside?
In 2009, Slemon Park was the athlete’s village for the first week of the 2009 Canada Summer Games. Most of the athletes and coaches flew into the Summerside Airport on a beautiful warm day in August and had the opportunity to walk from their planes to the athlete’s village. There were up to eight athletes in bunk beds in a standard hotel room. The organizers thought that eight teenagers would arrange among themselves to clean their own bathrooms. By mid-week, we arranged an all-hands-on-deck special contingent of staff to give all the bathrooms a good cleaning.

What would be a fun fact that most people wouldn’t know about working for Slemon Park?
Slemon Park was an air force base for 50 years – from 1941 to 1991. When its closure was announced in 1989, most people thought it would be devastating to the Summerside area – but I also heard an opinion that it was the best thing that ever happened to Summerside – “they’ve been threatening to close the base for 20 years, and have finally done it, so now Summerside can get on with the rest of its life”. The closure of the base not only resulted in the development of the Aerospace and Public Safety Training industries at Slemon Park, but also the establishment of the CRA Tax Centre in Summerside. So, Summerside has gotten on really well with the rest of its life!

What is the work culture like at Slemon Park Corporation?
I believe our staff are very proud to work for Slemon Park Corporation as a provincial crown corporation and to know that the good work we do in serving our tenants, customers and guests is also serving all Islanders.

Why did you choose Summerside to live and work?
Having grown up in Kinkora, I appreciated the opportunity in 1991 to work and live in Prince County, and to be part of an organization charged with redeveloping the former CFB Summerside property.

What unique opportunities or challenges have you encountered while living and working in Summerside?

The people of Summerside and other parts of PEI generally have a great, positive attitude about life and work (partially related to living on a small island) which has translated in a real way to the development of the Aerospace industry on PEI and to the long term success in the international marketplace for Aerospace organizations such as StandardAero and Honeywell, whose operations have been at Slemon Park for its full 33 year history.

How does your role help foster innovation and creativity in Summerside’s business community?
We take great pride in providing a starting point for businesses, as well as a path to accommodate future growth. Our Property Management operations can help with space fit-up, and we work from there with other partners in the public and private sectors to provide good quality well-maintained commercial spaces so that our tenants can focus their efforts on their businesses and their customers.

If you had to pick one, what would be your favorite thing about working in Summerside?
I often feel sorry for anyone having to commute to work in a large city. I have a leisurely 15-minute drive through beautiful pastoral countryside that provides an easy transition in every way between work and home.

If someone was thinking about moving to live and work in Summerside, what advice would you give them?
My wife grew up in Montreal and in Ottawa and I had the opportunity to live in a number of cities before returning to PEI in 1985. We are both extremely happy with the opportunity to have lived on PEI since 1985 and to have raised our children here. Summerside is a beautiful ocean-side city; if you have a chance to work and live here, take it!

Check out Slemon Park Corporation:

www.slemonpark.com