Small School with Big Opportunities

Basketball was in his future and was one of Brian MacLeod’s main motivators when he decided to go to Dalhousie University in the fall of 1982.  During the first semester though, he decided it just wasn’t right for him.

MacLeod (Class of ’87) enrolled at NSAC the following year instead. “At Dal you where one in 10 thousands, at NSAC you where a valued part of the campus community,” he says.

MacLeod was not completely a stranger to NSAC’s campus when he arrived for frosh week. Throughout high school he had attended basketball camps at NSAC and made many acquaintances across campus.  It was because of those connections that MacLeod eventually chose to enroll.   He had been told about the virtues of a smaller university like NSAC and decided to see those advantages for himself.  The smaller class size and the strong sense of community turned out to be exactly what he was looking for.

After a few days at NSAC in the Bachelor of Science, Agricultural Economics program, MacLeod knew he had come to the right place, “I still can’t get over the closeness of the university,” he says, “you knew the other student, you knew the professors and they knew you.”

When looking back on his time at NSAC, MacLeod warmly reminisces about his university days and the friends he shared them with.  “We were all on campus, we knew everyone and we were able to form different relationships then if we were at a larger university.  Unlike larger universities where everyone went their separate ways, everyone was just so close at NSAC,” he says. 

Today, MacLeod is Vice President of Operations, at Empire Theatres Limited Corporate Head Office.  Currently working and living in New Glasgow, he still holds on to his strong sense of community.   He lives there with his wife Angela and their daughters, not far from where he originally grew up himself.

When asked how NSAC has helped prepare him for his career, MacLeod replies, “The values you get from a place like NSAC certainly have contributed to my working career.  Particularly, the professors were very much concerned about their students and really genuinely cared about how you were doing.”  MacLeod says this is an approach he has adopted when it comes to his employees, “I try and have a similar attitude with my employees, just as my professors had with me.”

MacLeod also accredits the beginning of his working career to one particular professor at NSAC.  He believes the connection with the professor was made possible because of the small class sizes and engaged faculty.  “When I graduated from NSAC I had a referral from a professor for a sales position in New Glasgow with Riteline Office Equipment.  It was great, it allowed me to get out and start work as soon as I graduated,” he says.  The gesture was a helping hand that MacLeod certainly appreciated, as it placed him on track with his current career path.

While working in New Glasgow he was offered an assistant manager position at the local Empire Theatre, beginning his now 22 year career with the film company. Thanks to MacLeod’s dedication and commitment to the company that year, he then moved into a manager’s positions.  Not long after that, he quickly made another move to the head office of Mariplex, a concessions equipment and supply division of Empire Theatres.  From there he moved to where he is today as VP of Operations.

MacLeod is still sometimes surprised by how much he uses the knowledge that was imparted to him at NSAC.   While his job isn’t in the field of agriculture, he believes it demonstrated the true diversity and strength of the education offered at NSAC and how it has the potential to bridge into other fields and career opportunities.

When it comes to looking toward the future, “I’ve been in this role for a few years, I think there is still a lot of work to be done,” he says.  MacLeod sees himself continuing to contribute to Empire Theaters in whatever capacity that the future brings.   “I love my job, the people I work with and going to work every day.”  He’s also thankful to be where he is today.  “I’m very fortune because I am able to live and work in the same town where I was born and raised.”

MacLeod went from a basketball player at a large university, to a student at a small agricultural school, to an employee of a large national company.  Whether it’s on the court, in the class room, being a member of a close knit community, or part of a multi-million dollar company, MacLeod has found he can succeed in a variety of setting.  While things didn’t go quite as he expected when he graduated from high school, the skills and values MacLeod gained from NSAC have ensured that he is now where he wants to be.