EPR Resources
When Ron Furlong began his career as a photographer, it didn’t occur to him that it would provide the foundation for a career in human resources. But he discovered that his photographic subjects taught him the basics of human behaviour.
Furlong credits babies and brides for the next phase of his entrepreneurial adventure.
“Babies and brides are two of the toughest subjects you can shoot,” says Furlong. “Babies have a very short attention span. To catch that magical image I had to create ways of getting their attention. Brides, on the other hand, know exactly what they want and how they want it. That meant I had to be flexible and listen.”
That same approach led the way to success for Furlong when dealing with clients in his company EPR Resources, a human resource management company based in Dartmouth, specializing in management training.
Originally from Amherst, Nova Scotia, Furlong completed his undergrad degree at Saint Mary’s University and studied graphic arts at Ryerson University in Toronto. But he decided a life in The Big Smoke was not what he was looking for.
“I wanted a quality of life that the big city could not offer me. It wasn’t a place I could envision raising a family. Some people thought I was crazy and said I’d never find the same opportunities for success on the east coast as I would in Toronto.”
So Furlong came back home to Amherst and soon proved them wrong. Subscribing to the theory that adapting to change creates one’s own success, he worked for a while as a professional shutterbug, eventually opening his own portrait and commercial
photography studio.
There he honed his skills in human behaviour: getting to know his subjects, engaging them at their level and delivering what they wanted in return. It’s a skill that Furlong believes is transferable to any career, anywhere.
When Furlong started a family more than 28 years ago, it brought his life into clearer
focus.
While he was still enjoying his photography and his homegrown views, the opportunities in that field were not as plentiful. That’s when the transition to HR began to develop in
his mind’s eye.
“I knew I could transfer the human behaviour skills from my photography to an opportunity to work with business so I landed an assignment delivering management training for a business consulting firm traveling within Canada and to Mexico.”
Furlong has a real passion for Nova Scotia, and he has discovered in his experiences that people fit into three categories. Those who live or have lived in Nova Scotia, visited Nova Scotia, or have friends and/or family in Nova Scotia.
He affectionately calls that the “The Nova Scotia Connection.” It’s also a way for him to connect at a deeper level with his clients.
“Nova Scotia is anything but limiting. In my travels and the business relationships I’ve built I see the potential for businesses here to be as competitive and successful as anywhere else in the world.”
And Furlong takes every opportunity when dealing with his clients to share what he believes to be life’s perfect composition - a place to live that provides opportunity to grow professionally and personally in an environment of natural beauty and relaxation.
