ULTIMATE RISE TO THE TOP BY 'SKIDROW' CEO

A former resident of Vancouver's infamous Downtown Eastside, skidrow
CEO Joe Roberts, was in town to deliver his inspirational story of
overcoming adversity and succeeding in the business world.

Invited by the Smithers Community Services Association, the Bulkley
Valley Credit Union and the Smithers District Chamber of Commerce,
Roberts met with the business community over breakfast and later with
Smithers Secondary School students.

"I think there's two [messages I want to share]; with business people
it's with dealing with the economic adversity that we all face,"
Roberts said. "With the young people, it's different, it's a drug
prevention message. It's the idea that if you have enough information
you can make better choices."

Roberts' own drug abuse started at a very young age and by 17, living
at home with his parents in Ontario, he was already involved with
multiple drugs, including speed, he said. Later that year, when he was
kicked out of home he decided to relocate to Vancouver, joining the
homeless community, and from there his addiction problem only got
worse, he said.

"I sold my boots for drugs," he said. "And it hit me: I probably made
the wrong choice."

That incident was six years later, when he was 23, and soon after his
mother helped him to fly back to Ontario, where he began taking
courses in business.

"How do you know when you've hit rock bottom?" he questioned. "You
stop digging."

Now, some 11 years later, Roberts is CEO of Mindware Internet
Solutions. Roberts made Macleans Magazine's Honour Roll in 2003.

"A heroin addict, getting his name on the front page of Macleans,"
Roberts said. "I had to pinch myself."

His story is not unique, he emphasized, which is why he travels across
Canada and the United States, sharing his message in the hopes that at
least one person in the room listens and takes heed, he said.

"This is what I did, this is what happened," Roberts said. "Tomorrow
is always a fresh start, failure is never final."