By Heather Vita
THUNDER BAY – HEALTH – Sean Davies is no stranger to the Hospital, although as he says, thankfully, he’s never had to visit for himself. But that hasn’t stopped him from volunteering his time to improve the facility; a tradition that started with his father volunteering many hours to the Hospital and to various medical needs in Thunder Bay.
A Director on the Board for the Thunder Bay Regional Health Sciences Foundation for the past year, Sean was previously a member of the Save a Heart Ball event committee for 8 years, with the past 3 years seeing him as Co-Chair of the event. “Cardiac care is important to me due to my family history,” he says, “but providing beneficial funds to the Hospital as a whole is very close to my heart.”
“At some point everyone in our community will need the services of the Hospital,” Sean continues. “Ensuring the resources, equipment and facilities continue to evolve, providing the best level of care we can locally is important to me, and should be to our community. We are a teaching and research Hospital and our community should be proud of what our Hospital, Research Institute and Foundation do for patients, the community and the region.”
When not spending time to improve healthcare, Sean spends his days in the aviation field, where he is the Co-Owner & Operator of Maintair Aviation Services at the Thunder Bay International Airport, where he leads a team of over 75 to provide services to many airlines and operators at the airport. He is also the President and Principal Consult at Deciphr, which is his Consulting and Leasing Company. As Sean remarks, “Both these businesses allow me the opportunity to interact with the most amazing people both from the standpoint of the people I work with, but also amazing customers. I have been in the aviation field since I was 18 years old and it will never leave my veins. It truly is a small industry but we are globally connected, and that helps through the ongoing education required and the people I deal with daily. I am very proud that our team at Maintair supports the Health Sciences Foundation through donations throughout the year.”
Donations such as those from Maintair and many other businesses and individuals to the Health Sciences Foundation fund vital medical equipment in areas throughout the Hospital; ensuring patients have, as Sean says, “top-shelf medical services.” Maintaining and growing world-class healthcare was one of the many reasons Sean has volunteered for such as long time and decided to serve on the Board of Directors. He speaks highly of his fellow Directors. “We are passionate and dedicated! The focus of the Foundation Board is obviously fundraising, however the team we have, and the level of care and compassion that the board has is an absolute benefit to the Hospital and its team. The level of expertise, interaction and input this board has is tremendous and in the end it benefits the patients.”
So what keeps Sean going day-after-day in his busy professional and volunteer roles? “I know what I want in life and strive for it everyday,” he says. “I’m not afraid to help, but I’m also not afraid to ask for help. I’m a driven, energetic person who’s not afraid of a challenge. And Starbucks….let’s not forget that!”
All jokes aside, Sean concludes, “Being able to see the benefits of what I and my colleagues are doing is very rewarding. Being hands-on in my various roles is what makes me, and ultimately, our teams successful. I’m very proud that I’m a local person who chose to stay local and make my life here. Becoming a business owner just 3 short years ago and being able to give my free time back to the community truly makes me smile.”
