He might lead one of Ottawa’s biggest privately owned companies, but David Ross is far from an all-work-and-no-play kind of guy.
Indeed, the CEO and majority shareholder of Ross Video loves to have a good time, and he loves the city he calls home. From the ByWard Market to the Nordik Spa, Ross is an unabashed fan of the National Capital Region who was more than happy to let OBJ in on his favourite things about the nation’s capital and what makes his Ottawa life so great.
Read on to find out more.
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What area of the city/region do you live in?
We live in the Pineglen area of Ottawa at the south end of Merivale. It’s a relatively unique community that’s inside Ottawa, north of Barrhaven but still on well and septic!
What type of home do you have (condo, house, etc.)?
A house.
What type of pet do you have?
We have an 11-year-old Shitzu rescue dog named Kirby. She was born with half a liver but a big personality.
What is your favourite place to eat in Ottawa?
I don’t know if I have one. We’ve been doing a lot of takeout the past few years. That said, for some reason I keep ending up at Vittoria Trattoria on Riverside for business and The Heart and Crown in Barrhaven with friends.
What is your favourite activity in Ottawa?
I’ve always enjoyed finding all of the bike paths cutting through the city, but my all-time favourite is trail running. I have a favourite 5K loop from P11 near Hunt Club and Moodie – just wonderful.
What’s your hobby?
I don’t have a traditional hobby like stamp collecting or woodworking. If I think about it, I’ve always enjoyed playing around with new technologies to see how it can make life a little easier or more interesting. Recently, I’ve enjoyed figuring out all of the things that ChatGPT can do – it’s a long list!
What’s your favourite thing about Ottawa?
Ottawa’s like the three bears story – not too big, not too small, it’s just right. In fact, because it’s the nation’s capital, it has much more than it would normally have for a city its size with all of the museums and venues, and also it’s a clean, safe and relatively prosperous city. It’s a great place to live.
What’s your favourite local charity or cause?
I have a soft spot for science fairs because they made such a huge impact on my life, having had the chance to win medals at the national level three times. I guess it’s a “pay-it-forward” sort of thing. I also support high school robotics clubs as they’re a more modern version of the same thing. We need more kids in STEM – especially girls!
What’s your favourite part of town?
That’s a tough question. There’s the fun of the ByWard Market, the restaurants of Preston street, Dow’s Lake in the winter and summer, the canal, the bike paths, the conservation areas, my community … I can’t just pick one place!
What’s your favourite festival?
Probably Bluesfest. I have fond memories of dancing in the rain to some amazing bands.
What’s your favourite Ottawa sports team?
Well, since the Senators have the Ross logo under the ice, and the Redblacks have our logo on the field, I’d have to call it a tie!
What type of music do you listen to?
I’m a product of the ’80s, so that music will always be close to my heart. I appreciate a wide variety of music, but recently I’ve been listening to Patrick Watson, Dan Mangan, Westerman and Lane 8.
What’s your favourite retailer in Ottawa?
I guess I’m not allowed to say Amazon …
Which Ottawa personality, past or present, do you admire?
In a town full of impressive politicians of all levels, maybe I’ll just choose Max Keeping. He signed my math book when I was in grade 4. 🙂
If you took a staycation in Ottawa, what would you do?
I have! It’s fun to pick one of the downtown hotels, have some good food in the Market and then find a nice local pool hall to relax and shoot a few games in the evening.
What’s your favourite business event or conference in Ottawa?
The BOBs, of course!
What’s your favourite meeting or convention venue?
I’ll call it a tie between the Brookstreet Hotel in Kanata and the Shaw Centre. Both are really great in their own ways.
Where do you get your hair cut?
Top Notch Barbershop on Merivale – three minutes from my house!
What’s your favourite thing to do in Ottawa to pamper yourself?
Head up to Nordik Spa! I know it’s not technically Ottawa, but it’s certainly part of what the area has to offer and Martin Paquette and his team have done a spectacular job there.
What type of car do you drive?
Currently a BMW X3 PHEV. Even though it only has about 20 kilometres of EV range, 30 per cent of all of the distance I’ve driven it has been electric, and it can still pull an RV for a vacation!
