Justin Ferns, vice-president, Iron Horse Security & Investigations

Justin Ferns
Justin Ferns
Editor's Note

Each year, OBJ and the Ottawa Board of Trade honour 40 of the region’s top young entrepreneurs, business executives and civic leaders and recognize them for their professional achievements, expertise and community service.

Click here to see the full list of the 2020 recipients and click here to watch the special Ottawa Stronger Together broadcast honouring the year’s recipients.

2020-06-12

Nearly 20 years ago, Justin Ferns started his career at Iron Horse Security & Investigations, joining the team as a security guard straight out of university. Today, Ferns sits as the vice-president of the company.

Working his way up the ranks, Ferns played an integral role in the growth of the business, nearly doubling the company’s revenues through new business partnerships and contracts. As vice-president, he now oversees nearly 1,800 staff and supervises the daily operations. His efforts to grow the Iron Horse brand helped the company win a Consumer Choice Award every year for the last 12 years.

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One of the major achievements for Iron Horse under his leadership was the expansion of the business into Toronto. Ferns was instrumental in the expansion, even moving to Toronto for five years to oversee a smooth transition before returning to Ottawa. 

Ferns is credited with keeping the company stable through various hurdles such as the OC Transpo bus strike, the 2008 recession and now the coronavirus pandemic, as well as keeping the company growing year after year. 

Outside of the business, he has been an active volunteer with the Boys and Girls Club of Ottawa for more than 10 years as well as serving as an auxiliary constable with the Ontario Provincial Police.

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