Kind Words from Kind People

Craig Oliphant – Marketing Manager – Partner – NorthIQ

I have had the opportunity to work with Brian and get to know him personally and professionally at Info-Tech Research Group.

He’s a hard working manager who has never failed to live up to his goal to “make things better”. His expertise in web site development, marketing and team leadership makes him a very valued colleague to those who he works with.

I think his entrepreneurial spirit just adds to his diverse set of skills.

Wayne Carrigan – VP Marketing – Chief Revenue Officer (CRO) – Kinetic Commerce

Brian Garside is truly unique as a creative thinker with both excellent communications skills and technical leadership through mastery of structured web and mobile interface code.

He has great design sense, and constantly strives for better design. Brian intuitively knows what makes a great user experience, because he can adapt his perspectives to that of the user. He has an empathic understanding of UI/UX.

Brian understands the delicate balance between what users want and creating interfaces that people can learn and adapt to.

Liam Nickerson – Creative Director – Info-Tech Research Group

‘Guru’ (of the web variety) is a term bandied about too loosely in our industry, but with Brian it is accurate. Throughout my career I’ve had the fortune to meet a handful of people who seem to be on top, if not ahead of the technological curve, always observing and absorbing as much as they can.

Brian is one of that handful although I don’t know where he finds the time, which speaks to his incredible dedication and focus. He’s a straight-up pragmatist who doesn’t monkey around and who drives right at the heart of a problem until he has found his solution. He fundamentally understands the web, can parse requirements for his team as well as any manager I’ve ever worked with, and handles both designers and developers with equal grace. His guidance both while I worked with him, and now, has been invaluable in my development as a designer.

Brian IS money, with the exception of his love for Michael Bay films. That I don’t get, I suppose everyone must have an Achilles’ heel.

Kathleen MacAinsh – Senior User Experience Designer – London Life

While working at Info-Tech Research Group, Brian was a great coach to me. During our time working together he created a culture for the design team that was unlike any other. The group formed a collaborative, supportive and encouraging atmosphere that made for a very friendly and enjoyable workplace.

He brought in many great team-building exercises and development opportunities to the department, such as “lightning talks”, “sketch notes”, “don’t break the chain” goal setting, and internal team coaching. He was open to ideas from his team for process changes and also contributed many innovative ideas to help the business.

Brian is an amazing public speaker, who has a way with words. He can draw his audience in with his storytelling, confidence and sense of humor.

He is also a skilled artist who can sketch out wireframes and concepts on a whiteboard or notepad to quickly convey ideas during brainstorming sessions.

I learned a great deal from Brian during our time working together, he would bring a lot of value to any team he works with by providing a positive culture, innovative ideas and strategic thinking.

Joanne Acri – Partner / Executive Recruiter @ Junction Collective

Brian was the guy who knew how to work every piece and part of TSN.ca. He could write, code, design, come up with amazing ideas and then put them all into motion. He was great to work with, always there to help out.

Chris Buckley – Manager, Product Management – OCAS

I had the opportunity to have Brian as my manager for over a year and he is an excellent manager. What makes him great is that he has a special set of skills and abilities that goes beyond making sure the team is just doing work, to being a driving force in having the members of his team grow as people and employees.

Brian knows how to challenge people without pushing so far that they become demotivated. He is constantly encouraging and motivating his team so that they stretch their own limits and constantly improve. In my entire professional career I have never had a manager as effective as Brian in challenging me and I saw significant improvement in myself during the time he was my manager. There is the reason that Brian’s teams always end up as one of the top performing teams in the company and that reason is Brian himself.

I would gladly work with/for Brian on any project.

Randall Beatty – Senior Front-End Developer – Info-Tech Research Group

I’ve had the pleasure of working with Brian over the past few years. Not only is he an stand-out manager but a mentor as well. He filled many roles at Info-Tech, most notably, leader of all things innovation and experience. Brian interviewed, hired, and built a world class team of designers, developers, and managers where his motto of “Be better, make things better” was demonstrated. His knowledge of all things design, development, and the business make him a unicorn of sorts and his unmatched personality could bring a smile to anyone’s face. Hands down I would work for Brian again.

Brenda Lausanne – Senior Digital Copywriter

Brian is a passionate, creative and inspiring leader who offers an intrinsic understanding of the digital world.

When managing a large digital design team, he is sensitive to individual needs while motivating the team to work together to excel. For instance, when he spearheaded the website overhaul at Info-Tech, Brian stickhandled multiple requests from stakeholders, while keeping his focus clear: creating the most rewarding digital experience for members.

His collaborative nature, ability to generate industry-changing ideas and great sense of humour make him a valuable asset –and an absolute pleasure to work with.

Marsha Bradley – Co-Founder & CEO – EGI Inc.

Brian has an excellent track record of building and leading high performing teams. His dedication to high quality web development and production standards is evident in all the projects he works on. His strong work ethic and natural leadership abilities have made him a pleasure to work with.

Jason Goncalves – Special Projects at Red Guava Pty. Ltd.

Brian was my manager for 2 years and he was an excellent leader. He protects the team from distractions and is always offering insight and support. He is frequently consulted for design ideas and opinions on marketing activities, as well as mentoring and management of employees.

As the major decision maker for the design of the website, he is normally the person coming up with the initial design and the one who makes the critical decisions regarding such design.

Recently, Brian has been responsible for hiring a large number of developers and designers to work for the IT Department, and ramping up a new focus area for the company. Yet he still manages to do all this and is still able to manage his team effectively!