Investing in people

2026 marks both EdgePoint’s eighteenth birthday and my eighth year here. Only at EdgePoint would you still feel new even after almost a decade. The next time you walk through EdgePoint’s lobby, take a look at the wall where we celebrate our longest-tenured EdgePointers. It’s made out of wooden blocks recognizing partners who have been with us for more than 10 years. Believe it or not, these partners represent more than 30% of the company.ⁱ

This is by design and not by accident. We believe that longevity is an underappreciated superpower in business. For EdgePoint Wealth Management’s advisor partners it means working with the same relationship manager year after year – people who know your practice, clients and priorities. Think about the Operations Team that provides top-notch service and takes pride in going above and beyond, something only possible since there’s almost no turnover. Think about what it means to have a long-term investment horizon, that’s only possible if you know that you will still be around in five and 10 years. EdgePoint was built by attracting exceptionally talented people, but its success comes from retaining them over the last 17 years.

So, it should come as no surprise that this is something we really value at our private businesses:

1. We’ve been partners with Leading Edge Physiotherapy since 2023, but our relationship goes back to 2018 when I was introduced in Edmonton to its founder and President, Grant Fedoruk. In those intervening five years of visits to Edmonton, I’d see the same faces year after year atthe clinics. What stood out was the stability – the same physiotherapists, an increasing number of leaders and a patient-oriented culture that stayed intact as the business grew. For patients, this continuity improves the quality of care. For physiotherapists, it creates a long-term home to grow and excel. Our recruitment strategy is long term. We would rather forego short-term revenue than bring in someone who isn’t a long-term fit. We spend a considerable amount of time identifying, training and supporting our physiotherapists, sometimes before they enter physiotherapy school. It’s a long game but we believe it’s the right way to build a world-class healthcare practice.
    

2. At the end of last year, HomePro Pest Control completed its second tuck-in acquisition, expanding our presence in Southern Ontario. While many companies get excited by doing deals, we focus on integration. We pride ourselves around the hard work of meeting customers, onboarding new team members and aligning systems because this is what’s necessary to ensure service quality doesn’t suffer. We do it even though it’s hard because it’s the right way to grow the business for the long term.
    

3. The end of last year marked five years since we partnered with Inovatec. From day one, we took an unconventional approach to invest in growth. We believed in Inovatec’s founders, Vlad and Danijela, and invested in product development, expanded into the U.S. and built out the depth of the leadership team. For founders, this means having a partner willing to accept uncertainty and invest knowing that we may not see the results for many years. This kind of growth requires patience and conviction; it’s a risk that traditional private equity rarely takes on because of their short investment horizon. Today, revenue has doubled over the last five years, but remarkably sales growth is accelerating in part because of the investments we’ve made.
   

On Thanksgiving last year, Buffett wrote his last letter for Berkshire Hathaway. Despite being the most successful investor inhistory, his letter never mentioned any of his most successful investments. Instead, he wrote about the people who matteredmost in his life. The most important reason why we invest in our people is not only because we’re nothing without them, butbecause building long-term relationships is the most enjoyable and rewarding part of what we do.