Dean McIntyre
Founder, McIntyre Group

Dean McIntyre is the Founder and CEO of McIntyre Group, a diversified Canadian company that began in 1984 with a single building maintenance customer and has grown into multiple companies spanning specialty installations, manufacturing, warehousing, logistics, and product development.

Dean’s path to entrepreneurship was unconventional. Struggling academically, he left school at 17 after Grade 11 with no plans for higher education. After working roofing with his stepfather, he took a winter maintenance job at Xerox. When a hiring freeze prevented Xerox from employing him directly, a manager encouraged him to start a business so he could invoice the company. In January 1984, just before turning 20, Dean incorporated McIntyre Maintenance Inc.—and has been self-employed ever since.

The business evolved from building maintenance and landscaping into office furniture installation, becoming a trusted industry partner. In 1990, Dean expanded west to Calgary alongside two people he deeply trusted—his father, Lorne McIntyre, who led sales, and Jerry O’Brien, who remains today as VP of Western Operations and partner in both McIntyre Group and Swiftspace.

Diversification became the company’s defining strength. In 2009, Dean co-founded Swiftspace, manufacturing innovative mobile workstations now sold across North America. In 2015, he co-founded Ayrsonics Canada, producing sustainable PET acoustic solutions and later launching Quiet Earth Moss during the pandemic. In 2021, McIntyre 3PL was launched, transforming opportunity during uncertain times into what is now the company’s fastest-growing division.

Today, more than half of McIntyre Group employees have been with the organization for over a decade—a reflection of a culture known internally as the “McIntyre Family.” Community involvement and local support remain central to Dean and Leanne’s values and to the culture of the business.

Dean credits the company’s longevity to resilience, diversification, long-term relationships, and the unwavering support of his wife, Leanne. He is deeply honoured to join the Waterloo Region Entrepreneur Hall of Fame.

Ruth Casselman, George Tsintzouras, & Kevin Wright
Co-Founders, Alert Labs

About Alert Labs
Alert Labs is a technology innovator based in the Waterloo Region, focused on creating advanced solutions that help organizations protect buildings, lower operational costs, and improve sustainability through intelligent monitoring and analytics. Founded in 2015 by Ruth Casselman, George Tsintzouras, and Kevin Wright, the company emerged from the collaborative Kitchener-Waterloo tech ecosystem and grew into a leader in applied Internet of Things (IoT) technologies.
At the heart of Alert Labs’ offerings is the AlertAQ™ water and air conditioning intelligence platforms and a suite of award-winning IoT sensors. These technologies provide real-time monitoring, alerts, and analytics that help commercial, industrial, and institutional customers detect issues early, manage water use more effectively, and support sustainability goals. Alert Labs’ solutions are installed across thousands of buildings throughout North America and have contributed to significant water and energy savings, reduced carbon emissions, and saved millions of dollars in avoided damage costs.
The company’s commitment to innovation and environmental stewardship has been recognized through industry accolades, including the Deloitte Technology Fast 50 Clean Technology Award. its status as a certified B Corporation reflects its dedication to positive social and environmental impact.

Ruth Casselman — Strategic Leader • Builder of People and Innovation
Ruth Casselman is an entrepreneurial leader whose operational insight, strategic vision, and community focus helped shape one of Waterloo Region’s most influential technology ventures. As the founding Chief Operating Officer of Alert Labs, Ruth played a pivotal role in building the organization’s operational foundation, establishing strategic processes, and securing capital from government, angel, and venture partners. Her leadership helped drive organizational capability and team cohesion through early growth, market validation, and eventual acquisition.
After her time at Alert Labs, Ruth transitioned into leadership roles that deepen her impact on Canada’s innovation ecosystem. She serves as Chief Executive Officer of the Accelerator Centre, one of the region’s premier startup incubators, where she applies her firsthand entrepreneurial experience to support founders in building and scaling their
ventures. In this role, Ruth champions inclusive programming, strategic partnerships, and
founder support at all stages of growth.
Beyond operational leadership, Ruth is deeply involved in the broader business community.
She serves on the Boards of Directors for Communitech, and for the Golden Triangle Angel
Network (GTAN). Her commitment to people, strategic clarity, and ecosystem-wide
collaboration has made her a trusted mentor, advocate, and leader in Canadian technology
entrepreneurship.

George Tsintzouras — Visionary Founder • Tech Entrepreneur • Public Safety
Innovator
George Tsintzouras is a technology entrepreneur known for his ability to identify unmet
customer needs and create impactful solutions. As the founding CEO of Alert Labs, George
led the company from idea to market, shaping its product vision, driving
commercialization, and guiding strategic direction. His leadership helped the company
gain early traction, secure competitive funding, and build a team capable of delivering
reliable technology solutions for complex challenges.
Continuing his leadership in technology innovation, George is now CEO of Argus
Command, a Waterloo-based company focused on transforming emergency and public
safety operations through advanced AI-driven intelligence platforms. Argus Command’s
solutions aim to improve decision-making, situational awareness, and coordination for
responders and public safety agencies, bringing next-generation tools to mission-critical
environments.
Beyond his own ventures, George is an active angel investor and a dedicated coach and
mentor to early-stage tech startups in the Waterloo Region. For him, giving back is
personal; the local entrepreneurial community played a key role in supporting his
companies in their earliest days, and he’s committed to paying that forward by helping the
next generation of founders find their footing.
Whether building companies, backing founders, or mentoring entrepreneurs, George’s
approach is grounded in resilience, disciplined execution, and a relentless focus on
creating value for customers and communities – hallmarks that have defined his contributions to the Waterloo Region’s startup ecosystem.

Kevin Wright — Engineering Leader • Technical Architect • Product Innovator
Kevin Wright is a highly regarded engineering leader whose technical excellence and strategic thinking were foundational to the success of Alert Labs. As the founding CTO and Vice President of Engineering at Alert Labs, Kevin drove the technical vision, expanding early prototype concepts into scalable, reliable products. His deep expertise in systems design, embedded engineering, and connected technologies enabled the team to build solutions that were intuitive, robust, and deployable at scale.
Kevin’s leadership in technology was characterized by a commitment to simplicity, reliability, and thoughtful design. He fostered a culture of technical collaboration and continuous learning, mentoring engineering teams and championing a product-centric orientation that balanced innovation with real customer needs.
Today, Kevin continues to shape technological direction as Chief Architect at Alert Labs, focusing on evolving architecture, product reliability, and long-term innovation. In this role, he bridges deep technical knowledge with strategic priorities, ensuring the company remains positioned to meet emerging market demands with technical confidence and ingenuity.
His enduring contributions embody the spirit of technical entrepreneurship – applying engineering mastery to solve complex problems and elevate organisational capability.