Topex Inc. boss credits staff after Leadership Award win.

Tom Palangio has constructed a formidable career by destroying things.

After building up an expertise in explosives at Dupont of Canada's explosive products division and Explosives Technologies International in the 1970s and '80s, he broke off on his own and founded Topex Inc. in 1994.

Today, he is the employer of 12 people between that business and WipWare Inc., a company he started to sell WipFrag blast optimization software. And on May 31, Palangio received the Leadership Award at the Ontario Global Traders Awards in Toronto.

But we got him first--Palangio was named Entrepreneur of the Year at the 2003 Northern Ontario Business Awards (NOBA) in Thunder Bay.

It may not be a surprise to those that know the expert on optimizing blast patterns that he is also adept at deflecting credit.

"There are a lot of people in the North in the same boat as me," he said from his office in Bonfield, near North Bay. "You realize there are a lot of people working really hard out there, especially in the North, which is a part of who we are ... But it's hard to take credit when you finally get recognized. You don't set out to get these types of accolades."

With mining companies enjoying high metal prices, there tends to be a positive attitude out there, he says. But Palangio is in a unique position. When things start to downturn, he says, his company becomes even more attractive, as mining operators look at ways to minimize costs. As a blast process optimizer, Palangio can save miners a lot of trouble and money.

Even a five-per-cent savings thanks to a more efficient first blast can translate into tens of millions of dollars.

But the Leadership Award is about more than setting up a successful business and moving units. Palangio was recognized for helping other entrepreneurs and small business owners to consider exporting their products.

Palangio is vice-chair of the Sudbury Area Mining Supply and Service Association (SAMSSA), chair of the North Bay Mining Cluster and a director of the Northern Centre for Advanced Technology (NORCAT). His work mentoring other businesses from these positions, as well as his participation in the Ontario Mineral Industry Cluster Council, is what made him the standout among nominees for the Leadership Award.

"I feel like a missionary sometimes, trying to get businesses to look beyond their local area for a market," he says.

Any business that services the mining industry should look to export, he says, adding the work SAMSSA does is something he really believes in.

"If you have a product or service that is of value to the Sudbury Basin, it will probably be useful to other parts of the world as well."

It can be an intimidating thing for a small operator that has been working exclusively in the Sudbury area for a number of years, but that's where Palangio can help.

"I try to give others the benefit of the experience I have gained."

That experience includes selling mining technology through distributors in 19 different countries.

"I encourage people in Northern Ontario to not feel intimidated up here," he says. "Winning this award is a good thing for (all small businesses in the North). It says 'You don't have to be in southern Ontario to make your mark on the world.'"

www.topexinc.com

By CRAIG GILBERT

Northern Ontario Business