Football teams often refer to themselves as family so it was not an easy decision for Dana Matheson to walk away.<\/p>\n
Learn all about the business excellence awards.<\/a><\/p>\n Matheson was an offensive lineman for the St. Mary\u2019s University Huskies, a university in Halifax and he helped the team win the 2002 Vanier Cup as Canadian university champions.<\/p>\n But Matheson could see his family back home in Langley needed him as well.<\/p>\n Matheson already returned home every summer from university to work alongside his father, Bruce, who ran a sales office in Port Kells for a logistics company based back East.<\/p>\n It was July 2004 and father\/son were sitting in the backyard of the family\u2019s Walnut Grove home.<\/p>\n Read about our CEO making this year’s top forty under 40 list.<\/a><\/p>\n At that point, his dad was running the sales office by himself.<\/p>\n \u201cI could see the struggles in the business and how hard it was for him,\u201d Matheson recalled.<\/p>\n \u201cI remember him sitting in the backyard saying \u2018if the doors are still open by Labour Day, I will be shocked.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n So Matheson \u2014 who still had a year of eligibility remaining \u2014 left university and football.<\/p>\n