Jessica Milligan
General Manager & Vice President
Strathmore Integrated Grounds Management
Lasalle, Quebec, Canada
Education
St. Thomas High School
Pointe-Claire, Quebec, Canada
Class of 1998
McGill University
Montreal, Quebec, Canada
2003-2007
“I was in university in my early 20s and then stopped to have a family. But as soon as my daughter was born, I started going to night school, so I’m slowly working toward a bachelor’s degree (in business administration). One course at a time, I’m hoping to have my bachelor’s degree by the time I’m 40.”
University of Montreal
Montreal, Quebec, Canada
2012-Present
Work Experience
1993-1997
Paper girl
Montreal Gazette
Sainte-Anne de Bellevue,
Quebec, Canada
“I had a paper route all through high school. I learned the responsibility of getting out there every day.”
1999-2001
Gardener
Strathmore Integrated
Grounds Maintenance
LaSalle, Quebec, Canada
2004-2015
Administrative assistant,
operations management, human resources and finance
Strathmore Integrated
Grounds Management
2015-Present
General Manager & Vice President
Strathmore Integrated
Grounds Management
“At this point, I support all the different departments where they need it at any given time.”
Did you know?
“We’re having really rapid growth, so knowing what the next role or challenge or position is isn’t always easy. It’s sometimes a question of trying to motivate people and get them on board to
the overall mission without knowing what their actual role is going to be in that.”
“My grandfather started the company in 1963, so we’re third generation. My brother (Gordon Milligan, center) and I are taking over from our father (Danny, left).”
“We’re a family of six kids. That’s an important part of the legacy that we’re trying to build for the company. It’s been really important to have clearly defined roles to know who’s doing what, to make sure that nothing gets missed and also that there’s no overlap.”
Words of wisdom
“As managers, we need to stop being frustrated by people’s ‘lack of common sense.’ We need to break down our instructions in such a way that we do not assume ‘common sense’ will help people fill in the gaps.”
“Investing in business management software has been one of the biggest catalysts to our profitable growth. Using a software well forces process and discipline on the company, even during the craziest times of the year.”
Photos: Strathmore
