Shortly after the announcement, Kelly spoke with Ottawa Business Journal reporter Rob Snow on CFRA Business@Night.
OBJ: What's the attraction with Rebel.com?
KELLY: Challenge and opportunity. Rod Bryden is on the board of directors, they had been looking for someone to take them to the next level of development of the company. I guess the board and the management team thought I could help them in doing that. Taking on that role and responsibility is compatible with my role at Reid Eddison where I continue to remain a partner.
OBJ: What is the next level for Rebel.com?
KELLY: The key growth opportunity is in their small business, all-in-one Internet appliance (the NetWinder office server). This is a plug and play' solution to an Internet interface that addresses a number of applications in the office.
OBJ: What do you see for Rebel Networks?
KELLY: Continued growth. There has been reasonably strong growth over the last four to five years in the traditional side of the business. However that, to a certain extent, is not where the focus of growth opportunity is. The real pure play' is to bring the office server to the market place.
OBJ: Will this decision at all effect your position as Chairman of the Board at AutoSkill?
KELLY: I continue to be Chair of AutoSkill. I am not involved in the operations of the company on a day-to-day basis. I am on a number of boards that are not at all in conflict with the role I've now assumed at Rebel.
OBJ: When you stepped down from the day-to-day grind of running JetForm, it sounded like you were going to take it easy for a while. You assumed the role as Chair of AutoSkill and became involved with mentoring through your position at Reid Eddison. Why jump back into the game?
KELLY: We looked at this from a Reid Eddison perspective. We had significant internal discussions as to whether this was the right thing for Reid Eddison to do and for John Kelly to do. So after much consultation with family and partners here, we came to the decision that there is a significant opportunity. The board and the management team were anxious for someone with my background joining the team. And quite frankly, the window of opportunity is not a long one. I am not heavily involved in the day-to-day operations of the company. We have a COO within the company. This is all about strategy, relationships and alliances.
OBJ: Mac Brown will retain the title of Chairman, as well as being the company's largest shareholder. What will be his role in the newly structured executive team?
KELLY: Mac will be involved in strategic planning with respect to product development. He will also be involved with building customer alliances and relationships, were needed. He and I have worked that out. As CEO, I have full responsibility and authority to give direction to the company and Mac is totally comfortable with that.
OBJ: It's been said that you are only coming on board to get this company to the IPO stage and that once that is done you will step down. Is that the case?
KELLY: IPO was never part of the discussions that I had. We focused on operations and building a strong company and, at the right time, doing an IPO. There is nothing in the short term with respect to an IPO plan. Obviously if the company continues to grow at the rate projected, it will be a candidate for going public at some point. But that is not in my mandate in the near-term.
OBJ: If this in just an interim position for you, will you be helping the company look for a permanent CEO?
KELLY: All CEO's are interim. It's just a matter of how long.
