Today he could have a chest full of silver spoons if he wanted; however, this week’s Hidden Hero, wasn’t born with a silver spoon in his mouth. In fact when he first went out to face the world on his own, he had no spoons of any kind,little or no food and no roof over his head. But he did have a strong role model to help him overcome those challenges.

Dean Duperron recalls his Hidden Hero, his mom, struggling to make ends meet, making sure the bills were paid, feeding her three kids, and then eating herself if there was anything left over. He also recalls that his well-worn pants were often half way up to his knees. No Brookes Brothers suits for this boy, not then anyway.

Another image came to mind as we talked, a time when he was standing in line with eleven cents in his pocket waiting to buy penny candies, candies that would be his food for the next two days. As he waited his turn, he watched a man pull what seemed like a small fortune out of his pocket, a five dollar bill.

That scene took place during the seven months that Dean was homeless, sleeping in construction sites or wherever else he could find a safe space.

A part time job at a fast food restaurant led to a full time position and soon he found an additional part time job at another fast food restaurant. This employment, and a little help from a friend, got him a room at the YMCA. Soon after that he got yet another full time job in a retail outlet and managed to keep all three jobs going.

By then, not only did he have a place to live but he could also afford a spoon if he wanted, not silver perhaps, but a spoon none the less.

“That’s when I began to realize that education will set you free,” he told me, “and I went to Douglas College because that was what I could afford at the time. Later I went to SFU and then UBC.”

After he graduated from UBC, Dean worked as an instructor with two different private colleges before striking out on his own by getting a license to opening two of his own Sprott-Shaw Community College campuses. At the time (1989) the original college had an impressive history but it had shrunk to just 26 students.

To make a long story short, Dean soon owned the college and now, 17 years later, he has 24 campuses in BC and Alberta, one in Jordan, one in Viet Nam, two in India, and another in China where he is working with a Chinese partner.

Each of these campuses is dedicated to promoting and supporting Dean’s two major passions: helping people help themselves and giving people a second chance to get a good education. He proves his commitment to this passion by attending all graduation ceremonies at all twenty four campuses and visiting each individual classroom at least once a year.

Dean’s strategy for his student’s success, which he shares with anyone who will listen, is to find what makes you happy and focus on that. If you are not careful, he says, as you are being promoted, your bosses can easily lead you into a job you don’t even care about. So focus on what makes you happy and do something special each week to improve your skills and strengths that will move you in that direction.

What about Dean’s personal secret for success? First he definitely found his passion; second he stresses the importance of ensuring good, open communication within a company, but most important of all he says is his family.

“I married a woman that complements me,” he enthused, “who is incredibly talented, and who helped make my family a partnership.”

What’s your strategy for success?