Frank Pullia, MBA, CMA, CPA

Frank Pullia says he “came up the hard way” from a hard-working middle-class family. He has made it his life’s work being of service to his community and to others.

During his three terms on Thunder Bay City Council, Frank has been called “The Voice of Reason” and the “Voice of the People.“ Frank strongly believes in representation, being accountable and transparent, and that it is an honour and privilege being elected to political office.

Frank’s Background

Frank learned first-hand about the economic pressures facing middle-class families. As the second child in a family of nine, he needed to help support his family. Frank got his first job at age fourteen. Later, he moved to Thunder Bay from Italy at age seventeen soon after completing grade 11.

As a first-generation immigrant, Frank understands the value of the dollar. He worked in the stockroom at Eatons’ of Canada, piled lumber at Great West Timber, and loaded boats as a Grain Handler at Cargill Grain while going to school at night.

At age twenty, Frank and his brother Peter bought a house together, and when their parents and rest of the family moved to Thunder Bay, he was able to continue his business administration studies full-time at Lakehead University.

Frank believes in and self-financed his whole education. In 1990 he completed his professional designation of Certified Management Accountant (CMA) and in 2010 went back to school to get a Master Degree in Business Administration (MBA).

Work Experience

The direct experience in the industries that formed the backbone of the regional, national and North America economy (Cargill Grain, Kimberly Clark of Canada, Ontario Hydro, Northwest-Midwest Alliance) has been augmented by his work as a business, financial, and economic development consultant and involvement in political office. Such experience has given him great insight on the dynamics of the forces that are changing local and global business and social/economic environments, and the knowledge and experience to take positive action in solving the resulting problems.

With 80% of jobs being created by the small and medium-sized business sector, it has been a privilege for Frank to also provide business advisory consulting services for the Business Development Bank of Canada in the areas of Strategic and Business Plans, Financial and Management Support, Information Communication Technologies (ICT), Social Media Integration, Marketing & Branding, and Maximizing Operational Performance of small, medium-sized enterprises.

Some of his recent accomplishments include the completion of a  Regional Economic Development Plan for the Province of Ontario Northern Growth Plan, and a Social/Economic Profile as well as a Community Investment and Training Program for regional communities. These projects were designed to provide community leaders and municipal planners with the required information and training to gauge their community’s attractiveness to investors and identify areas of development as to enhance their communities investment readiness.

Frank has also extensive knowledge of international business, strategic alliances, exports and inward investment, having worked as a Project Manager for the Northwest-Midwest Alliance, a community-based organization aimed at developing business and trade relations between Northwestern Ontario and Upper US Midwest companies. His international business experience also includes work with Internet Business Solutions companies in Latin America, computer manufacturing companies in Silicon Valley, Pasta making companies in Italy, and Granite companies in North America.

A Community Activist

Frank is a community activist, and his community involvement reflects his keen interest in being of service to others, which goes behind a professional interest. He truly cares about this community and its future; from the church to the arts, to business organizations, to training boards, to technology and innovation, to economic development, to reducing poverty, and more.

Below is just some of Frank’s involvement in the community

Councillor for the City of Thunder Bay for three terms, and held the positions of Chair of Budgets and Finance, Children and Youth Advocate and many other.   During his terms of Council, Frank continued to fight for the middle-class working families and was instrumental in lowering tax increases from a high of 7% to below 2% (about the level of inflation) while maintaining services and investing in needed infrastructure.

He also represented the City as a Director on the Board of the Federation of Canadian Municipalities (FCM).

Some of Frank’s accomplishments during his terms of Council were:

• Livestreaming of City Council meetings.

• Bringing City Hall to the people through Town Tall meetings and Pre-Budget community consultation.

• The creation of a Physician’s Recruitment and Retention position in coordination with health care organization, to address the shortage of doctors and the medical needs of 40,000 people without a doctor

• Had a resolution approved by City Council to have Thunder Bay as one of the first cities in Canada to sign the FCM (Federation of Canadian Municipalities) Environmental Protocol that eventually led to the creation of the current EarthWise Thunder Bay Community Environmental Action Plan.

Roots in Labour and Workforce Development

Frank never forgot his roots in labour and since 2000 has worked diligently as a volunteer director and as a Co-Chair of Business on the North Superior Workforce Planning Board (NSWPB) in the planning and development of the city and regional workforce to take advantage of emerging opportunities in all sectors of the local economy, especially mining.

His experience in governance, financial management, and strategic planning enabled the North Superior Training Board (NSTB) to win several awards.

Other Community Involvement in Volunteer Positions

As a Certified Management Accountant and MBA, Frank also brings a wealth of professional experience in his volunteer work with many local, national and international not-for-profit and community-based organizations, such as:

• Cultural Ambassador Canada - Universum Academy of Switzerland

• Director on the Public Interest Advocacy Centre of Canada

• Director on the Faculty of Business Administration at Lakehead University

  Past:

• Fourth Degree member of the Knights of Columbus

• Member of the Holy Name Society and Lector at St. Anthony Church

• Da Vinci Care Beyond Compare Fundraising

• President of the Società Italiana Principe di Piemonte (Da Vinci Centre)

• Fundraising Campaign for St. Joseph’s Hospital

• Magnus Theatre Capital Campaign Advisory Council

• Board member of the Community Auditorium, Heart of the Harbour Business Improvement Area and Task Force on Poverty.

• Director on the Board of the Community Economic Development Commission (CEDC)

• Director on the Board of the International Business Committee of the Thunder Bay Chamber of Commerce

• Chairman of the Downtown Cores Revitalization Advisory Committee

• Founding Board member of the Northwestern Ontario Technology Centre

• Board Director of the Northwest-Midwest Alliance (NMA)

The NMA was instrumental in opening up opportunities with the US Midwest especially in the area of Information Technology. In fact many local companies have successfully done and continue to do businesses in the US.

• Financial Officer of the Italian Society of Port Arthur

• Board Director and founding member of the Canadian Italian Business and Professional Association

• Treasurer of the National Congress of Italian Canadians, Thunder Bay District

The Province of Ontario has recognized Frank’s work as a community volunteer. In 2011, he received the 10-Year Ontario Volunteer Service Award

Frank has also taught Accounting at Lakehead University, International Business at Confederation College, and Business Ethics and Strategic Planning for the Nipissing Confederation Commerce Program on a part-time basis. He has remained involved with the Lakehead University Alumni and participates in many functions on campus and throughout the community.

As a Director on the Board of The Institute of Italian Studies at Lakehead University, he helped raise $300,000 for the Advanced Technology Centre Building Fund and provide $50,000 in Scholarships to Lakehead University students.

Frank has been a member of Toastmasters International for over 13 years and has achieved first level certification in Public Speaking. From time to time, he acts as Host/Interviewer on community channel programs.

He loves writing and sharing his insights with people. He has written a monthly column on the Northern Ontario Business magazine, and a weekly column on the Thunder Bay Source, called “Window on the City,” covering trends and issues of social, economic, financial and political nature with a global perspective but of particular interest for the city and region. From time to time, he writes a business column for Netnewsledger.com and other media in the Northern Ontario region, and interviews political and community leaders.

Currently, Frank is writing a book on using ancient wisdom for a better life in a Covid-19 world, which includes the zen concepts of traditional Japanese martial arts and modern management techniques.

He holds a 1st-degree black belt in Shotokan Karate and has used the holistic approach of body-mind-spirit as a way of life to accomplish outstanding results in his personal and professional career.

Frank taught Karate and self-defence to people of all ages but principally to women, children, and youth while working at Kimberly Clark Pulp and Paper Mill in Terrace Bay.

In the picture above, Frank is receiving a silver medal at the National Karate competitions at the CNE in Toronto.