Mike was raised on a tobacco/cash crop farm in Elgin County, Ontario, where his family also ran a farm-supply company.
After graduating from Ridgetown College (Ag Production & Management), he started his career as a salesman for Future Farm Supplies in the Aylmer/Tillsonburg area.
In 1980, Mike purchased Future Farm Supplies. In 1995 he sold the retail portion of the business and rebranded it as Future Transfer Co. Inc. In time, Future Transfer grew into the largest ag chem and seed logistics/formulation company in eastern Canada. In 2011, Mike expanded the company with the formation of BlueStar Distribution with John Lansink, ultimately selling the business to Univar Canada in 2015.
Following the sale of Future Transfer, Mike formed GP Capital, which focuses on leasing equipment and investing in property and small companies. He is also managing partner of several smaller companies, including family owned Tillsonbrands Inc., BlueStar Air Services and MyMotors.ca.
In 2020, Mike, along with business partners John Lansink, Chan and Charlie Pererra, purchased Future Transfer back from Univar, expanding its operations across Canada.
Mike lives in Tillsonburg, Ontario, where he enjoys working with family, spending time with his three grandchildren and collecting classic cars and trucks.