| The Deal: An Interview with David Eaton |
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Getting David Eaton to sit still for ten minutes is hard; getting him to sit still and not answer his phone(s) is impossible. Everything from junior exploration companies to real estate financings to the creation of British Columbia's first Green Energy Fund are somewhere on his perpetually messy desk. Which does not bother David because he is rarely there. He's having coffee with a broker, taking a meeting at a bank, consulting with a government official or a CEO. David makes deals. Dozens of deals a year - some small, some for millions of dollars. His phones never stop, his email comes in waves. Jay Currie: What is it that you actually do? David Eaton: I find money for opportunities and opportunities for money. I make deals, broker deals, put people in touch with other people. JC: How did you come to do that? DE: I came to Vancouver when I was kid and got a job with the Vancouver Stock Exchange. I chalked the board with the stock quotes, ran tickets, became a trader, worked in investor relations. I started trading for my own account and, fairly quickly, began putting together companies. JC: You've had a lot of experience taking companies public. DE: I have. Both on the new CNQ Exchange and on the TSX. There is a point in a company's growth where going to the public markets makes a lot of sense. It depends on the industry. JC: What industries have you worked with? DE: I've done deals in a lot of areas but my widest experience is with technology, mining, oil and gas and real estate. JC: All public market deals? DE: Not at all. For some companies the public markets are not a good fit. You have to keep your options open. Private financings can make a lot of sense for certain companies and projects. |
