BPSN gets a new Carr

It was love at first site for Carr Johnston and BP Sports Niagara.

The 66-year-old Toronto native has 30 years of experience as owner of his own advertising company and was immediately intrigued with the local sports web site.

“I was at Sir Winston on the field with the Bulldogs and I saw you guys out there. Me being a marketing guy, I wanted to introduce myself and to try to get some pictures,” Johnston recalled. “As a parent, pictures and stories of your kid — I don’t care who you are — is everything to you. It makes my week, it makes my day.

“I think what BPSN does is so valuable and people really need to understand the benefits of that.”

Johnston made himself known to BPSN owners Bernie Puchalski and Bill Potrecz and quickly began to appreciate the quantity and quality of work being posted by the long-time writers.

“It’s the passion that you guys take to help out youth in this market,” Johnston said. “It certainly helps when you have a son playing a sport but with what you do and the dedication you have to all kids in all sports and the way you write about them takes me over the moon.

“It’s the relationship and how you connect with your community.”

BPSN is pleased to be adding Johnston as their new market developer.

“We are looking forward to having Carr on board and having him take us to the next level. We want to grow the site and make it even better,” Puchalski said. “As the most comprehensive chroniclers of sports history in Niagara, we believe we are providing a crucial service to the region. We hope others feel the same way and support us by advertising on our site or making a financial contribution. We believe our site is where advertisers should be in order to reach their customers.”

Johnston is eager to get started.

“I am going to be excited like crazy to be able to honour and be part of the team who I admire,” said Johnston, who resides in St. Catharines with his wife Suzanne and children Quinn and Jennifer. “I find the power of what you do in this market is important, and with me being experienced and a little older in age, I want to share the story to all, be able to give the kids who don’t have a voice, a voice.”

Johnston has traveled extensively in Canada and the United States working with a variety of retailers. 

“You’ll probably see me on a man to man approach going to local businesses,” he said. “Doing my business for 30 years I certainly know how to work with retail and explain to them the benefits of marketing themselves.

“All companies are looking for one thing — new traffic — and there’s a synergy to be able to say what it is, be proud of what I am representing, my business in built on only using only the best of the people in that category.”

Johnston is passionate about his new position.

“I really want to contribute. It’s something that is obviously important to me,” he said. “When you do something, you want to make sure the people and the companies benefit from it, but also see the joy in what can be done.

“I’m the type of guy who if everybody goes left, I’ll go right. I do like to prove myself and to show what I can do what I say I can do and the reward is going to be multi-level.”