Pursuing a running-related career with Atlantic Chip Sport Timing’s newest owner

The newest owner of Atlantic Chip Sport Timing, Troy Musseau, has found a sweet spot in his career combining his passion for running and his knack for business and entrepreneurship. The Halifax resident purchased the timing services company last year and, after a year of shadowing, will begin the spring and summer season of racing as the running community gears up in the Maritimes.

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Musseau officially took over with the transfer of ownership on Dec. 31, 2015. He continues to work his full-time gig as a social services investigator with the government in addition to his new role with Atlantic Chip Sport Timing. The race timing services company is often seen at events in New Brunswick, Nova Scotia and Prince Edward Island. This year the company will be at more than 120 events across the Maritimes.

His inspiration to get into the niche business of race timing occurred at the well-known Bluenose Marathon when he ran across the mats that were laid across the road to electronically track a runner’s progress and time. “That’s cool,” Musseau remembers. When he purchased a new home, the Run Nova Scotia van was across the street and he began noticing Atlantic Chip Sport Timing in the area.

Signs were everywhere.

Prior to his role with the government, and more recently as the owner of Atlantic Chip Sport Timing, Musseau worked with the Department of National Defence in submarines from 1988 to 1999, a job where he travelled the world, before studying commerce, with a focus in entrepreneurship, at local Saint Mary’s University. He added that pursuing business has been long been something on his radar.

That’s where his knack for business and passion for running meshed. He gets reminded of that combination everyday with a garage full of timing mats that gets stored there, among other locations, between events.

Musseau began running in 1999, though not competitively, and didn’t get into racing until 2011.

This will be the first full year that Musseau is in charge. He spent last year shadowing the previous owner, Mike Richard, at approximately 35 races across the Maritimes to ease in the transition between owners. The buy-in from the timers and having experienced teams scattered across the Maritimes helped in the transition as well.

During the days, he continues to work as a social services investigator with the government of Nova Scotia. On top of the 9-5 job, his weekends are basically a write-off, especially during the summer months with events, and it’s all about balance. Musseau has a great team to work with and checks in with conference calls to ensure everyone is on the same page. Appropriately, lots of it is time management for the man managing a timing company.

Richard founded the company in 2002 and helped grow Atlantic Chip Sport Timing into what it is today. With a strong partnership with the online registration company, Race Roster, the company can focus on the timing of events, some of which attract more than 8,000 runners.

Advice for the first-time racer

“First of all, show up early, and ensure your bib is properly displayed from a technical perspective. If there’s a problem at the event, talk to someone. It’s in everyone’s best interest to have an event go off smoothly. Nobody wants to see anything go wrong. If there’s no feedback, it’s tough to improve in certain areas. For smaller events, runners should also have a good idea of what the course route looks like.”

Musseau adds that once a runner finishes, it would be great to stick around for 10 minutes and cheer on competitors. “If everyone at the race gave 10 minutes of their time, then runners of all levels would have the pleasure of getting cheered to the finish rather than exclusively the top finishers,” says Musseau.

Advice to those with a desire to get involved or employed in the running industry

“Go to events and make yourself known,” says Musseau. “For me, I ran events, I got involved in the running community, I volunteered a lot including many of the local races. You have to know the players in the industry, regardless of the sector. And to be a player, the best way is to be a volunteer, network, and meet people.”

For the upcoming year, Musseau will look to get back to running more as he’s gotten away from the racing scene to focus on the business side of things. “Now I have some balance,” says Musseau.