About Us

Passion Inc. was founded in 1994 by brothers Mark & Nathan Laurie from their student residence in Halifax, Nova Scotia with $500 in savings and the dream of graduating from Dalhousie University debt free. While studying full time the brothers built a company supplying university residences with free wall calendars that helped students stay organized and allowed advertisers to reach the elusive 18-24 year old market.

Passion Inc. has been ranked by Profit Magazine as one of Canada's fastest growing companies for the past four years. In 1997 it was the ACE/CIBC Student Entrepreneurs of the Year and in 2000 the BDC recognized us as the Top Young Entrepreneurs in Ontario. That same year the EDC selected Passion Inc. as the Top Young Exporters in Canada. In February 2004 we received the Arthur Kroeger Management Award from Carleton University as a result of our unique business model. Passion Inc. believes in building its business on making a difference. The two biggest issues Passion Inc. is working on right now are youth employment and the Public School System.

We would like Canadians to learn from Passion Inc. and use it as a model for building a different type of company that focuses its energy on social issues. Our rapid growth is proof that the private sector can successfully build a business based on helping people. This theme is woven through our company's fabric and affects every decision we make.

Passion Inc. is made up of three divisions focused on making a difference:



applytoteach was built by Industry Canada and the Centre for Education and Training in 1998 to save teachers and school boards time and money in the recruitment process.

Passion Inc. purchased applytoteach in February 2003 because the government wanted us to market the website nationally so the benefits could be shared with more users. applytoteach allows teachers to fill out one application and e-courier it to multiple School Board job postings. Because teachers only have to fill out an application once, it saves them time and money because they no longer have to photocopy, mail or fax their application portfolio.

applytoteach has reduced school boards and private employers' recruitment costs by centralizing teacher applications into a user-friendly, online database.



jobpostings helps students find jobs through our print and online media. Our clients advertise to recruit students on specific campuses through Career Fair Guides and nationally through jobpostings Magazine. We also publish a bi-yearly Disability Issue designed to help students with disabilities identify employers who are looking to hire them. jobpostings is distributed directly into the buildings where students take their classes as well as to campus career centers. It is the only monthly student magazine in North America (published ten times between August and May). Over 2 million students read the Canadian or American version of jobpostings every year to help them find their first job upon graduation. Students also use our job sites, jobpostings.net & jobpostings.net to look for opportunities online.



Target Student Marketing sells brand ads in all of the publications that Passion Inc. produces. Companies targeting first year students advertise on our Poster Wall Calendars, which are placed in over 385,000 student residence rooms at top universities and colleges across North America. This annual publication is unique because of the intimate and exclusive advertising opportunity it presents to our Fortune 500 clients. Companies targeting students in their graduating year advertise in jobpostings Magazine or on jobpostings.net/.ca because all students in their final year have one concern in common: finding a job.