Robert Patrick Brennan
Founder, Triacta Power Technologies Inc.
Born June 15th, 1959 in Chapeau, QC, Rob died at home in Pakenham on July 10th, 2010 following a 13 month battle with brain cancer.
Growing up in Sheenboro, QC, Rob learned the value of hard work and strong ties to family and the land. Always a good student, he rode the high tech wave to Ottawa in the 1980's and learned how to adapt to change in the industry, earning an MBA in 2003, the same year he founded Triacta Power Technologies in Almonte.
Principled, practical, and caring, Rob earned admiration and respect for his vision and leadership in business and community pursuits. He shared his life with Barb Long, his wife of 27 years. They settled in Pakenham to raise their family — a community they have been thankful to call home. Above all, his children were his pride and joy: Jane, Kate, Tom and Liz.
Here at Triacta we miss Rob very much, but are proud to carry on his business legacy. His wise counsel, generosity, frank insight, quick wit and appreciation for the simple things in life will continue to be an inspiration to all.
Tributes to Rob
Read the Hon Lowell Murray's (Privy Councillor, Senator) tribute to
Rob Brennan here (PDF).
Read Wes Biggs' (President and CEO of Triacta) eulogy for
Rob Brennan here (PDF).
Rob's High-tech Highlights
Mitel Networks Corporation (late 1970's to the mid 80's)
Rob started at Mitel as a 19 year old grad, moving quickly up the ranks, performing several roles in his first stint with the company — including Reliability Engineer, which was a new concept at the time.
Trillium Systems (mid 80's)
In the mid 1980's Rob took on a designer role at Trillium, gaining international product development and manufacturing experience.
Mitel Networks Corporation (late 1980's)
Rob returned to Mitel in the late 1980's and eventually joined the Communications Objects Division — a start-up opportunity within Mitel — designing and marketing adapter cards that would allow PBX functionality off a PC. During his time at Mitel, Rob also found time to co-found an ATM start-up.
Nortel/FORE Systems Joint Venture (late 1990's)
Around 1996 Rob joined the Nortel/FORE Systems Joint Venture, becoming the FORE manager based in Ottawa charged with managing the joint venture relationship.
Marconi Telecom (late 1990's)
Rob joined Marconi when FORE Systems was purchased by the Telecom giant in 1999. At Marconi, Rob further enhanced his international product development expertise.
Photonami Inc. (early 2000's)
Rob joined Photonami in 2000 as their VP of Engineering. Photonami was an optical networking startup building equipment for metropolitan area networks.
Queens University MBA Program (early 2000's)
Rob embarked on his MBA at Queens in 2002, where he developed his business plan for a breaker-level residential electricity monitoring device that could report over the internet.
Triacta Power Technologies Inc.
Rob founded Triacta in 2003.
