BBA grad connects retired professionals to part-time employment

Recent Beedie School of Business graduate Lauren Watkins (right) has co-founded Excellera along with fellow Next 36 members Nikita Zhitkevich (left) and James Crocker (centre).

A new website co-founded by a recent graduate of the BBA program at the Beedie School of Business is helping connect retired professionals with organizations seeking professional expertise.

Excellara matches semi-retired professionals – who can often possess a wealth of knowledge and skills – with businesses looking for experienced help on a part-time basis. Launched on June 1, the site has already garnered interest from mature workers in accounting, law, and human resources, along with a number of successful entrepreneurs looking for new talent.

The site was co-founded by BBA graduate Lauren Watkins, a member of the 2015 Next 36 cohort, a nationwide initiative aimed at transforming Canada’s most promising post-secondary students into leading entrepreneurs.

“Retirement comes with a lot of changes and can be a very stressful event,” says Watkins. “By creating a transition between full-time work and retirement, Excellara meets a growing need.”

Watkins met her co-founders Jamie Crocker and Nikita Zhitkevich in the Next 36 program. The team came up with the concept after talking to more than 200 retirees age 55-69 about how they could best serve Canada’s seniors.

After speaking with the retirees, they discovered that many are bored and still have the energy and desire to work. The team’s mission is to keep the aging population mentally engaged and living independently.

Hiring skilled part-time workers can be beneficial to many businesses, particularly small and medium-sized organizations that may not have the budget or workload for a full-time employee.

A study by Harvard researcher J. Robin Moon suggests that retirement should be more of a process than an event to help relieve some of the health related issues associated with the stresses of retirement. By allowing retired professionals to put their expertise to use on a part-time basis, Excellera eases the transition into retirement.

“Our generation has so much to learn,” says co-founder Crocker. “Baby boomers have lived longer and have more experience then us. If there is a way that this knowledge can be used and passed down, everyone wins.

For more information, visit excellara.com