Paul Seed, BA’84, and Ken Kalopsis, BA’83

Recipients of the Professional Achievement Award

Paul Seed and Ken Kalopsis are the founders of StarTech.com. Beginning their business journey from a basement in London, Ontario in 1985, Paul and Ken are known as international leaders in the information technology (IT) sector. Their ongoing vision to deliver unique value for IT professionals around the globe and affinity for giving back to the community make them a clear choice for the Professional Achievement Award.

After graduating from Western, Paul and Ken astutely identified the unique challenges faced by technology users and committed their business model to addressing them. As the demand for hard-to-find connectivity products grew exponentially over the years, Paul and Ken recognized the opportunity to position StarTech.com as the IT industry’s trusted advisor for hardware connectivity. StarTech.com's remarkable growth is a testament to the founders' leadership and entrepreneurial spirit. The company now employs hundreds of individuals in the London area and has employees around the world. With operations in 26 markets and five continents, StarTech.com has become a trusted partner for over 200,000 resellers worldwide and over 80 percent of Fortune 500 companies use its products.

In 2023, StarTech.com was named a winner of Canada’s Best Managed Companies Platinum Club designation. This marked the 13th consecutive year that StarTech.com has been included in this prestigious program which awards excellence in private Canadian-owned companies. StarTech.com’s long-term growth has been recognized by Inc. Magazine which included it in their list of the fastest-growing private companies in the United States for 11 consecutive years, and Financial Post which ranked StarTech.com as one of Canada’s Top 500 corporations based on revenue in 2022.  

Beyond their business accomplishments, Paul and Ken have consistently demonstrated their commitment to giving back to the community. StarTech.com actively supports numerous charities and non-profit organizations globally and its employees participate in charitable payroll deductions and volunteer activities. In recent years, StarTech.com has made significant contributions to support community organizations including a $1.5 million sponsorship of the StarTech.com Community Centre, YMCA, & Library in London. StarTech.com has also been a longtime supporter of United Way, reaching the milestone of $2 million in cumulative individual and corporate donations in 2022.  

Paul’s passion for music and the arts inspired a $10 million donation to fund the development of The Sarasota Performing Arts Center in Sarasota, Florida earlier this year. Ken has been a long-time contributor to CEDASS (Canadian Economic Development Assistance for South Sudan).

After stepping back from the business in 2016, Ken and his family now reside in Los Angeles, California. Ken is currently the managing partner of Los Cabos United, a professional soccer team in the Mexican Professional soccer league. He is also a partner in XRM Media, an award-winning video production studio that provides content for YouTube, Netflix and other streaming services.

Paul continues to serve as CEO of StarTech.com, leading its growth and expansion into new markets while overseeing the customer centric strategy that has driven the company’s success for almost 40 years. In 2019, Paul accepted the Corporate Icon Award from the London Chamber of Commerce, recognizing StarTech.com’s achievement in business and long-term contribution to the economic progress of the community.

Paul and Ken’s strong belief that understanding the needs of the customer is critical for businesses to succeed inspired StarTech.com’s donation of $1 million to Ivey Business School to develop the “Understanding Your Customer” program in 2015 and to fund the creation of the Centre for Customer Centricity through Schulich School of Business in 2019. These resources will help other entrepreneurs and professionals develop management approaches that focus on the customer.

Paul and Ken epitomize the qualities of exceptional leaders and visionary entrepreneurs. Their dedication, resilience and commitment to excellence have enabled them to build a successful global company with the support of a dedicated and customer-focused team.