Okanagan Helicopters

"Jones and his family were settled in Vancouver, a city he loved, and Jones enjoyed working at Okanagan Helicopters. His wife, a doctor, had a thriving practice. They owned a home near the water and had no interest in returning to the east coast. “In fact,” Jones says, “if you had told me an hour before I met Craig Dobbin that I would ever move back to Newfoundland, I would have bet my life savings against it.”"

"The action of Bankers Trust, Jones believed, was akin to extortion, costing Sealand millions of dollars more than anticipated. But there was no backing out. He agreed to the higher interest rate, new terms were drafted, an agreement was signed, and the deal was completed. Craig Dobbin was furious over the actions of Bankers Trust, of course. In retrospect, however, the purchase of Toronto Helicopters proved a major step in transforming the company into a global powerhouse. With Toronto Helicopters rolled into Sealand and its cash flow solving many of Sealand’s liquidity concerns, Craig Dobbin’s eyes brightened at the prospect of the next step in expanding his company, this one even more audacious. One morning shortly after the deal to purchase Toronto Helicopters was completed, Craig Dobbin strolled into Robert Foster's Toronto office. “Robert,” he said, “I want you to get on a plane, fly to Calgary and buy Okanagan Helicopters for me.”"