Assets Controller

Aero Powell River Services is a third-generation, family-owned business that has served the Powell River region since 1964. What began with logging trucks and a machine shop has grown into a group of companies spanning industrial parts, automotive parts, propane distribution, tire and mechanical sales and service, powersport sales and equipment rentals.

The business is in the middle of a generational transition and an active growth phase. Taran Brown has taken on operational leadership as the third generation of the family to run the company, and the group is expanding through acquisition, new financing, and a more complex multi-entity structure. Ownership is now building the leadership capacity needed to support that next stage.

The Controller will hold financial responsibility across the following entities:

• Aero Powell River Services Ltd. The primary operating company. Industrial and automotive parts, tires and mechanical sales and service. The largest of the group by transaction volume, with roughly 400 accounts receivable accounts and a broad vendor base.
• ProFuel Propane Ltd. Propane distribution. Lower transaction volume, with invoicing currently handled by the owner.
• Two Wheel Tech and Economy Rentals (2026) Ltd. Established for a recent asset purchase. Powersport sales, repairs and rental store. Active invoicing, smaller in scale than Aero.
• Holding company. Holds Aero shares and supports the generational ownership transfer.
• CHER Properties (2021) Ltd. Owns the land beneath the operating businesses. Currently holds the Two-Wheel property and is expected to acquire the Aero property in January 2027.

The entities are financially intertwined. Bookkeeping and payroll are centralized through Aero and cross-billed to the other companies based on estimated time allocations. Understanding and improving these intercompany flows is a core part of the role.

ABOUT THE ROLE

This newly defined role has been created following the planned retirement of the group’s long-serving financial leader, who has guided the finance function for more than two decades and remains a shareholder in the business.

This role represents an opportunity to strengthen and modernize the group’s finance function during a period of growth and increased complexity. The organization now requires more robust reporting, forecasting, margin analysis, and decision support to keep pace with its evolving operating structure. Formal executive reporting, a consistent forecasting cycle, and a more disciplined cost-of-goods-sold process will be important priorities, particularly as recent lender requirements have underscored the need for stronger in-house financial planning across the entities.

The Controller will play a central role in building and strengthening this infrastructure. The successful candidate will be the senior financial voice in a business led by an operator who understands financial statements well and values practical, timely business advice. Ownership is seeking a finance leader who can provide constructive challenge, bring financial discipline to key decisions, and offer clear, timely advice to both ownership and the General Manager while remaining genuinely engaged in the company’s growth ambitions.

The role also offers a meaningful path for future progression beyond the Controller mandate. As the group continues to grow through acquisition and increased operating complexity, this role has the potential to evolve into a CFO-level mandate. That progression will depend on the scale of the business, the complexity of the finance function, and the impact demonstrated by the successful candidate.

Reporting relationship

Reports to the General Manager, who is also a part-owner of the business. Works closely with ownership, the external accounting firm, lenders, and the managers of each operating business.

Two direct reports: one responsible for accounts payable, one for accounts receivable.

This is a hands-on leadership role. With transactional processing covered by the two direct reports, the Controller will personally lead month-end close, financial statement preparation, payroll oversight, forecasting, and analysis. The role is best suited to someone who is comfortable remaining close to the detail while contributing at a strategic and advisory level.

KEY RESPONSIBILITIES

Financial reporting and month-end close

• Own the full accounting cycle across all entities, including month-end and year-end close.
• Prepare internal financial statements for each company and on a consolidated basis.
• Design and deliver a monthly executive reporting package that gives ownership a clear view of performance, margin, working capital, and emerging issues.
• Establish a reliable reporting calendar