Michael Duck

Michael Duck, is the founder and CEO of A.C. Dispensing Equipment Inc., a company he founded in 1985, after developing the first portion control dispenser in his basement. Today, Mr. Duck’s invention is used by companies like Tim Hortons, Starbucks, McDonald’s, Chick-Fil-A and 7-Eleven.

Mr. Duck was first motived to create his company, after his boss told him to stop complaining about the inconsistent flavor of his morning coffee by doing something about the problem.

Mr. Duck grew up in New Jersey before moving with his family to Nova Scotia, Canada at 15 years old. His entrepreneurial father wanted to start a business and felt there were opportunities in Nova Scotia, where he started an oil-burner-repair business.

Work Experience

After quitting school in Grade 10, Mr. Duck worked as a stevedore on Halifax's waterfront, unloading ships by hand.

He then worked as a general helper at Baxter Dairies, starting at $3.50 per hour. In his spare time he would fix stuff, which got noticed by his boss, who promoted him to an assistant to the maintenance engineer.

“When my job moving cases was done I'd fix something – that's what I liked doing. My boss saw that, so put me in maintenance – that was cool as I got more money. I saw my new boss wasn't going to be around long, so I started learning what I had to do to get his job. I did night school, correspondence courses and eventually became plant engineer.”

Accolades

Mr. Duck was presented with the Hector Jacques Award of Business Excellence in 2005 by The Black Business Initiative.
He was honored in 1999 as Ernst & Young’s Atlantic Canada Manufacturer and Entrepreneur of the Year.