What began around a kitchen table in 2000 is now a national integrator keeping 16,000 Canadian businesses online, secure, and talking. In this Table Talk episode, host Matt Knight sits down with Sean Schoenberger, President (and former summer-student cable-runner) of Sunco Communications & Installations, to unpack a 25-year growth story powered by technology, family, and “radical love.”
Sean traces Sunco’s evolution from pulling wire in local ceilings to delivering SD-WAN, SASE, cloud voice, and managed IT coast-to-coast. He credits two turning points: adopting the Entrepreneurial Operating System (EOS) in 2017 and embracing strategic acquisitions, moves that helped Sunco leap from a small crew to a 70-person, multi-city team. Sean also reflects on partnership dynamics with CEO (and cousin) Mike Schoenberger, and why clear boundaries protect both family chemistry and business momentum.
Key insights include:
- Leadership – shifting from a “hard-D” DISC profile to collaborative, idea-driven management.
- Culture – embedding “radical love” so every employee feels like family, even across provinces.
- Technology – why VoIP’s rise rivals today’s AI wave, and how Sunco pilots new tools on itself before clients.
For family-business leaders, Sean’s story offers a blueprint for balancing growth, governance, and kinship while remembering that telecom’s real job is to let customers forget it’s there.
Listen in for practical takeaways on acquisitions, next-gen grooming, and setting “work stays at work” rules that stick.
Time |
Topic0:00 | Intro – The “sound you never see”: making business communications seamless.
2:20 | Decoding telecom jargon – Sean explains SaaS, SD-WAN, SASE in plain English.
5:45 | Sunco origin story – founded by uncle & cousin; Sean’s first cables at age 14.
10:30 | From cabling to sales – deciding ceilings weren’t the long-term future.
12:50 | The EOS “hockey-stick” – implementing Entrepreneurial Operating System (2017).
18:00 | Leadership wake-up – shifting from “hard-D” directive style to idea-driven team.
24:20 | Radical Love culture – open-door policy, Thursday “30 Minutes with Mike,” and volunteer days.
28:45 | Tech shifts – pagers to smartphones, VoIP to AI; why experimentation starts in-house.
34:10 | Acquisition strategy – Isosceles (2022) & Zayo PBX (2024) to enter new markets fast.
39:30 | Work-family boundaries – strict 8–5 rule, unplugging at the lake, keeping weekends clean.
44:15 | Grooming next-gen leaders – empowering employees, planning beyond current ownership.
48:30 | Rapid-fire advice – set business hours, embrace collaboration, lead with heart.
This video podcast series is proudly produced by the team at Road 55 - located in Edmonton, Alberta.
For more information, please visit:
www.road55.ca What is Table Talk with ABFI?
Table Talk with ABFI
Host: Matt Knight, Executive Director of Alberta Business Family Institute
Dive into the world of family businesses with "Table Talk with ABFI." Hosted by Matt Knight, this unscripted podcast spotlights Alberta's entrepreneurial families and we'll talk about many aspects including:
-Origins & Evolution: Discover the foundation of family enterprises and their transformative journeys.
-Personal Triumphs: Hear heartfelt stories of individual ambition and resilience.
-Family Dynamics: Navigate the intricate interplay of relationships, transitions, and generational handovers.
-Growth & Motivation: Uncover breakthrough moments and strategies propelling these businesses forward.
Join the conversation and be inspired by tales of tenacity, innovation, and family legacy.