Nationally recognized as the winner of CBC’s Canada’s Smartest Person, Peter is a long-standing member of the Scholars team and a key architect in the company’s transformation into a leading North American franchisor. Since 2017, Peter has directly supported the expansion from under 20 locations to more than 85.
Alongside his work at Scholars, Peter spent 11 seasons in the CFL with the Hamilton Tiger-Cats and Saskatchewan Roughriders, earning a reputation as one of the league’s top offensive linemen. At the same time, Peter served as a strong advocate for players’ rights through the CFL Players’ Association, acting as Treasurer for eight years and stepping in as Interim Executive Director during a leadership transition in 2024.
Peter is also committed to community impact and served on the board of the national injury prevention organization, Parachute Canada. His unique blend of passion, intellect, and franchising experience continues to drive Scholars’ growth and innovation. We caught up with Peter to ask him a few questions about his role helping people navigate the franchising process and achieve their dreams of owning their own successful business.
- Most people know you as a professional football player and Canada’s Smartest Person. What inspired your leap into the world of supplemental education?
In the CFL, players often have off-season jobs, and I’ve always nurtured an “academic” side of myself. Right after I graduated from university, and again in my first CFL off-season, I worked as a private tutor. It was a very natural step for me, fresh out of university. Then, in my second CFL off-season, I got a job in a juvenile correctional facility as a Youth Justice Worker, which involved a lot of tutoring as we helped those wayward youth work on their high school credits. After a few years, my wife and I entered the world of franchise tutoring with a company in Hamilton. While still playing football, I began attending franchise expos and assisted with franchise development. That led me to Scholars, and the rest is history! It’s incredibly rewarding to see all the new (and some not-so-new anymore!) franchisees I’ve helped welcome into our family, as well as the many thousands of students they’ve helped. - Are there any surprising similarities between preparing for a big game and helping someone start a business?
Yes! Details matter. You have to pay attention to the little things and do the right things the right way. We’ve put a lot of thought into building a comprehensive business system, and faithful implementation is a determining factor for success. - You’ve been part of Scholars in various ways since 2017. What keeps you excited after all these years?
I’m always looking forward to what comes next – finding the next great new franchise partner for Scholars, discovering the next great market that we will grow into, and picturing the next cohort of students we will welcome through our doors! - Your background bridges high performance in both sports and academics. How do you think that combination shapes your perspective on student success?
I’ve seen in myself a kid who did not immediately show promise at football, but who ended up being very successful. If you saw me in grade 10 back in 2000, my first year playing football, you would not have picked me to play in the CFL Eastern Division Final in 2017 (my last game – we lost). What happened was I was fortunate to have great coaches, who saw potential in me and opened up great opportunities for me, and I stepped up, worked hard and did my part. - As someone who’s both competed on national television and played in the Grey Cup, what’s your take on pressure and performance, especially for students facing tests or tough subjects?
Proper preparation prevents poor performance! You win the game in advance. If you can be confident in your preparation, you won’t sweat it on game day. - You now work closely with potential franchisees. What do you enjoy most about helping people explore business ownership with Scholars?
The potential to find that perfect fit for that new franchisee and for Scholars. We have fun with it too, and have a little bit of competition built in with our Criteria Assessment for new franchisees. - Do you have a Scholars success story or memory from your time with the company that stands out?
The annual Scholars Summit is always a favourite, when we gather all our amazing franchisees from across the country together, and you get to see everyone face-to-face, all in one place. - If you could summarize your mission in one sentence, what would it be?
To connect our next generation of franchisees with our next generation of students to help them all achieve results that matter.