Bill Larkin is the CFO of Westport Innovations (TSX:WPT), a global leader in low-emissions transportation technologies that engineers the world’s most advanced natural gas engines and vehicles. A CPA with a degree in accounting from the University of Southern California, Bill has also served as CFO of Fuel Systems Solutions and DDi.
In the clip below, Bill outlines some of what lies ahead for Westport — including a 13-liter engine developed with Volvo — and the vision and culture behind this high-growth company. (Run time: 1:51; a transcript is provided below. If you’d like to view the entire interview, click here.)
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Brendan Byrnes: You mentioned the 12-liter engine. What are some other big growth drivers that you see for Westport down the line?
Bill Larkin: From us, let’s talk about our Volvo agreement. We’ve had a long relationship with Volvo. A little over two years ago we formalized that relationship, and we’ve been investing and integrating our high-pressure direct injection (HPDI) technology on their 13-liter engine, both for the European market and U.S. market.
Unfortunately, these are long development cycles. It takes a long time just to establish a relationship and then start developing the technology, but we’re at a point where next year we’re going to start bringing product to market. That’s going to help drive an increase in our top line and hopefully our bottom line, going forward.
Brendan: Also, when we talk about companies here at The Motley Fool we like to look at culture. Could you talk about the culture at Westport, and how that becomes a competitive advantage for you?
Bill: Sure. If you look back where we started, there was a vision there. You look at David, who’s one of our founders; he’s a visionary. He’s an entrepreneur. For a high-growth company like this, to have that vision says a lot about the leadership of our organization.
But even when you look — when I started three years ago — if you look at, really, our product portfolio, it was a joint venture and we had delivered the products down in the ports, down at Long Beach; the Port of Long Beach.
But fast forward. Through that vision, we’ve been able to expand our product offerings by leveraging our technology, establishing relationships with global OEMs. Who would have thought that a small company in Vancouver would be able to establish strategic alliances with the Volvos, the Cummins, the Caterpillars of the world?
For part one of our interview with Bill Larkin, click here.
