Following graduation in 1975 from Saint Mary’s University, Mike Cassidy worked in the corporate marketing department of a national oil company, received his chartered accountancy designation with a local PEI accounting firm, co-owned and operated a mid-size international trucking company, operated a diversified training and consulting practice through his companies Cassidy Associates and Focus Marketing Inc., and completed Charlottetown’s largest private heritage development project with the restoration of Great George Street “Inns on Great George” situated in historic Charlottetown.

His ownership in a regional motor coach group of companies has allowed him to lead the efforts in developing municipal and rural transit systems on PEI and a Maritime intercity line run service for passenger and same-day parcel delivery.

Mike is one of PEI’s most recognizable entrepreneurs with a wide range of industry experience. His business ownership interests over the past 40 years have crossed many business sectors including long haul trucking, waste management, retail automotive, tourism and hospitality, real estate development, business consulting, sales and marketing, bus transportation, climate-controlled greenhouse production and sustainable farming initiatives. Today, the current Group of Companies has close to 700 employees focusing on bus transportation, cruise ship shore excursions, sustainable agriculture, and real estate development.

For 25 years of his career Mike took his energy and business experience into the classrooms at UPEI where he was a member of the Business Faculty teaching Accounting and Entrepreneurship. In 2013 Mike was elected to the Fellowship in the Institute of Chartered Accountants of PEI, receiving this honour for his outstanding contribution to the CA profession as an educator, mentor, and role model.

During his business life Mike has been recognized as one of Atlantic Canada’s Leading Entrepreneurs during the 2017 EY Entrepreneur of the Year Awards, inducted into the PEI Junior Achievement Hall of Fame in 2018, received the Transport Action Atlantic’s Public Transportation Award in 2019, honored with the 2019 Downtown Charlottetown President’s Award, acknowledged in 2020 as a leader in Grant Thornton’s “Faces of a Vibrant Community” program and chosen as the 2020 United Motorcoach Association’s Environmental Leadership Award recipient.

Mike lives in Charlottetown with his wife Mary Jane and has four adult children: Matthew (Cheryl), Stephen (Mary Kate), Christine (Nelson) and Ryan, with a third generation developing including grandsons, Keefe, Cole and Ollie and granddaughters, Molly and Gerri.