Meet Jonathan Lewis | President, Eastport Financial Group

We had the good fortune of connecting with Jonathan Lewis and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Jonathan, what role has risk played in your life or career?
Win or lose, risk is a greater proving ground than any MBA. You always gain something from trying, or as Teddy Roosevelt put it while running for President:
it’s always an achievement to spend ourselves in a worthy cause, no matter
what. I set up a landscaping company during college, and by 2004 I was
Manager of Financial Planning with a large firm. I could have stayed comfortable
there, if I’d valued comfort—but I wouldn’t have been moving forward. That whole
industry machine was too inflexible. I founded the Eastport Financial Group to
build a truly limitless, creative, client-centred team from the ground up.

Roosevelt said: “It is not the critic who counts; not the man who points out how
the strong man stumbles, or where the doer of deeds could have done them

better. The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena, whose face is
marred by dust and sweat and blood; who strives valiantly; who errs, who comes
short again and again, because there is no effort without error and shortcoming;
but who does actually strive to do the deeds; who knows great enthusiasms, the
great devotions; who spends himself in a worthy cause; who at the best knows in
the end the triumph of high achievement, and who at the worst, if he fails, at least
fails while daring greatly, so that his place shall never be with those cold and
timid souls who neither know victory nor defeat.”

I can’t say it better than that. This is the mindset that’s defined my life and career.

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
When I’m headed to Arizona, I always make time to go to Camelback Mountain. It’s a wicked climb.

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
When I was 13 years old, my family and I went to a Baptist church in New Jersey. We were the only white people there. I’d never seen anyone dancing in a
church before, the grandmas along with the kids. I wanted to boogie with them.
Then five ex-felons got up to speak—a part of Teen Challenge Worldwide, an
amazing organization that helps young people beat addiction—and I wasn’t just
having fun. It changed my life. These guys lifted their shirts to show us
bulletholes, knife wounds, and track marks. They talked about how Teen
Challenge met them where they were in their lives, brokenness and all, and
introduced them to the gospel. They’d gone from such darkness to peace and
joy, completely transformed.
I was awestruck. I’ve been working with Teen Challenge for thirteen years, and
am now on the national board for Canada. The same darkness is all around us,
and within us, no matter what form it takes. That’s why we’re so moved by stories
of restoration. We love comebacks. Teen Challenge cranks out comeback stories
all around the world, every day. Being a part of it is a light in my life.

Website: www.eastportfinancialgroup.ca

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/EastportFinancial

Other: Vimeo: https://vimeo.com/659472006