Life After Exit: How Selling Campana Opened the Door to a New Chapter
In 1988, Brad Bell co-founded Campana, alongside his business partner Grant. After nearly 30 years of growth and success, they decided to sell the business.
A decade after the sale, Brad reflects on the journey of building Campana, the decision to sell, and how the exit enabled him to pursue his next chapter with Mission Aviation Fellowship (MAF).
Tell us about founding Campana.
Grant and I founded Campana in 1988. Grant was a gifted designer, programmer, and experienced leader. I had just finished university, deciding between getting a job or starting a business. It sounds simple, but it wasn’t. I was intrigued by starting a company, but honestly, I didn’t know what I didn’t know. Grant had been my boss at a local software company when I was a co-op student at University of Waterloo, and when I branched out to start a company, he took a real interest and became a great partner.
We were both operators at first—doing a bit of everything. As we grew, our roles became more specialized. I became the CTO, and Grant took the role of President. We even acquired a company early on and expanded their product.
When did you first start thinking about an exit?
We were approached a few times over the years, but it wasn’t until nearly 30 years of business that it felt like the right time.
It was emotional—this was our baby, and we had staff and families who had been with us for years or even decades. We felt a deep responsibility to make sure they were taken care of. Daniel Zinman said something that stuck with me though as we were going through the process: “some people are good at starting companies, others at building them, and others at holding onto them. Very few can do all three.”
It was humbling but insightful. Selling to someone who could give the company endurance felt like the right next step.
What made Perseus Group the right home for Campana?
It was all about the alignment on core values and the trust that was built with their team. Perseus’ culture aligned with ours: they are all about focusing on customers, employees, and long-term stability. Grant was older than me and ready to retire, and we both felt comfortable with Perseus and Constellation’s approach after years of building the relationship. It just felt right.
What did your exit look like?
Naturally there are a million details that you worry about. But the acquisition was very smooth. I stayed on for about six months to help with the transition and then quietly stepped away to move onto my next chapter.
In my opinion, the true test of a successful acquisition is employee retention. Most of the team stayed on and are still there now—it’s impressive to see our original employees now having longer tenures than I did. Seeing longtime employees retire from the company a decade later is a special testament to the preservation of the business and its culture. Take Tony Dietrich, for example—after 33 years at Campana, including a term as General Manager following my departure, he celebrated his retirement in January 2025.
You mention ‘your next chapter’, what did the acquisition allow you to do?
After building, leading, and successfully exiting Campana, I felt like I was given a special opportunity to pause, reflect, and figure out what I wanted to do next.
I’d always said I wanted to work with a Christian organization, but I wasn’t sure how or when that opportunity would come. After the sale, I was considering joining a local accelerator centre when a recruiter from Mission Aviation Fellowship (MAF) contacted me. I had been saying for more than a decade that I wanted to join an organization like this, and suddenly, the opportunity was right in front of me.
What advice would you give to business owners contemplating an exit?
Think about what you want to do in the second chapter of your life. Selling your business gives you the freedom to pause, dream, and figure out what comes next.
A mentor told me after the sale, “You’ve had business success, now, how are you going to have significance?” That stuck with me. There’s a huge, untapped pool of experienced business leaders who could make an incredible impact for our world in their second careers.
Tell us about Mission Aviation Fellowship.
MAF is a Christian Non-Governmental Organization (NGO) that provides food and medical relief in some of the most remote places in the world. We transport missionaries, Bible translators, aid workers, and provide emergency medical evacuations. Every five minutes, one of our aircraft takes off or lands somewhere in the world. Most of our staff live overseas in the 30 countries we serve—pilots, engineers, and teachers, all living in remote countries.
It is a real honour to have the opportunity to lead MAF. As part of my role, I have the privilege to visit my remote staff in one or two programs a year. These trips are challenging, they have security issues, usually involve long flights, and logistical complexity. Despite the challenges, this work is extremely rewarding.
I can recall on one trip in South Sudan, we were on our way to pick up men from a remote hospital who had just installed a solar power system. The previous week we had transported these men and equipment out to the hospital. The new solar power system now provided power to the critical oxygen generators that helped sustain life for babies in the NICU. The head nurse came out of the hospital holding a baby, crying. She said, “now we can keep the lifesaving equipment running even when the power fails”. That moment showed me how impactful this work is. It’s not glamorous, but its life changing.
Will there be a “chapter 3” for you?
I have a retirement date coming up, so of course I’m looking forward to figuring out what my third act will be. I don’t know exactly what it will be; probably volunteering, maybe some hobbies, and definitely spending time with my grandkids.
After a successful second act, I think the third act is going to be pretty special.
