Bursary to business partner: The unexpected connection of two Laurier alumni

Jeff Burchill (BBA ’87) and John Dunn (BBA ’12) have a unique Laurier story to tell.

The two alumni are at very different points in their lives and careers. Burchill is retired after a successful career, while Dunn is hitting his stride professionally. Burchill and his wife have two adult children, while Dunn and his wife have three children under five. Yet the two have more in common than being graduates of the Lazaridis School of Business & Economics – quite a bit more, and with an unexpected twist.

Burchill attended Laurier in the mid-80s, living in Little House in his first year, and he sums up his experience joking, “don’t let school get in the way of your education!”

He reassures that he did work hard and enjoyed his classes, but the activities and people were what really stuck with him from his time at Laurier. Burchill was active in student government as vice-president of university affairs, enjoyed intramurals and was an OUA champion in track and field.

He graduated believing that what matters most isn’t grades or transcripts, but how well-rounded a person is, “if they can talk to people, their attitude more than their aptitude and a strong work ethic.”

“Laurier didn’t teach me what to think,” he said. “It taught me how to think.”

Dunn attended Laurier in the early 2010s, and he also lived in Little House. In high school, he wanted to get into the Lazaridis School, but he wasn’t accepted. Instead, he entered Laurier’s Financial Math program and began the focused effort of excelling in the courses that would allow him to transfer, which he did, in his second year.

“My first year was very challenging,” says John. “It was a lot of fun, but it was also a lot of hard work, and I think that set the stage for the rest of my Laurier years, and my life: you focus on your work and you’ll get results. Good things can happen.”

It was in John’s first year that he became connected to Burchill, although they wouldn’t make the connection for many years to come. Dunn received two bursaries from the Burchill Family Fund, an award that Burchill and his family had set up in 2005.

As do many Laurier students, Dunn wrote a grateful note of thanks to Burchill and his family, appreciating the support going into his second year, especially since he was having to put so much time into his studies.

"Jeff’s bursary helped eliminate some financial stress and allowed me to put more focus on my academics as well as enjoying the full university experience,” said Dunn. “For many students, money can be tight. A bursary like this can go a long way."

Though separated by almost two decades in time, both Burchill and Dunn started their careers doing the same type of job, internal wholesaling, within the same industry, insurance. And both eventually ended up at Burchill Financial Services.

For Burchill, coming back to work for the family business in Sarnia in 1992 was an easy decision to make. His father, who was also in financial services, started the business in 1980. Years later, in 2014, Dunn was working at Manulife, when his roommate from first year at Little House let him know Burchill was looking for a new person to join Burchill Financial Services. Starting as an administrative assistant at Burchill Financial Services in 2015, Dunn soon moved to sales associate and then to certified financial planner with his own clients.

In 2021 when Burchill retired, he sold the business to Dunn and another partner, who renamed it Pier 3 Financial Solutions.

“Knowing them as well as I did because I spent a lot of time with them, I had no hesitancy about handing things off to them and wishing them well,” Burchill said. “We share values, geared toward treating people right and doing the right thing. To me, especially when you're talking about people's money, that's the most important thing.”

Something was ending, Dunn acknowledged, but the new business he is now running is also rooted in the past and in the community.

“I felt honored just knowing what Jeff and his dad and family have built over the years,” Dunn said.

“All this comes with a significant amount of hard work and dedication,” he continued. “At the time, I knew there were going to be some long days ahead, but it is obviously well worth it.”

So, what’s the twist? During the second year working with Dunn, Burchill was reviewing some of his documents. He came across an old folder of printed sheets – thank you letters he’d received over the years for the Burchill Family Bursary. Idly reading through them, a named jumped out: John Dunn.

“I was startled to see John’s name and it’s like holy smokes! I walked down the hall to show John and we both had a good laugh! It was kind of a surprise for us both at the same time.”

Burchill had never met any recipients of his bursary in person. He never realized until that moment that the man he’d hired, and who would become the successor of his life’s work, was also the young student he’d supported when Dunn was just starting out.

Burchill had set up Burchill Family Bursary because he felt grateful for his own success in life and wanted to support the next generation.

“There are lots of very capable young people out there and sometimes they maybe just need a little bit of extra help,” Burchill said. His bursary has supported more than 21 students over the years.

Little did he know or expect that one of those students would become a trusted business partner and friend – and help to carry on the legacy of his life’s work.