Company 'actively engaged in the market' as it focuses on mergers and acquisitions
Dave Lacey steps into his new role as CEO of Citation Canada with a clear vision: expansion, innovation, and a stronger foothold in the Canadian health and safety industry. With a background in private equity and business growth, Lacey brings a sharp focus on scaling the company through both organic growth and acquisitions.
“I think I can be an instrument to help make certain that vision comes to fruition,” Lacey says, reflecting on Citation Canada’s ambitions to grow its presence across the country.
Expanding health and safety solutions
Lacey acknowledges that Citation Canada is currently known more for its HR compliance services, but he sees a broader opportunity in health and safety. The company has already introduced new offerings aimed at improving workplace safety, and Lacey expects significant growth in this area.
“We’ve recently imported a health and safety product to Canada based on the experience that our larger operations have had globally,” he explains. “It really splits into two offerings—one is a virtual assistant that helps managers determine health and safety risks on a virtual basis, and the other is an on-site inspection through our expert product, where we have boots on the ground visiting workplaces.”
These services, he says, will help companies—especially small and mid-sized businesses—navigate regulatory compliance and improve safety outcomes for employees.
Supporting SMBs in Canada
Citation Canada primarily targets small and medium-sized businesses (SMBs), a market Lacey describes as both underserved and vital to the country’s economy.
“The SMB space is exactly our sweet spot—think companies with around 50 employees, plus or minus,” he says. “These businesses struggle to keep up with regulatory and compliance issues, and we want to be that partner that helps them improve safety outcomes while allowing them to focus on growth.”
With Citation Canada’s private equity backing and Lacey’s extensive experience, the company is poised for expansion. Lacey says the company is focused on helping Canadian businesses create safer, more compliant workplaces.
“We enable them to get back to their core business,” he says. “They don’t want to spend mind share or do a bunch of brain damage on health and safety regulations—we take care of that so they can focus on driving economic growth.”
Acquisition strategy and the in Canada
Mergers and acquisitions play a major role in Lacey’s strategy. Citation Canada has already acquired HRdownloads, but Lacey confirms that the company is actively pursuing further acquisitions.
“100%,” he says when asked whether Citation Canada is eyeing more companies in the space. “If you look at Citation’s track record, they’ve done over 26 acquisitions globally. We certainly don’t intend to stop there.”
Although he remains tight-lipped on specifics, Lacey hints that Citation Canada has an active pipeline of acquisition targets.
“There’s nothing I can talk about publicly yet,” he says, “but just know that we’re actively engaged and out there in the market.”
While health and safety remains a priority, Lacey says the company is looking at a broad range of services, from payroll to ISO certification and even cybersecurity. The goal is to provide businesses with comprehensive compliance solutions, allowing them to focus on their core operations.
Lacey believes by expanding Citation Canada’s offerings and growing its client base, the company can have a meaningful impact on workplace safety across the country.
