He owned and operated a commercial college in Montreal for several years from 1964. Later, after he and Yoko met in Toronto in 1976, he was Chairman of the Board of Directors for an international prep school until they moved to Kamloops in 1979. For 13 years and while a full-time faculty member in the business division of the local university college he assisted Yoko with her retail business in downtown Kamloops where her name came to mean high quality and customer satisfaction. Young people from Japan were often directed to Yoko's store for assistance. When they were invited to her home, Yoko became aware of the need for a private ESL school in Kamloops.
People now come from many parts of the world.
Yoko and Gerry have combined their experience and knowledge of teaching, marketing and business management to create a unique learning environment.