From bringing high-speed internet to rural Alberta to building a national talent pool of IT professionals, Warren Pickard identifies where traditional service models fall short and develops new models to provide underserved markets with the technology, expertise and support they need.
Founder of Wild Rose Internet and IT Specialists Inc.
ABOUT WARREN
Warren is a Canadian entrepreneur with experience in rural high-speed internet, IT services and support, IT staffing, and scalable business development.
His work begins by identifying why customers are unhappy with existing service models and where the biggest problems exist. He then starts with the customer experience and works backwards, developing practical solutions to fix what matters most.
In 2004, many rural Alberta homes, farms and businesses still had limited access to reliable high-speed internet.
Warren founded Wild Rose Internet to address that gap.
The challenge was not simply bringing high-speed internet to unserved communities. It was finding a way to build, maintain and support networks across large geographic regions without making the service unaffordable. Wild Rose worked with farmers, municipalities, rural businesses and local technicians to create a solution designed specifically for Alberta’s rural communities.
Rather than applying a traditional urban telecommunications model, the company found creative ways to overcome high infrastructure costs and long distances while keeping services affordable. Wild Rose constructed wireless towers, utilized existing agricultural structures and developed a network of locally trained technicians to provide wireless internet services across 16 rural municipalities in Alberta.
Wild Rose became proof that rural markets can be served successfully when the service model begins with the customer and is built around meeting their needs and making the technology accessible and affordable.
High-speed internet connected rural Alberta to the rest of the world. It gave rural homes, farms and businesses faster access to markets, services, education, information and opportunities beyond their communities. It also made rural operations more efficient by making it easier for farms and businesses to communicate with customers and suppliers, manage records and finances, research products and markets, and make faster, better-informed decisions. By making distance less of a barrier and levelling the playing field, high-speed internet helped farms and rural businesses grow their operations, compete more effectively and participate more fully in an increasingly connected economy.
Rural services. Rural support. A model built for rural Alberta.
Wild Rose showed Warren that entire communities can remain underserved even when the services they need already exist elsewhere. Often, the real problem is how they are delivered.
Years later, he identified similar shortcomings in IT services. Although the services were different, the approach was familiar: start with the customer, identify where the traditional service model is falling short, and develop a better model to address those shortcomings.
THE CURRENT CHAPTER
Warren founded IT Specialists in late 2024 after identifying widespread frustration with the cost, speed and precision of traditional IT services.
He created a new model to build Canada’s largest talent pool of IT professionals without the overhead of a large salaried workforce – allowing IT Specialists to deliver savings of up to 30% compared to traditional service providers. The model quickly attracted interest from IT professionals, with its first job posting receiving 1,193 applications on Indeed (seven times the national average).
He developed a proprietary system to track over 2,800 data-points for each Technical Support Representative (TSR), covering their IT services and skills across hardware, software, education, certifications and industry expertise. This allows IT Specialists to match clients with the expertise they need with significantly greater precision. He also created a two-way SMS mobilization system that can assemble qualified TSRs within hours rather than weeks.
With an initial talent pool of 78 TSRs, they began providing IT services in mid-2025 and introduced nationwide IT staffing services in mid-2026. Warren is now exploring how the same talent pool, proprietary systems and service model could be adapted to make AgTech and IT services and support more accessible and affordable for farmers and rural businesses.
First job posting attracted 1,193 applicants – 7× the national average, creating a large talent pool without the expense of a salaried workforce.
Built a low-overhead service model that can reduce client costs by up to 30% compared to traditional IT service providers.
Built a proprietary data-profiling system to track over 2,800 data points for each TSR to identify specialists with the exact skills needed by clients within minutes.
Built a proprietary two-way SMS system for rapid mobilization of highly specialized TSRs within hours, while paying them more and charging clients less.
Wild Rose taught Warren how to deliver affordable services and on-site support across large geographic areas despite high infrastructure costs.
IT Specialists taught him how to build a large talent pool and proprietary systems to deliver IT services with greater speed, precision and lower costs.
Rural communities now present a familiar service-delivery challenge. Farmers and rural businesses are increasingly dependent on agricultural technology (AgTech) and information technology (IT), yet access to specialized AgTech and IT services and support remains limited and expensive in rural communities. By combining his experience with Wild Rose Internet and IT Specialists, Warren is exploring whether a better service model can make these services more accessible and affordable in regions where there is sufficient interest.
Farmers are facing rising input costs and tighter margins, making efficiency and cost control more important than ever. At the same time, agriculture is becoming increasingly dependent on technology, software, data, automation and specialized expertise. Yet farmers and rural businesses still face fragmented vendors, expensive on-site support and difficulty finding vendor-neutral AgTech and IT professionals who understand rural operations.
Warren believes there may be an opportunity to create a network of rural technicians and combine it with the national talent pool and proprietary systems he developed through IT Specialists. This could provide a more affordable way to deliver AgTech and IT services and support to rural communities.
Before building the model, he wants to speak with Alberta farmers to understand their challenges, where existing services are falling short, and where better access to AgTech and IT services and support could make the greatest difference. By working directly with farmers, the model can be built to address the problems that matter most.
If you are interested in bringing affordable AgTech and IT services and support to your region, Warren wants to hear from you. Please also share this information with other farms and rural businesses in your community. Regions will only move forward where there is sufficient local interest to support an affordable service model. The more farmers and businesses we hear from in your area, the more likely your region is to move forward.
A Shared AgTech & IT Department Built for Farmers
FarmDesk is being explored as a new way for farmers to access AgTech and IT expertise without carrying the full costs of an in-house department. The goal is to combine shared resources, specialized expertise and local support in a model built around the needs of participating farmers in each region.
The goal is not to sell farmers more technology, but to help them choose the technology that creates real value – and provide affordable expertise and support to make it work.
FarmDesk will be built around the needs of the farmers it serves. Tell us what services, support and capabilities would make the biggest difference on your farm — and help shape what gets built.
What is costing you time, money or peace of mind today – especially something that better technology, systems or support could help improve? We’re simply trying to understand the challenges Alberta farmers are facing – so we can build a better service model to meet their needs. Ensure your voice is heard!