About Justin K Lacey – Founder of the Proposal Lab
I believe every great proposal is a fusion of art and science. This conviction was forged over a 30+ year journey that spanned industries and continents, from airplane hangars to boardrooms. Along the way, I’ve learned that no matter the field – whether building jets or designing solar technology – success comes from combining creativity with strategy and maintaining a relentless focus on results. My story is one of continually adapting, learning, and innovating to drive meaningful outcomes for the organizations I’ve served.
From Aerospace to Clean-Tech: A Global Journey
Armed with an Economics degree from the University of Western Ontario, an MBA from McGill, and an International Business diploma from the Stockholm School of Economics, I entered the business world with a strong foundation in strategy and a global perspective. I spent a decade at Bombardier Aerospace, taking on various marketing and customer experience roles, ultimately serving as Director of Marketing & Customer Experience for a $4 billion business unit. In that role, I led a 30-person team and managed a $24 million budget, spearheading worldwide branding and communications initiatives. Those years taught me how to build a global brand and the importance of listening to customers – lessons I carried into the next chapters of my career.
Eager to apply my expertise in new arenas, I ventured into the clean-tech sector. I led marketing and sales for VRB Power Systems and later for Day4 Energy, two Vancouver-based clean technology innovators. Shifting from aerospace to clean-tech was a thrilling challenge – I went from promoting aircraft to championing cutting-edge energy solutions. At VRB Power (a pioneer in energy storage), I guided a comprehensive brand repositioning to differentiate our technology in the global market. At Day4 Energy, a solar photovoltaics provider, I helped develop the company’s first integrated marketing and sales strategy, unifying efforts across multiple countries. These roles broadened my international experience: I managed teams and negotiations across North America, Europe, and Asia, learning to adapt our message to different markets while always driving toward growth. Through each industry jump, one thing stayed constant – my focus on delivering results. In both companies, I was tasked with turning innovative ideas into tangible business success, whether that meant revenue growth, new partnerships, or expanded market share.
Driving Results in Professional Services
My journey then brought me into the realm of professional services. I joined Kasian, one of the world’s leading architecture, interior design, and planning firms, to head their marketing, communications, and proposal development team.
This role was an opportunity to apply my skills in a fast-paced consulting environment serving clients across Canada, the Middle East, and Asia. As Director of Marketing & Communications at Kasian, I led a team of proposal specialists supporting six offices (four in Canada and two internationally). I implemented a new brand differentiation strategy that refreshed how we presented Kasian’s value across all client touchpoints – from our website and brochures to the polished proposals we delivered. Equally important, I championed new digital tools and processes to make our marketing and proposal operations more efficient. For example, I drove the adoption of innovative technology platforms to streamline collaboration and content management, boosting our business development efforts and overall effectiveness. Under my watch, we focused on productivity and quality: I enhanced our proposal team’s efficiency and increased our project “win rate,” a goal we met by refining our approach and teamwork. Leading this national proposal team reinforced my belief that even in a creative, “people-focused” business, smart systems and a results-oriented mindset can dramatically improve performance.
Core Values: Productivity, Efficiency, Innovation
Throughout my career, certain core values have remained my compass. Productivity and efficiency are paramount – I’ve always sought ways to help teams work smarter, not just harder. Whether managing Bombardier’s large marketing budgets or the leaner operations of a clean-tech startup, I found that efficient processes and clear priorities make the difference in delivering on goals. Innovation is another driving force for me. I’m passionate about leveraging technology and new ideas to drive results.
At Kasian, I introduced digital collaboration platforms and proposal automation tools that significantly improved our workflow and output quality. I’ve seen firsthand how the right technology can amplify a team’s abilities – from enabling real-time collaboration to capturing data that helps refine our strategies. This blend of productivity, efficiency, and innovation underpins every project I take on. I measure my success (and that of my teams) by the outcomes we achieve for the business, and I’m always looking for creative ways to achieve those outcomes faster and better. These values have not only delivered revenue and growth results but also fostered a culture of continuous improvement among the teams I’ve led.
The Proposal Lab: Where Art Meets Science
All of these experiences culminated in my decision to found the Proposal Lab. I started the Proposal Lab because I recognized that winning proposals require a delicate balance of creativity and analysis – truly an intersection of art and science.
Our core mission is to craft powerful, compelling proposals that position our clients as indispensable by mastering the art and science of persuasion. In practice, this means we blend imaginative storytelling (the “art”) with data-driven strategy and process (the “science”) in every proposal we develop.
We don’t believe in one-size-fits-all solutions; we continuously experiment, test, and refine new approaches to proposal strategy, content, and production to find what works best for each client. Having worked on over 650 proposals in the past five years, my team and I have been able to perfect our methods through both successes and the occasional failure – every project is an opportunity to learn and improve. As a result, the Proposal Lab is always evolving. We invest in technology (such as a leading proposal automation platform) to streamline the proposal process and give our clients a competitive edge. We analyze what persuades evaluators and what design or content choices make a proposal stand out, then iterate on our approach accordingly.
Leading the Proposal Lab is the most fulfilling chapter of my career, because it allows me to synthesize everything I value: creativity and analytical rigour, efficient processes and innovative tools, global business insight and attention to the local client’s needs.
In essence, I’ve built a company that operates at the intersection of art and science, just as I’ve always envisioned. Today, I work closely with businesses across industries to help them tell their story and win more deals – and nothing motivates me more than seeing a client succeed. My journey from aerospace to clean-tech to professional services taught me that while industries differ, the principles of success are universal. I’m excited to bring that perspective to our clients at the Proposal Lab, where we turn those principles into winning proposals every day.