“Life has been good to us,” says Wayne LeRoux. “We couldn’t have imagined in 1978 that we would have ended up where we are.” 

Originally from Canada, he and his wife, Barbara, were raised on the West Coast in the Greater Vancouver area. Life took its first big turn in 1970 when IBM transferred Wayne to Winnipeg. “IBM stands for ‘I’ve Been Moved,’” he jokes. A few years later, everything shifted again. In 1978, they immigrated to the United States as investor immigrants, landing in Clearwater with their two young children in tow.

“We came in with friends from Winnipeg who also wanted to immigrate,” Barbara explains. “They had their eyes on California, but Florida had the better weather, and my parents had retired down here. Every time we visited them on vacation, we thought, ‘This is the place to be.’”

Their path south came with some uncertainty. Their son was 10, their daughter 7, and those first days in Florida were bumpy. The kids briefly attended Madeira Beach Elementary, and the culture shock was real. Think food fights, no air conditioning, and overwhelmed teachers. “We wondered what we had done,” Wayne admits.

But a Clearwater IBM representative recommended another school, Plumb Elementary, and suddenly everything clicked. “It was far superior to anything we had experienced in Canada,” Wayne says. They bought a home in Clearwater and settled in, building a business and a life.

Their first software company surprised them with how warmly it was received. The business climate in Florida was far more active and receptive than in Canada at that time. Their success allowed them to raise their family and plant roots.

In 1990, after selling their first business, they moved to East Lake Woodlands. It was a fully furnished show home. “Instant gratification,” Wayne laughs. “Barb was disappointed because she wanted to live on the water. We had a pond with an alligator,” he jokes. They kept an eye on Tierra Verde for years, even buying a lot on Oceanview and working with an architect on plans. But fate had a different timeline.

After selling their second business in 1992, they spotted a for-sale sign on a waterfront home they had admired for ten years. “We bought it,” Wayne says simply. That home, designed by noted South Pinellas architect Vaughn McCarthy, became the longest place they have ever lived.

Their neighbors eventually commissioned McCarthy as well. “He sketched their home on a napkin on the Isle of Jersey in a pub,” Wayne says. “That napkin is framed in their house.” Today, the two homes stand as companion pieces, instantly recognizable for their unique sunburst detailing and thoughtful design.

Wayne’s ventures reached far beyond Florida. Their credit card processing software, developed in the 1980s, became one of the early pioneers in electronic Visa and Mastercard systems.

“We ended up licensing to some well-known institutions,” says Wayne. Eventually, the company was sold to a New York phone company.

Their second company, Transnet, grew rapidly. “Transnet did very well, and we sold in the 60th month of operation,” Wayne shares. That technology still underpins parts of JPMorgan Chase’s processing system today.

For a small company, its impact was enormous. “We had some brilliant technicians,” Wayne says, smiling at the memory. He retired in 2006, briefly “played” with a mental health software venture, and fully retired in 2022. These days, life unfolds at a gentler pace with boat rides and family visits.

Their daughter lives in Atlanta and works with IBM, following in her father’s footsteps after a brief stretch practicing law and then pivoting to technology. Their son, an architect, lives locally with his pharmacist wife. They are proud grandparents to five girls: two in Atlanta (now 22 and 20) and three granddaughters nearby. The younger ones, Breanna, Emily and Gabby, are frequent visitors and love to help with the puppies.

“We’ve had a nice life,” Barbara reflects. “Friends from Winnipeg and Vancouver always wanted to visit, and we got to see Florida through their eyes.”

Together, they’ve explored the Keys. Barbara has wandered beaches collecting shells and even sand that has been struck by lightning, producing glass! You never know what you will find on the beach. Wayne enjoys listening to tunes on his 1948 Wurlitzer jukebox.

Boating has been a constant thread throughout their lives. Wayne bought his first boat after quitting a three-pack-a-day habit in 1982. “We went to the dealer—I told my business partner that if the three of us quit smoking, we could afford it. And Barb would only have to pay fifteen dollars a month,” he grins.

Boats grew larger over the years; today, they enjoy a roomy, comfortable Tritoon. “It’s perfect for people our age.”

Summers take the LeRouxs to their family cottage in Vancouver, which has been in the family since 1947 and is perched on the water. “We have the best of both worlds,” Wayne says. They’ve lived in their Tierra Verde home for 26 years, for a total of 47 years in Florida. “As long as we’re in good health, we’ll stay in this house,” Wayne says. 

Reflecting on all the twists, moves, ventures, and leaps of faith, Wayne sums it up simply, “It’s been an awesome move. We never looked back.”