With the passing of Neville Gilfoy, Atlantic Canada has lost three types of people that are in short supply – journalists, salespeople and genuine wits.

Gilfoy was the founder and publisher of Progress Media, and I had the pleasure of writing for his publication for more than a decade. “Pleasure” is the operative word in that sentence, because it was fun to be in Gilfoy’s presence. He had a sense of joyful mischief that filled any room he was in.

Progress, the publication that he devoted himself to, published Wednesday that Gilfoy had passed away the night before. It was a blow to many of us who had worked with him and called him a friend.

His LinkedIn profile tells what was important to him in his professional life: it simply says “Owner, Progress Magazine, 1992-Present.”

Working with a core of seasoned journalists like David Holt and Pamela Scott Crace almost a quarter-century ago, Gilfoy founded Progress as a showcase for Atlantic Canadian businesses and the region’s economy. He believed passionately in the excellence of entrepreneurship in the region and the potential of oceans industries and the military-aerospace sectors. Ten times a year, he penned an introduction to the magazine that burst with his conviction that there was massive potential in these four provinces. He had an active hand in steering editorial policy and was always searching for the next big development in the region’s economy.

He pioneered the concept of Atlantica – the notion that the Atlantic Provinces formed an economic zone with the states northeast of Massachusetts. He campaigned tirelessly for closer economic ties between these jurisdictions.

Gilfoy, of course, was working in an industry going through perilous times. The past two decades have been brutal for the news business, and Gilfoy reacted to the downturn the only way he knew how: by selling and by innovating. Anyone who admires salespeople – and I’m one of them – could learn a lot from Gilfoy. He had a massive network and he tapped it effectively. He could work a room, work the phone, and he closed deals.

As ad revenues proved challenging, Gilfoy moved his product online and aimed to translate Progress’ reach into a personal experience. He created Face2Face, an event that was very much a manifestation of Gilfoy’s ebullient personality. Face2Face is a three-day gathering of business and government leaders at a resort with a program of business and personal development. It allows people to really get to know each other, rather than just offer a day of speakers and panels.

And at the centre of it all was Gilfoy himself, introducing speakers, telling salty jokes, swapping good-humoured barbs with old chums in the crowd. Gilfoy was a funny guy, always quick with a joke or anecdote that brought on his devilish laugh. You’d hear that laugh frequently on the cocktail circuit, as assuredly as you’d see Gilfoy’s silver mane across the stadium at a St. Mary’s University basketball game.

He was always present, always laughing, always analyzing, always selling. Neville Gilfoy’s unique brand of entrepreneurship will be missed.