BRANDT CHAIR IN MANUFACTURING HALL OF FAME.
Brandt Group of Companies chair Gavin Semple has been selected as the inaugural inductee to the new Saskatchewan Manufacturing Hall of Fame.
“There is no one person more deserving or more suited to be the first-ever inductee of the Saskatchewan Manufacturing Hall of Fame,” said Canadian Manufacturers & Exporters (CME) president and CEO Jayson Myers in a news release. “Gavin truly embodies the Saskatchewan spirit — innovative, driven and steadfastly dedicated to bettering the community. He has become an icon and role model for corporate citizenship in Canada.”
“(GAVIN SEMPLE) HAS BECOME AN ICON AND ROLE MODEL FOR CORPORATE CITIZENSHIP IN CANADA.” JAYSON MYERS
The official induction took place during the opening ceremony of Canada’s Farm Progress Show in Regina.
Semple joined Brandt in 1972 as an entry-level salesperson, rising to the role of president and general manager and assuming an ownership stake. Today, Brandt employs more than 1,800 people nationwide and is Saskatchewan’s largest privately held business.
“Since Gavin joined Brandt 42 years ago, the manufacturing industry in Saskatchewan has grown by well over 2,000 per cent — a rate roughly 100 times quicker than our population,” said Derek Lothian, CME VP and executive director of the Saskatchewan Manufacturing Council (SMC). “He has not only nurtured the growth of a company; he has significantly contributed to the development of an entire industry — one that is now at the heart of the provincial economy.”
Launched by the CME and the SMC in conjunction with RBC Royal Bank and RCAP Leasing, the award recognizes world-class contributions in the areas of leadership, business excellence and service to the community.
FCL moves up in FP ranking
Federated Co-operatives Ltd. (FCL) moved up three spots in the Financial Post Magazine’s Canada’s 500 largest corporations, placing 45th with 2013 revenue of $9.4 billion, an increase of 7.4 per cent. FCL ranks 16th for its return on assets (14.3 per cent) and 36th for its return on equity (22 per cent).
FCL is the only Saskatchewan-based organization in the top 50. It had a busy year, acquiring 17 agricultural chemical supply centres from Viterra and completed its $2.7-billion expansion and revamp project at the Co-op Refinery Complex in Regina.
“We must create longterm sustainable value for our members,” said FCL CEO Scott Banda in a news release. “We’re accomplishing this by growing strategically, investing in our communities, telling our story and coming together in what we call the co-operative retailing system.”