Jim Pattison
Encyclopedia
James Allen "Jim" Pattison, OC
, OBC
(born October 1, 1928) is a Vancouver
-based Canadian entrepreneur who is the president, managing director, chief executive officer, chairman and sole owner of the Jim Pattison Group
, the third largest privately held company in Canada. With an estimated net worth of around $US 5.8 billion (as of March 2011), Pattison was ranked by Forbes
as the 3rd wealthiest person in Canada and 173rd in the world.
, Saskatchewan
when he was born. His company, the third largest privately held company in Canada
owns numerous car dealerships, Overwaitea Foods
and Save-On-Foods
, Ripley's Believe It or Not!
, and radio & TV stations in British Columbia
and Alberta
. He also owned the Vancouver Blazers
of the World Hockey Association
. Pattison helped organize Expo 86
in Vancouver, acting as the CEO and president of the Expo 86 Corporation. He was involved with the committee for the 2010 Vancouver Olympics. On February 15, 2008, Jim Pattison Group announced the purchase of the GWR organization, the company known for its Guinness World Records
franchise. Aptly enough, its annual book, published in more than 100 countries in 37 languages, is the world's best-selling copyrighted book.
Among other honours, Pattison is a recipient of both the Order of Canada
and the Order of British Columbia
. He was also listed as No. 178 on the 2008 Forbes
list of the world's richest people. He is also listed as the 4th richest Canadian.
Pattison, who owns approximately 30% of the shares of Canfor
, was recently in a dispute over governance with money manager Stephen A. Jarislowsky
, whose firm owned 18%. Pattison won and ousted CEO Jim Shepherd over Canfor's poor performance and declining share price, replacing him for the interim with Jim Shepard.
On April 16, 2009 Jim Pattison announced that Save-On Foods has donated $100,000 to CBC Television
in order to rent high definition trucks for away games during the Vancouver Canucks
' 2009 1st round NHL playoff series versus the St. Louis Blues. Prior to this donation, CBC stated that it would not broadcast HD away games in St. Louis due to the cost of renting high definition equipment during the current tough economic times and major cuts to funding for the CBC by the federal government.
Order of Canada
The Order of Canada is a Canadian national order, admission into which is, within the system of orders, decorations, and medals of Canada, the second highest honour for merit...
, OBC
Order of British Columbia
The Order of British Columbia is a civilian honour for merit in the Canadian province of British Columbia. Instituted in 1989 by Lieutenant Governor David Lam, on the advice of the Cabinet under Premier Bill Vander Zalm, the order is administered by the Governor-in-Council and is intended to honour...
(born October 1, 1928) is a Vancouver
Vancouver
Vancouver is a coastal seaport city on the mainland of British Columbia, Canada. It is the hub of Greater Vancouver, which, with over 2.3 million residents, is the third most populous metropolitan area in the country,...
-based Canadian entrepreneur who is the president, managing director, chief executive officer, chairman and sole owner of the Jim Pattison Group
Jim Pattison Group
The Jim Pattison Group is Canada’s third largest privately held company and, in a recent survey by the Financial Post, The Jim Pattison Group was ranked as Canada’s 62nd largest company. Jim Pattison, a Vancouver-based entrepreneur is the Chairman, President, CEO, and sole owner of the Jim Pattison...
, the third largest privately held company in Canada. With an estimated net worth of around $US 5.8 billion (as of March 2011), Pattison was ranked by Forbes
Forbes
Forbes is an American publishing and media company. Its flagship publication, the Forbes magazine, is published biweekly. Its primary competitors in the national business magazine category are Fortune, which is also published biweekly, and Business Week...
as the 3rd wealthiest person in Canada and 173rd in the world.
Life and career
Pattison's parents lived in the rural town of LuselandLuseland, Saskatchewan
Luseland, Saskatchewan is a small town in the west central region of the province. Its population as of the 2006 Canadian Census is 571, down 5% from the 2001 Census.-Geography:...
, Saskatchewan
Saskatchewan
Saskatchewan is a prairie province in Canada, which has an area of . Saskatchewan is bordered on the west by Alberta, on the north by the Northwest Territories, on the east by Manitoba, and on the south by the U.S. states of Montana and North Dakota....
when he was born. His company, the third largest privately held company in Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
owns numerous car dealerships, Overwaitea Foods
Overwaitea foods
Overwaitea Foods is a regional chain of supermarkets located in British Columbia, Canada.On March 8, 1915, Robert C. Kidd purchased a store at 746 Columbia Street in New Westminster, British Columbia. He developed several innovative merchandising techniques to attract customers to his store...
and Save-On-Foods
Save-On-Foods
Save On Foods is a chain of supermarkets located across the Western Canadian provinces of British Columbia and Alberta. Founded in 1982, it is a subsidiary of the Overwaitea Food Group, which, in turn, is owned by the Vancouver-based Jim Pattison Group....
, Ripley's Believe It or Not!
Ripley's Believe It or Not!
Ripley's Believe It or Not! is a franchise, founded by Robert Ripley, which deals in bizarre events and items so strange and unusual that readers might question the claims...
, and radio & TV stations in British Columbia
British Columbia
British Columbia is the westernmost of Canada's provinces and is known for its natural beauty, as reflected in its Latin motto, Splendor sine occasu . Its name was chosen by Queen Victoria in 1858...
and Alberta
Alberta
Alberta is a province of Canada. It had an estimated population of 3.7 million in 2010 making it the most populous of Canada's three prairie provinces...
. He also owned the Vancouver Blazers
Blazers/Cowboys (WHA)
The Blazers/Cowboys were an ice hockey franchise in the World Hockey Association from 1972–1977. Originally in 1972, the franchise was to be based out of Miami, Florida, called the Miami Screaming Eagles. But due to money problems and a lack of a suitable arena, they never played a game in Miami...
of the World Hockey Association
World Hockey Association
The World Hockey Association was a professional ice hockey league that operated in North America from 1972 to 1979. It was the first major competition for the National Hockey League since the collapse of the Western Hockey League in 1926...
. Pattison helped organize Expo 86
Expo 86
The 1986 World Exposition on Transportation and Communication, or simply Expo '86, was a World's Fair held in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada from Friday, May 2 until Monday, October 13, 1986...
in Vancouver, acting as the CEO and president of the Expo 86 Corporation. He was involved with the committee for the 2010 Vancouver Olympics. On February 15, 2008, Jim Pattison Group announced the purchase of the GWR organization, the company known for its Guinness World Records
Guinness World Records
Guinness World Records, known until 2000 as The Guinness Book of Records , is a reference book published annually, containing a collection of world records, both human achievements and the extremes of the natural world...
franchise. Aptly enough, its annual book, published in more than 100 countries in 37 languages, is the world's best-selling copyrighted book.
Among other honours, Pattison is a recipient of both the Order of Canada
Order of Canada
The Order of Canada is a Canadian national order, admission into which is, within the system of orders, decorations, and medals of Canada, the second highest honour for merit...
and the Order of British Columbia
Order of British Columbia
The Order of British Columbia is a civilian honour for merit in the Canadian province of British Columbia. Instituted in 1989 by Lieutenant Governor David Lam, on the advice of the Cabinet under Premier Bill Vander Zalm, the order is administered by the Governor-in-Council and is intended to honour...
. He was also listed as No. 178 on the 2008 Forbes
Forbes
Forbes is an American publishing and media company. Its flagship publication, the Forbes magazine, is published biweekly. Its primary competitors in the national business magazine category are Fortune, which is also published biweekly, and Business Week...
list of the world's richest people. He is also listed as the 4th richest Canadian.
Pattison, who owns approximately 30% of the shares of Canfor
Canfor
Canfor Corporation is a Canadian integrated forest products company based in Vancouver, British Columbia. The company traces its roots to the late 1930s, when brothers-in-law John G. Prentice and L.L.G. "Poldi" Bentley and their families left their native Austria just before the outbreak of World...
, was recently in a dispute over governance with money manager Stephen A. Jarislowsky
Stephen A. Jarislowsky
Stephen A. Jarislowsky, is a Canadian financier, businessman and philanthropist. He is widely regarded as being the "Warren Buffett of Canada"...
, whose firm owned 18%. Pattison won and ousted CEO Jim Shepherd over Canfor's poor performance and declining share price, replacing him for the interim with Jim Shepard.
On April 16, 2009 Jim Pattison announced that Save-On Foods has donated $100,000 to CBC Television
CBC Television
CBC Television is a Canadian television network owned by the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation, the national public broadcaster.Although the CBC is supported by public funding, the television network supplements this funding with commercial advertising revenue, in contrast to CBC Radio which are...
in order to rent high definition trucks for away games during the Vancouver Canucks
Vancouver Canucks
The Vancouver Canucks are a professional ice hockey team based in Vancouver, :British Columbia, Canada. They are members of the Northwest Division of the Western Conference of the National Hockey League . The Canucks play their home games at Rogers Arena, formerly known as General Motors Place,...
' 2009 1st round NHL playoff series versus the St. Louis Blues. Prior to this donation, CBC stated that it would not broadcast HD away games in St. Louis due to the cost of renting high definition equipment during the current tough economic times and major cuts to funding for the CBC by the federal government.
Further reading
- Jimmy: An Autobiography by Jim Pattison and Paul Grescoe (1987)
- Pattison: Portrait of a capitalist superstar by Russell Kelly (Nov 1986)
- Jim: Biography of his life by Jim Dowd (Nov 1998)
Multimedia
- Youtube clip - Interview of Jim Pattison by Horatio Alger Association
- CBC Archives - Jim Pattison and Expo 86Expo 86The 1986 World Exposition on Transportation and Communication, or simply Expo '86, was a World's Fair held in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada from Friday, May 2 until Monday, October 13, 1986...
(from 1985). - Video Clip- Interview of Jim Pattison by BCBusiness Magazine
External links
- Biography on the Order of British Columbia website.
- Entry on Order of Canada website.
- NNDB entry
- The Jim Pattison Group main website
- Jimmy got Mad