Shaun Newman Podcast - Ep. #112 - Jim Pattison

Episode Date: September 9, 2020

Originally from Luseland SK Jim started out as a used car salesman and has worked his way to becoming one of the wealthiest men in Canada. At the young age of 91 he doesn't take any days off (didn't miss a single day of work due to COVID-19). Is celebrating his 69th wedding anniversary this year, has sat in on conversations with the President of the United States, Oprah & many many more. We discuss his journey through the great depression & a world war to becoming one of the most successful business men in Canadian history.  Let me know what you think     Text me! 587-217-8500

Hi, this is Brayden Holby. This is Bob Stoffer from the Euters Radio Network. Hi, this is Brian Burke from Toronto, Ontario. This is Daryl Sutterin. Hello, everyone. I'm Carlyagro from SportsNet Central. This is Jay On Right. This is Quick Dick, quick Dick coming to you from Toughness, Saskatchew. Hey, everybody, my name is Steele-Ferry.

This is Kelly Rudy. This is Corey Cross. This is Wade Redden. This is Jordan Tutu. Hey, it's Ron McLean, Hockeynet in Canada, and Rogers' Hometown Hockey, and welcome to the Sean Newman podcast. Welcome to the podcast, folks. Happy hump day.

This is the final episode of the S&P summer tour that a summer road trip we took here this past week. Man, it just time flies and had a blast doing it. And before we get on to today's guests, obviously we've got to get to our sponsors. And these three companies stepped up huge to help make it success. and it starts with foremost. Lewis stang, Mike Strill truck over there. Well, I've told the story,

but without me sitting and talking to Lewis, this doesn't come to fruition. And a huge shout out to the boys over there. They've been a big part of this. And they offer smooth walled grain bins, hopper bottoms, fuel tanks. They're in stock manufactured locally. They want to ensure you know

they're constructed the highest quality and engineered for a long life. Delivery is free within 300 kilometers of Lloyd Minster. You can buy at any of their co-op locations, Lee Binser, Lashburn, and Nealberg. For more information, you can check them out on their website, Foremost.ca. Really do appreciate them hopping aboard on this

and being the first company to do it. They always support local and a huge shout-out once again to foremost. Baker Hughes, upstream chemicals. When you need to improve performance or productivity, your solution often exists in the proper application of specialty chemicals. We offer multiple chemical lines to improve performance use, in production. Not to mention we have the best group of guys around. Shout out to all the boys.

And we'll go above and beyond to ensure you get what you need and answers to all your questions. For all your oil field chemical needs, look to Baker Hughes. Once again, here's a group of company that I work for full time and on the side, you know, the after hours I'm doing this. And they've been immensely supportive. Just every day, all the boys, appreciate everybody. everybody, you know, supporting it and having some laughs and falling along. And, you know, I always go back to a guy like Paul Bissonet, who everybody knows, biz nasty from spitting chicklets without Mr. Mullet. I don't want to get his head too big, but without Mr. Mullet doing pushing me, I would have

never got him. And that has been kind of a theme with a lot of the people that listen to this podcast. They should put out a name, and if we push it, you just never know where it goes. and we've been able to attract a lot of good people. So for the guys over at Baker Hughes, really appreciate the support. And if you're looking for oil-filled chemicals, give me a call. Give Baker Hughes a call. We'll get you hooked up.

Finally, under Tracy Clots' direction, Titus Tools is a locally owned business. He formed in 1997. He's got 40 years experience in the oil industry. And he's a guy that reached out, wanted to help, enjoyed what I've been doing. and so he reached out and heard, you know, about the road trip, wanted to get involved. You know, I walk around his office and, you know, have seen, you know, the Andrew Mavaritas have talked a lot about that, or on the walls a bunch of Brandy Hofer's paintings. And you just see that he bleeds Lloyd Minster, bleeds community talent.

And so a huge shout out to Tracy and his team over at Titus Tools for hopping on this and help make this happen. If you're interested in finding anything more out about Titus Tools, make sure you head over to Titus Tools.com. And if you're heading into any of these businesses, please let them know you heard about them on here. It helps them know people or listen. It helps me. All right. If you're interested in advertising on the show, visit shawndoomopodcast.com in the top right corner, hit the contact button and send me your information. Put in a little blur of what you're looking for or if you got an idea.

We got lots of different options, and I want to find something that could work for the both of us. Now, let's get on to your T-Bar-1 Tale of the Tape. Originally from Loosland, Saskatchewan. He was born in 1928, making him 91 years young. In 1961, he opened his first car dealership. Fast forward to the day, and he didn't miss a single day of work due to COVID-19. He doesn't drink, swear, and loves classic cars. He has been married to his wife, Mary, for 69 years.

The Jim Patterson Group owns, get this, 25 car dealerships, overwady foods, save-on foods, quality foods, Ripley's, believe it or not, Guinness World Records, 43 radio stations and three TV stations, not to mention Pattison Agriculture at 19 locations, and that's just the tip of the iceberg. On May 30th, 2017, Patterson and the Jim Patterson Foundation announced they were donating $50 million to the largest private donation in Saskatchewan history to the new children's hospital of Saskatchewan in Saskatoon.

The man is extremely successful and extremely humble. I am talking about Mr. Jim Patterson. So buckle up. Here we go. My name is Jim Patterson and welcome to the Sean Newman podcast. First off, welcome to the Sean Newman podcast. Thank you for joining me, sir. It is an absolute honor.

Well, thank you. Thanks for coming out. We're always glad to see people from Saskatchewan come out to see us. Well, I did the Mr. Patterson thing and we drove. I believe that's something you do. I do. Well, when I go to Saskatchewan, I prefer to drive because you can go to all the small towns, which is much easier by a car or truck than it is by airplane.

Do you have a fear of flying? No. Not at all. No, we fly all the time. You know, sitting here looking out over this beautiful view, when I first came in, I thought, gee, it's going to be interesting to go back to the humble beginning because I've read your story. It comes from humble beginnings.

I thought maybe we could start there and talk a little bit about growing up in Saskatchewan. I mean, it was very brief. you moved out here at a young age, but do you have any memories of Saskatchewan growing up? I got a lot of memories because my parents sent me back to work on the homestead out of major Saskatchewan, which is where my mother came from. And so I went back there every year, worked on the farm, because my parents didn't think I'd needed. They thought that unless you worked on a farm and understood how the world works, that you never amount to anything.

So anyway, I went back in the early days year after year and worked in the family farm in major Saskatchewan. How did you get back there back then? Did you train? Train? By yourself? As many times by myself. Once in a while, my dad would drive. drive me back.

How old would you have been when they were sending you back? Well, I was, my first recollection would be, you know, 12, 13, something like that. Times have certainly changed then. Lots of people wouldn't send a 12 or 13-year-old back on a train by themselves. Well, as I said, my dad drive me back and are going. the train, but they had good confidence in me and I was reliable, so it worked out okay. What lessons did working on the farm back then teach you? Well, I'll tell you, I learned about milking cows.

There was no machines in those days. But anyway, I learned to ride a horse. I used to go get the mail when the train came in once a week. Get on the horse and go to town and get the mail. So anyway, I learned certainly a lot about the real world and farming from my parents and my uncle and who was running the old homestead. You know, you're born in 28. World War II rages on from the 40s, 40 to 39.

39 to roughly 45. Do you have any memories of those years? I certainly do. The war years was we used to listen to Churchill from England on short wave. First thing in the morning when we got up, I can still take you to the house here in Vancouver. We paid $25 a month rent furnished. and the first thing in the morning we get up and listen to the news, you know, from England of what was happening.

And I always remember Winston Churchill speaking often in the mornings, and that was Vancouver time. And so, no, we were certainly, and of course I joined the cadets and was getting ready to go in. the Army time I got out at 1945 I was in training to go into the Army you were in training to go well I mean and not by the Army but in in school grade 11 grade 12 I was in in the in the in the band because I was going to go into the band when I went into the army because I was running a high school band and we all had army uniforms and stuff like that. Were those nervous times?

No, I don't think so. The war was serious business, but, you know, when you're a teenager, you always are optimistic. At least I found most of the people I dealt with were. It's slowly, the stories of those years are slowly or maybe quickly fading away. so I find it very interesting to hear a person talk about those years because you got to see things firsthand. Oh, yeah, no, but the, you know, we had, my dad would go on saving, quote, door to door and raise money, you know, for savings bonds, war savings bonds. and they had campaigns

and they'd have teams of people to go out and sell victory bonds is what we called them. And I was going to school, but I remember my dad, it wasn't a full-time job, but he had a full-time job. But in addition to that, he'd go out and sell victory bonds door to door. When did you first start your career in sales? Oh, heck, I started and I was probably seven going door-to-door selling garden seeds, flower seeds, garden seeds, door to door.

And then I got a job after that selling the Saturday evening post door-to-door, you know, subscriptions, ladies' home journal. And then after that I got a paper route. I worked all my life, actually. Was it something at a necessity you started selling and you were just good at it? Or was it something you witnessed and were like... Well, I knew. If I wanted a bike, I was going to have to make money to buy a bike. Or as time went by, but we didn't have a lot of money.

We didn't own a house or anything like that. But anyway, I used to sell garden seats door to door. And then we got into the magazine subscriptions. Then I had a newspaper route. Then I worked delivering groceries for a Chinese grocer at just between 26th and 25th on Main Street. And so I've always worked as far as I can recall. And I always liked what I did. Is this this COVID-19 slowdown when everything locked up?

I assume you were stuck at home for a little bit, probably for the first time? No, I've never been home. I've come and been to work every day. Every day? Every day. Never missed a day. Really? No.

It doesn't concern you that. No. Well, it concerns you. I mean, it concerns you. But it doesn't stop me coming to work. Interesting. You know, I've found in reading about you and watching different things, I find your leadership style very, I would think, easy to follow,

because you lead by example at all times? Well, if you like what you do, it's not hard to do. I like what I do, so I don't really consider it work. That's why at 91 you're still going. You're right. I still am, thank the good Lord. My health is good, so I'm very grateful for that. You've never hit in a point where you, you, you're not.

you touch on it, I guess, that it's fun. And most people, I suppose, don't have a job they view the same way. But you've never hitting a point where, you know, lots of people at 55, 60, 65, hit a point where they're just like, you know what, I think I want to go this way instead. Well, I've never crossed that road. I've always, of course, when I got into business, I always had lots of, I always had debts. So I needed to go to work because I got to. to pay my bills, you know, so I'm still doing that.

We still owe the bank's money, so I'm still going to work to make sure we can make our payments, you know. How about, how about Mary? You've been married for 69 years? Yeah, I've been married, got married in 19. I got married in 51. So I've been married, there it is, 69 years. You've been married 69 years, and I'm still married, and same wife, and we've had a good life.

What you talked before we started, I must have picked a good one to move her from Minneapolis out to home on Saskatchewan. How did you and marry me? I met at a children's camp in Swift Current. It was an apostolic church camp, which is an organization in Saskatchewan, a church organization. It was mostly in Saskatchewan at that time, Manitoba and Alberta. There was a couple churches out here. But anyway, I met at a children's camp at 13, where her parents sent her and her sister to a church. children's camp in Swift Current. I think it was called, I think it was called 17-mile bridge.

It was a camp 17 miles out of Swift Current. And so I met my wife there when we were 13 and kept in touch all those years. You living in Vancouver and her living out in Moose Jaw. Right. What was it at 13 and moving forward that you just knew? Well, you didn't. I mean, We met then and we corresponded. And then later on, three or four years later, I went down playing my trumpet at church camps in the summer, along with another fellow that was a really good violin player. And he and I went to these different camps playing our instruments.

And so I saw our game there. And we wrote letters back and forth occasionally. And so eventually we, we, that all turned out okay. Did you date her that? No, I just kept in touch with her. They didn't date anybody at that age. I kept in touch, and I know I got stranded.

I was up in Nipah, and I didn't, ran out of money, and I had this car, and so I phoned my wife and told her I was broke, and she talked to her father, and sent me some money like $20 or something to get some gas so I could move forward until I could get some more money. So anyway, she kept me alive there for a few days. What were you doing in Nippon? Oh, I was playing my trumpet.

There's two of us at church camps and stuff up in Nippewan at the Apostolic Church up there. And you guys stranded playing the trumpet? You were paying your way then? Yeah, we paid our way. And this other guy and I played at these different church camps, and they would help us along from time to time. So I did that one summer.

What did your future father-in-law think of having to fork over some cash? I never discussed it with him. And all I know is that she sent the money and kept me, kept gas on the car for this other guy, Vern McClellan, who was really a top-notch musician. And so anyway, we got along fine. She flies to Vancouver and you propose along those lines, correct? That's correct.

Well, yes, I did. Well, that was later on. That was when she was weird. She'd probably be 21 or 22, something like that. So you guys, up until 21, 22, when she flies to Vancouver, you're keeping in correspondence with the odd letter? Yeah, we corresponded. I saw her once or twice. She and her mother and her sister came to Vancouver once or twice, and I saw her when she came out here. But we didn't keep in touch on a regular basis, you know, face-to-face or anything, and we didn't write consistently.

But we got along fine when we met, so it worked out okay. The reason I keep digging on it is I just think today's standard, you date someone and you date them for a stented period of time, you might even want to move in with them and kind of get to lay the land to understand that you can, you know, like, this is a person I want to spend, you know, and sometimes that doesn't even work. Yeah, things are very different then. This is, you know, this is what, 60, 70 years ago now. Yeah, that's what fascinated about me. She flies out and you've been corresponding. Well, I've been corresponding, and I asked her to come out. And so she came out. So anyway, I decided to, I heard she was going to get engaged to somebody.

So I heard that. So I always liked her, but I hadn't been in touch with her for a couple years. So anyway, it all worked out okay. You heard she was getting engaged out in Vancouver? Yeah, a friend of mine, the best man at my wedding, who when he went to got married, and Moosejah told me he heard Mary was going to get engaged to somebody, and so I thought, well, I hadn't talked to her for a couple of years or so.

Anyway, I phoned her up, and it all worked out of fun. Well, 69 years later, I guess so. Yeah. She's been along for quite the journey, Yeah, yeah. She's she was 92 in August, yeah, just this month. I want to go back to your cleaning cars on a train and you quit on the spot and get stranded out in British Columbia. Does that ring a bell? It certainly does. I got off the train at Lytton.

Lytton, that's right. Yeah. Why not just work a couple more days and get back home? Well, because the train, there was a big flood in 1948. And the highways, including the railways, were washed out. The bridges were washed out. And the railways, I was working as a pantryman on the dining car for CP rail. And they couldn't get, I was on the Vancouver.

uh, Calgary run, and the train couldn't get back to Vancouver because the bridge got washed out. And they told us the crew that we were going to get, going to go run from Minneapolis to Moose Jaw for the rest of the summer. And I didn't want to do that. So I got off the train at Lytton on its way back to go work out of the prairies. And so I got off the train and eventually got back to Vancouver and got a job selling used cars. Well, before you get to selling used cars,

you've done something as a kid I've always wondered about. You hopped on a train in the middle of the night and laid flat down. Right. What was... I was scared to death. It was a flat car on a... on a train, a freight train, and it was going through Lytton,

and the railway tracks going from Lytton to Camloops. A lot of it's on the river, right by the river. And I was scared to death. I laid flat on my stomach with my hands and legs out, so I wouldn't roll off the flat car because the railway was right on the Thompson River. I was scared to death. But anyway, it was, I got to Camloops and eventually got home, and so that all worked out okay too.

You know, as the trains roll by, I'm sure I'm not the only one that could say, and I wonder what would be like just to hop on one of those things and take it for a spin. Well, I had, the alternative was that I was on my way to Minneapolis, and I didn't want to do that. What was the first car? Well, actually, you start by being the wash bay guy, the lot kid. Yeah, I did.

Seventh and Camby, that's all right. For Fred Richmond Motors, I applied for a job as a used car, salesman, and Mr. Richmond said, I don't need a salesman. We only have one, and I'm happy with him. but what we need is a washboy. And if you want to be a washboy, I'll tell you what I'll do. He says, if you want to be a washboy, I'll let you speak to a customer as long as Art Davenport, the one salesman we have, is not on the lot.

Or if he's out demonstrating a car and a customer comes on, I'll allow you to speak to the customer. Otherwise, you have to wash cars full-time. So I said, I'll take the job. And that's how I got started. And by golly, as it turned out the first week, I'd managed to sell a car or two when Art Davenport, the one salesman was off the lot.

So then they offered me a job selling used cars full-time, and that's how I got in the car business. that's uh that's some pressure right well anyway it all were turning i thank the good lord it all turned out okay well i'm always i'm always interested in back then what what did you do different did you do anything different than other people because i'm sure there was other everybody everybody was grinding and trying to get everybody i don't everybody we all went to school none of us families had what you call money everybody was worked for a living and and uh there was there was not a lot of prosperity at that time in the world like there is today and uh we didn't come

all everybody where i lived was a working class family we all went to school and did our stuff everybody helped part-time or full-time, whatever job you could get. And you became very, very, very good at selling cars. I got a job selling used cars there, and then later on I sold cars on Kingsway where all the big used car dealers were, and I did well there. And then I sold cars when I went to UBC University. I bought and sold used cars and advertised it in the university paper or the classified ads in the southern province.

And I worked my way through school doing that. Was that something other students were doing? That one is interesting to be. I don't recall any of people doing that selling. But my dad sold cars in Saskatchewan and in Vancouver. and I liked cars, so it wasn't hard for me to do that. Yet in college or university, you're spending a decent amount of money to get a car to put it on. Yeah, but I financed it. I bought a car, put the financing on it, drove it to UBC,

advertised it, and sold it, and then I'd get another one, and that's what I did, and that's how I worked my way through school, buying and selling cars. You know, you bring up advertising. And once again, in reading your book, if there's something that I was very impressed with is how much advertising you do. I know you own advertising companies, but in anything you did, you always advertised above and beyond. It's what got us here today was advertising what I was doing, which was selling. used cars or new cars and advertising was the basis of a lot of the good things that happened to me was came through advertising and to and I understood that you have to differentiate yourself

by something to get people to call advert to respond to an ad so advertising has always has always been of interest to me over the years. Well, you have in Lloyd Minster. I've stared at the Patterson name bar. Well, actually, wherever I go. And here it's interesting, you know, now that you're looking around and driving through Vancouver, you see it everywhere. But back home, it was just a name, right? He didn't really think much of it. And it's pretty impressive to me how far your name is gone. Like you are worldwide. Well, I don't think we are that respect,

but we certainly, we're leaders in the Billboard business, and we have 27 or eight car dealerships now. We've got, and I think in Western Canada, we have 47 radio stations. And so, you know, we got, we're in the advertising business. And all those businesses you go and visit personally? We have meet with them on a regular basis, the management of all these,

everything we're involved in. We try to meet with them, well, we meet with them five times a year. And except for COVID, what we're going through now. And we're doing a lot of it through Zoom and stuff like that. Yeah, yeah, yeah. How do you enjoy that? Would you rather? Oh, I'd rather be face-to-face than Zoom,

but Zoom is better than the telephone. Absolutely. Can see the person. No, no, Zoom is good compared to the alternative. When did you decide, was that always something you want to do was see all these different businesses? Or was that a conscious choice and a change? No, it just came by one step at a time.

My objective was to get, to be a used car salesman would be my original objective and because I liked cars and and my dad was in in the car business and and so anyway cars and then I got into advertising from advertising we got into radio and radio we got into billboards and electric signs and into the and into the and into cars and all this stuff we're into now. Small steps almost. I mean, they're big steps.

But one step at a time. Yeah, build it. But the difference was that I struck out into industries I didn't know anything about, like the food business. And then we got into other types of businesses that are very significant with us today. I'm curious about that. What attracted to you to things you had no clue about?

Maybe what we thought was undervalued. We saw something that we thought was something that was undervalued. We'd buy it and learn about it, you know, as time went by. Made a lot of mistakes over the years. My goodness, all the mistakes I made. Well, one way that we've always tried to be honest, that's the main thing. What built our company was always being honest, tell the truth, and try to do the right thing, you know.

Yeah, I respect that about you immensely. I think that's something you can easily get on board with. Yeah, well, if you do the right thing, usually it pays off. You know, there's no shortcut. usually. In going after things you didn't know anything about, you must have to surround yourself with very good people, I assume. Well, as time goes by, it's all people.

The quality of the people is everything. As the company grows, it's all selection of quality people. That's the job. Number one job is the quality people that we work. with. So are you saying then if you see a business and the business looks okay, the next step is the people or is the first thing people and then view with the business? Well, you got to understand today looking at a business is very different than it did 25 years ago. For example, we're much more interested in the environment. Businesses that are environmentally friendly are very the top

of our list. 25 years ago, we never considered about things like the importance of the environment like we do today. And so, as the world changes and as knowledge changes, we're obviously changing

our priorities too. You strike me as a man who loves to learn. Well, the world keeps changing and if you don't keep changing with it, you won't be in business very long. That's why. One thing I've learned, as the world keeps things that used to be very good today aren't nearly

as attractive as what's coming down the road next. I want to ask about Marine Chant. Chant. Chant, C-H-N-T. Chant. Yes. She's been with you. I was just talking to her.

And without her, I don't think I get to you. And so, a, she's an exceptionally nice lady. but two she's been working with you a very very long time she I think Maureen's been with me 57 years I think if we I think we've been in business 59 years now and Marines been with me 57 we started in a gas three-pump gas station together and I didn't hire a fellow that worked there hired her and then and then she was in the parts department then she got

into she became the night switchboard operator than the day switchboard operator then she went to work in the service department and then I put her in the advertising department so she's been around the company a long time that's and a big a big contributor to where we are today well I was going to say that you know throughout your book she comes up a lot and in some interesting roles. I said to her walking in, I said, she might be the interview. Maybe she should have just stood in her hours. Because she's done some immensely important jobs for you over time. She has, and she knows the company inside out over the years. And of course, as you said earlier,

it's the quality of the people that make the company, and the bigger we get, the more the more important it is that we we hire quality people and marina's always been very much involved in helping decide who we have run our various divisions over the years yeah some some trust with the quality that you build that and and her her judgment on on on people is very very excellent and and so she's carved a role out here over the years a and her ability to judge the quality of the people that are new coming into the company. She's been a huge help to us and to me over these many years. I want to talk about one of your, I don't know if you call it mistakes or,

but the Vancouver Blazers, you're entering into the WHA. Yes, well, you know me, I'm missing T. I'm a hockey player at heart. I find the WHA was before my time. Would you enlight me with some stories of owning a WHA franchise? Yeah, well, it's a headache from day one. But it was two people that created that league. One was out of Winnipeg and the other was Bill Hunter out of Edmonton.

And those guys were really, they were really hockey guys. And anyway, they came to me and talked about getting in the hockey business, and there was a team that was of interest. And so anyway, and then Toronto, one of the Bassett fellows got into the business. They were a high-quality family in Toronto, and they got in the business. So anyway, bottom line is we thought we'd try it. And so we were in the hockey, got in the hockey business. and unsuccessful. We were in Vancouver for two years, and we moved the team to Calgary.

And anyway, it was a good experience, it cost us some money. But you certainly learned a lot. We, in fact, at one time, we owned the AAA baseball team here in Vancouver, and I sold it to Molesons. And so we've had a shot at the sports business. Very, very interesting, fun. But we were unable to make any serious money at it. So you've never ventured back into? We haven't. Once we sold the baseball team here,

we haven't gone back into the sports business. You wrote in your book that the WHA owners meetings were more entertaining than a nightclub. Oh, absolutely. Going to one of those meetings with, I don't know, they called them governors or what they called them. Anyway, it was the owners of these meetings. I mean, you'd never, the best movie in town wouldn't be as good as going to those meetings because these people were sports guys and they were dealing with money. and most of the course the league wasn't doing that well

and it was very entertaining and unprofitable. Maybe what's one of the, you say entertaining and what was one of the things that stuck out to you about an owner's meeting back then? Oh yeah, everything was about the league and how could you keep the teams in Cleveland alive or San Diego, a WHA team, you know, And, of course, the owners there were struggling for money, but if you're going to have a league, you've got to have teams. And the teams, like Edmonton was doing fine, and other places were doing so okay.

But meantime, you had to have other places like Winnipeg did fine. But down in San Diego, it was tough going to keep the team. So anyway, it was very interesting. I remember very well. met some great people and it was it was fun but expensive you're you're an entertainer you're a guy who is high energy finds ways to motivate people bring people in in the wHA days what did you what did you do to try and attract people to come to a Vancouver's Blazers game or a Calgary Cowboys game was oh heck we had we did what we we we did

did advertise what we would normally do. But people, you know, people liked hockey. We would, out here in Vancouver, my recollection, we averaged about 7,000 people a game. And the Canucks would be sold out at 15,000 or so a game. And, but anyway, it was an interesting. education. I read that you once almost bought the Toronto Maple Leafs. Is that true? That is true. We actually had a, we actually had a written contract and through the due diligence, we did not, we did not

close the deal because the auditors discovered some things that we didn't think were something we wanted to buy. Do you wish now you had a hockey franchise? No. No. No. No. No. No. No, no, it was fine. It all, we focused on other things. You said you can't, sticking with sports, you said you can't envision a worse punishment than golfing. Is that still true? Well, golf, my gosh, it's got to be really,

maybe the most popular game out, but it was, you need time to play golf. And I just never had. the time in to take the time to play golf because of of what I do every day but boy I have a lot of friends that are spent a lot of time golfing and they're very successful at their business they're successful at golf but I I've preferred not to to take the time and that because it is a time consuming sport so what do you do with your time then what's your hobby Oh, I don't know my hobbies.

It's probably music. On our boat, we have a piano. We have two pianos on our boat. We have an organ on our boat. We have a keyboard on our boat. And over the years, I've used to boat a lot for entertaining. Enjoy playing them. Yeah.

I don't play well, but I... I bet you play better than me. No, well, I don't. I pay better than anybody. But anyway, I play from time to time. I read one of the things that caught me in your book, and this is going back a lot of years, because I know it was published, I believe, in 87, and I was born in 86. So when I first got noticed that I was going to have this opportunity,

of course, I went online, found your book, read it. I know religion has played a huge part in your family. You had a part in there that talked about oral Roberts and tent revivals. Does that ring a bell? Yes, it does. And I read about it, and essentially to the listener, you went in Psalm and saw them and saw them heal people instantly in a tent or relative. and you seem skeptical, or at least that's how the book reads.

And so then in L.A. by chance, you see them, and you sit down with him, and you question them on it and basically say, I don't believe you. And he invites you to want in L.A. And then you follow him to, he invites you out, you go with him to L.A., and you watch him again. No, I was in Los Angeles on business, and I saw him in a restaurant having dinner early at 6 o'clock at night. in the Statler Hotel, and I saw Earl Roberts.

He'd had a campaign in Vancouver, and I had gone to his campaign here, and I was very skeptical of what he was talking about. So then here he was in the dining mall by himself. And so anyway, I went over to see him, and introduced myself and said I'd been to his meetings in Vancouver and he said, what did you think? And I said, I was very skeptical. I was very honest with him.

And so anyway, that's where I met him and that's that. So when you went and watched him the second time that night, though, in L.A., you followed up with a family for about six months after. Oh, longer than that, maybe three or four years. So where did you come down on that? Well, I was very impressed. This was a meeting that he had in Los Angeles, and I saw this, he was a faith healer.

And so when he invited me to come, I sat on the stage and with him with about 40, 50 other ministers. and so when I saw this one particular family come up that had their children that was that that were deaf and dumb and then he prayed for them I I jumped off the stage and followed them out to see what was all about and and had it came away with a very different opinion of them after following through. So you believe it then? I met with the parents.

I met with the uncle and the relatives, and these children were born deaf and dumb twins. And so they could start to speak for the first time. And I met with some of the relatives. that night and then followed it. We followed the Marina. I came home and told Marina about this. And so we checked on them for years after that.

They lived up in the northwestern part of the United States. Followed through, but I was very impressed with what I saw. It was a miracle. So what did you, how did that change, like to see a miracle like that, Did that change anything in your life? No. I mean, I was always brought up in church and the Pentecostal type faith. And they've always talked about Jesus healing people and all of that.

So anyway, I always had the Christian background all my life. life, my parents who weren't initially had a lot of faith, but as time went by, they turned to faith in Saskatoon. And then when they came out here, my dad worked in a Skid Road mission. And of course, I were, and not maybe six blocks from here, my dad, I can take you there where my dad and mother worked three nights a week all the time I grew up, and I played my trumpet. and played in the mission until I was 26 years old. That's very, very interesting. Oh, no, I was raised in a Skid Row admission,

and when my dad died at the funeral, which I put on for my dad, the place was the church we had the funeral. You couldn't get a seat. It was sold out because it was all people from Skid Row that my dad's life had helped over the years in here in Vancouver. So I grew up in this Skid Row admission till I was, I went with my parents till I was 26. Then I got married to Mary and from Moose John we started her own family so I switched to a church.

Before I get closer to the end here, I got to ask about Loosland, Saskatchewan. you've been out here a long time. What is it about Looseland that still holds a piece of your heart that you, you know, the story I heard, the number one story I heard coming here was Marilyn Monroe's dress. A Maryland's Monroe dress. Maryland's Monroe dress, yeah. Well, I bought Marilyn Monroe's dress. It's the most expensive dress in the world.

And we have it at Ripley's, believe it or not. They show it and use it. You know, they have a lot of believe it or not. So this is, believe it or not, this is the world's most expensive dress. And I bought it because I bought it for Ripley's, believe it or not. But then brought it to Loosland, Saskatchewan of all places. Yeah, I did. That's exactly right.

I brought it to Loosland, and then we took it to the Savon store in Saskatoon. And I think it went up. I'm not sure whether it went up to Prince Albert or not, but anyway, it's down in Orlando, Florida right now. So what is it about Loosland, Saskatchewan that still holds a PCU? Well, that's where I was born. But I was born. My mother went in from Loosland to the hospital in Saskatoon, but that's where we lived. My dad was a postmaster there, and my mother was a schoolteacher, and that's where they met, and that's where I was born.

so I always have a soft spot for Lusland. What's maybe one of the most influential people who's helped shape your life? Oh, would be my mother and father. Yeah. Certainly, my mother and dad would be a strong, strong influence. Ronald Reagan was a person that I, I was fortunate enough become a trustee of the Ronald Reagan Presidential Foundation and a lot of things that Ronald Reagan believed in and followed, certainly stuck with me.

He was certainly a special person, Ronald Reagan. and I was fortunate enough to be exposed to the things he believed in and I'm still a trustee of the Ronald Reagan Presidential Foundation in Los Angeles. On May 2nd, 1986, is that the day the Expo opens? That was the day it started. That's the day I was born. Is that right? Yes.

I read that. I probably had to read that about three times. Okay. Wow, isn't that interesting? You've already lived a life and I'm just starting mine. Okay, boy, I remember that day as if it was yesterday. I spent six years working for the government, a dollar a year. And I learned a lot about government,

working with the BC government, the federal government, and a lot of other governments during that period. Was that, well, and that had to have been, that World Expo had to have been one of the biggest achievements, I assume, in your lifetime? Well, it was one of the most educational opportunities I've ever had because I traveled literally a lot of the world and a lot of things. I met a lot of people through that, learned a lot about government. I spent six years, three years, part-time. And then the last three years I didn't come into my own office here in Vancouver for three years. I worked down on the site, Maureen Chatt, who we talked about earlier, came down every day with the business things that I had to be dealt with.

But the last three years, I worked for. full-time at the fair or for art because we traveled a lot in those days. I don't want to hold you too much longer. I know you're a man who's very busy, even at this day and age, which I think is spectacular. So let's move into the final five, just five shorter as long as you like to go, Jim. Just five questions. I know in reading about you, you don't watch TV for pleasure. You said there was only, once upon a time,

there's only two movies you'd watch, Dr. Chivago and The Godfather. Have you watched any movies since? Oh, sure. I became a director of Paramount. As time went by, they asked me to go on the board of Paramount, which I did. And so I got to see, a number of movies, of course, at Paramount movies and things. And no, I learned a lot. I was on the

board for a number of years, and I certainly got, learned a lot about the movie business for a number of years. So was there a movie that sticks out then that you enjoy? Yeah, and I've forgotten the name of it. It was to do with submarines, and I forgot the name of it now, but it was one of the Paramount movies. And boy, It was very interesting. I forgot the name of it. Who is the actor? I can't tell you that. Oh, no, you're going to leave us all hanging. Now we're all wondering.

Anyway, it was interesting. I learned a lot about submarines. I remember that. How about the first car you ever sold? What was it? And where was it? First car I ever sold was at 7th and Barard, and Camby and Burrard at this gas station that Fred Richmond had.

and it was a 39, 39 Plymouth. Do you remember any of the selling features you had for that? No, I can remember nothing. I was the washman and I was allowed to speak to a customer because the salesman was off duty or out selling a car and I was the only guy in the lot and I was allowed to speak to the customer and I sold the car, so that's all I can remember. Did you give it a fist pump after that?

Pardon? A fist pump? No, I don't even do. Fist pumps, I didn't even what they were in those days. What is your favorite car? My favorite car is at my house now. It's a 75 Pontiac convertible, and it's sitting at my house right now. And 75, have you owed it since the day one?

Yep, day one. Drive it every year? I drive it every year. I don't drive it every day every year, but I drive it every year. It's a convertible and a good day. I haven't driven it so far this year, but I'll drive it one of these days. If you could go back to your 20-year-old self and impart one piece of advice or wisdom on, what piece of advice would you give yourself back then?

well be honest and tell the truth and what's our foundation here is be honest and uh you've known that since day one well i was taught that from my parents by example yeah always tell the truth and be honest and and uh we've made every mistake in business but the one i haven't made is we've been honest as we made mistakes but we've never been dishonest and we've never been dishonest in any way ever to my knowledge. You talk a lot about getting to a mountain top and once you're there, the next mountain top. Just keep going.

What is the next mountain top for yourself? Oh, heck, there's always new ones. Every day, we don't know which the next one be, but there will be another one. You've been around the world and you have met, you know, I was just walking in your lobby and looking at all the famous and historical figures you've met through your life.

You've been privy to a lot of interesting conversations. If you could, is there one conversation you can go back to and be like, man, that was surreal. I can't believe I was sitting across from X and X in the same room. Yeah, the answer is Ronald Reagan and Gorbachev. And what was being talked about? Well, it was, they were just talking. and I was included.

And here was, if you go back, the history, of course, was the Berlin Wall when the war was on. And Ronald Reagan went to there and said, Mr. Gorbachev, well, this one I say the World War was on. There was the war between, if you like, Russia and America, the Cold War. And Ronald Reagan went to the Berlin Wall, said Mr. Gorbachev, tear down this wall. and I had the opportunity of meeting Mr. Gorbachev with Ronald Reagan and with the piece of the wall.

I'll show you the picture here afterwards. And that's probably one of the highlights of my life. Well, I really do appreciate you sitting down and taking the time to meet with a small kid from the country. This has been just pure enjoyment for me. Well, anybody from Saskatchewan is always more than the way. welcome around here. Well, thank you very much. You're welcome.

Hey, folks, thanks again for joining us today. If you just stumble on the show and like what you hear, please click subscribe. Remember, every Monday and Wednesday a new guest will be sitting down to share their story. The Sean Newman podcast is available for free on Apple, Spotify, YouTube, and wherever else you find your podcast fix. Until next time.