THE INFLUENCERS SERIES - Part Two

Jim Pattison is the Chairman, Chief Executive Officer and sole owner of The Jim Pattison Group.  The Jim Pattison Group is Canada’s 2^nd largest privately held company.  The Jim Pattison Group has 51,000 employees world-wide, annual sales of $12.7 billion and operations in 565 locations.  With activities in Canada, the US, China, Japan and Australia, The Jim Pattison Group is involved in a wide variety of industries including: Food Services, Packaging, Distribution, Manufacturing, Communications, Entertainment, Transportation, Agricultural Equipment, Forest Products, Export Services and Real Estate.

The Jim Pattison Group began on May 8, 1961 when Mr. Pattison purchased a General Motors automobile dealership by borrowing $40,000 from the Royal Bank of Canada and placing his home and life insurance policy with the Bank as collateral.

Jim Pattison was born in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan and moved with his parents from Saskatoon to Vancouver in 1935.  He has lived in Vancouver ever since.  While attending the University of British Columbia, Mr. Pattison paid his tuition and expenses by washing cars at a used car lot, and by selling cars to fellow students.

Jim Pattison has served as a Director on a number of public company Boards on both the New York and Toronto exchanges and serves as a Trustee on the Board of the Ronald Reagan Presidential Foundation.  He held the unpaid position of Chairman, President and CEO of Expo ’86, a world-class Exposition held in Vancouver, British Columbia in 1986.   

Mr. Pattison was appointed to the Order of Canada in 1987 and the Order of British Columbia in 1990.  He is also the recipient of the Governor General’s Commemorative Medal for the 125^th Anniversary of Canada.  Mr. Pattison is an inductee of the Canadian Business Hall of Fame and the Canadian Professional Sales Association Hall of Fame.  He was awarded Entrepreneur of the Year – Lifetime Achievement Award in 2000, and the Young Presidents Organization Canadian Icon Award in 2007.  In April 2012, by Command of Her Majesty the Queen, Mr. Pattison received the Diamond Jubilee Medal commemorating her sixtieth anniversary. In June of 2014, he was given the Freedom of the City Award from the City of Vancouver. In June of 2018, Mr. Pattison was awarded the UBC Presidents Award Medal and in December of the same year, he was inducted into Canada’s Walk of Fame, presented to him by Paul Anka and Warren Buffett. In May of 2020, Mr. Pattison received the Distinguished Entrepreneur of the Year Gustavson School of Business University of Victoria award, presented by Peter Gustavson in July 2021.

Mr. Pattison has been married to his wife Mary for 70 years. He and his wife have three children.