Ron Southern
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Ronald D. Southern (born c. 1930), CBE, OC, B.Sc., LL.D. is a Canadian businessman and the owner/builder of the world renowned equestrian center, Spruce Meadows. He is Chairman of the Board of Directors of ATCO Ltd. and Canadian Utilities Limited.
In 1947 Ron Southern and his father each invested $2000 in the original Alberta Trailer Hire Co., which later became ATCO Ltd. Mr. Southern completed a Bachelor of Science degree from the University of Alberta in 1953 and began to work full time for the company. He is credited with transforming the company to what it is today - one of Canada's premier corporations, with assets of $6.5 billion and employing more than 7,000 persons worldwide (as of January 2006).
The ATCO Group is engaged in electric power generation, transmission and distribution; natural gas transportation, processing and distribution; technical services and facilities management; energy marketing and services; workforce housing and industrial noise abatement.
In 1976 Mr. Southern received an honorary Doctor of Laws degree from the University of Calgary, a distinction which was also conferred on him in 1991 by the University of Alberta.
Mr. Southern received Canada's highest civilian honor when he was inducted as a Member of the Order of Canada in 1986. He was inducted as a Member of the Order of the British Empire in 1990, in recognition for his promotion of Anglo-Canadian relations in the fields of commerce, culture and sport. In June, 1995 he was promoted to the level of Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE). In August 2003, The Governor General of Canada promoted Mr. Southern to an Officer within the Order of Canada (OC)
In 1990 he received the International Distinguished Entrepreneur Award, presented by the University of Manitoba through the Faculty of Management and in 1995 Mr. Southern was inducted into the Canadian Business Hall of Fame. In June, 1996, Mr. Southern was awarded the CEO of the Year Award by a consortium of senior business people in Canada and sponsored by The Financial Post, CTV, Canada Post and the Caldwell Partners.
During his career, he served as a Director of numerous North American and international corporations including Lafarge, Southam Inc., Chrysler Corporation of Canada, Imasco, Canadian Airlines, Fletcher Challenge, Royal & SunAlliance and Canadian Pacific.
Mr. Southern is a Canadian Member of the Trilateral Commission. In addition to his chairmanship and governance responsibilities in the ATCO Group of Companies, Mr. Southern is a Director of and Chairman of Akita Drilling Ltd. and Sentgraf Enterprises Ltd. He is also Co-Chairman, along with his wife Marg, of the internationally recognized Spruce Meadows show jumping venue. Opened in 1976, it was built for his daughters Nancy and Linda who have long been involved with competitiive equestrian riding. The Spruce Meadows facility is ranked number one in the world.
