James Allen “Jim” Pattison
One of the first people covered in this blog is Jim Pattison.
Jim Pattison, although born in Saskatchewan, he grew up and was raised in East
Vancouver since the age of seven. Currently Mr. Pattison is the sole owner of
the 3rd largest private corp. in Canada and has a net worth north of
$5.8 billion making him the 3rd wealthiest person in Canada.
His impact and
presence in Western Canada, especially Vancouver, has been influential. Jim
Pattison has contributed a great deal to the city of Vancouver including
endeavours such as being involved in the 2010 Vancouver Olympic committee along
with being chairman of Expo 86’ both of which put Vancouver on an international
stage bringing in a great deal of exposure and ultimately changed and shaped
this city.
In addition
to his individual efforts to help better Vancouver he has also contributed
greatly through his various business ventures which include several TV and
radio stations in BC and Alberta, Save-On-Foods and Overwaitea Foods, and the
countless number of car dealerships owned by Mr. Pattison to go along with
numerous other business ventures. Most recent figures estimate that his
companies provide jobs for over 26,000 people across 48 countries.
Not only
does Mr. Pattison contribute by providing jobs and helping the economy but also
gives back to the community with the Globe and Mail reporting "He has
always given away 10% of his income” and also donated $100,000 to CBC in 2009
in order to provide the broadcast company with the funding required to
broadcast Vancouver Canucks away games in HD during the playoffs. Because of
these and other contributions Jim Pattison was named to the Order of British
Columbia and the Order of Canada. Jim Pattison may be one of the most
influential people of Vancouver in recent times and has played a large role in
shaping Vancouver into the great city it is today.
