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Winnipeg Free Press - PRINT EDITION

Two Manitoba firms added to 50 best-managed list

By: Martin Cash

3/02/2009 1:00 AM | Comments: 0

WAYNE GLOWACKI / WINNIPEG FREE PRESS GHY executive president Reynold Martens (left) and Richard Riess, with staff.

MANITOBA companies made another good showing in the annual list of the 50 best-managed companies in the country with two new entries on the 2008 roster -- Genesis Hospitality Inc. and GHY International.

The program has been in existence since 1993 and is managed by the professional services firm Deloitte & Touche. It provides an independent evaluation of the management skills and practices of Canadian-owned and managed companies with revenues over $10 million. Rick Soenen, Deloitte's Winnipeg partner in its private companies services group, said the new entrants are characteristic of the province's diversified economy with companies from just about every sector finding their way on the list year after year. The effects of the economic downturn that started to take hold of the economy in late 2008 will probably be more evident in next year's program.

"But both GHY and Genesis Hospitality showed that they were able to respond to adversity and able to take their companies in a new direction as required," Soenen said.

Genesis Hospitality -- This privately held, Brandon-based company owns and operates six hotels in Manitoba and northwestern Ontario. Four are Victoria Inns -- Brandon, Winnipeg, Thunder Bay and Flin Flon. The company also owns the Royal Oak Inn in Brandon and its latest acquisition is the Best Western Inn in Owen Sound, Ont.

Kevin Swark, Genesis Hospitality's executive vice-president, said the company spends a lot of time and money on training its 990 employees and more than 70 per cent of its management team has been promoted from within.

The company continues to look for potential acquisitions, preferring to buy properties that are established rather than adding new rooms to the markets they are in.

GHY International -- Founded in 1901 by George. H. Young, the great grandfather of CEO Richard Riess, GHY International is probably one of Winnipeg's many unknown jewels.

Now run by the fourth generation of the original founder's family, it has grown with the global economic trend towards ever-increasing trade flows, especially between Canada and the United States. GHY has about 110 employees mostly in Winnipeg, although the firm also has offices in Emerson, Toronto, Vancouver and Pembina and Fargo, N.D. Customs brokers consolidate all the information in the supply chain and provide the compliance reports required by authorities at both sides of an international trade.

The company does work for more than 2,000 companies, including big-name Winnipeg firms like New Flyer Industries, Nygard International, Bristol Aerospace and E.H. Price.

martin.cash@freepress.mb.ca

They've all got the right stuff

Manitoba Platinum Club members

Bison Transport Inc.

Canad Inns

The Dufresne Group

Johnston Group Inc.

Monarch Industries Limited

The Murray Automotive Group

National Leasing Group Inc.

WGI Westman Group Inc.

Manitoba requalified members

B. A. Robinson Co. Ltd.

Friesens Corp.

Hytek Ltd.

Paterson GlobalFoods Inc.

TransX

Wellington West

Manitoba 2008 Best Managed winners

GHY International

Genesis Hospitality Inc.

Republished from the Winnipeg Free Press print edition February 3, 2009 B4

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