Service to community earns honour

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Gerry Price, chairman and CEO of the Price Group of Companies, has been named the 2016 recipient of the University of Winnipeg’s Duff Roblin Award in recognition of his contributions to education and community through business leadership, volunteerism and philanthropy.

“Gerry Price is an exceptional industry leader whose generosity and dedication to community have greatly benefited our province,” said Annette Trimbee, president and vice-chancellor at the University of Winnipeg. “That community-mindedness, coupled with his commitment to shaping our future leaders, exemplifies the spirit of the Duff Roblin Award.”

Price has been with Price Industries Limited (formerly E. H. Price Limited) since 1977, including 30 years as CEO. His father started the company in 1946 but left before Gerry acquired it from a large group of shareholders.

It has grown 10-fold under his leadership and is now one of the premier North American manufacturers of air-distribution, critical controls and noise-control products. It has 13 plants in North America (seven in the U.S. and six in Canada) with a total of 2,900 employees, including 1,000 in Winnipeg.

“I’m humbled and honoured at receiving this award,” said Price, 67. “I prefer just to do what I do. Being noticed has never been a goal of mine.”

The company is well known for its emphasis on research and innovation and is upfront in publicizing its golden rule of customer service: treat others as you would like to be treated yourself.

Price said the emphasis on service is a personal and corporate guiding principle.

“We never say no. We never keep score about whether it is fair or not. We just serve. It is a very simple approach. It is easy to remember,” he said, “We know our place in the food chain, which is to serve.”

Price was born in Winnipeg and holds B.Sc. and M.Sc. degrees in mechanical engineering from the University of Manitoba as well as a PhD in mechanical engineering and applied mechanics from Lehigh University in Pennsylvania.

He has been a tireless supporter of the local community in the commercial realm — he has steadfastly maintained the company’s base of operations in Winnipeg even though his business had expanded dramatically into the U.S. — and in broader community-development pursuits.

He is a volunteer director on the board of the Winnipeg Jets True North Foundation and has provided leadership for capital campaigns at St. John’s-Ravenscourt School and the University of Manitoba. He and his wife, Barb Price, fund about 50 scholarships a year.

Community service is an important part of the Price corporate culture: 50 Price employees volunteer for the True North Hockey Academy, which provides underserved youth with the opportunity to develop team and life skills through hockey. In 2011, he and Barb were named the Outstanding Philanthropists of the Year by the Association of Fundraising Professionals, Manitoba Chapter.

He has also received significant recognition from the professional community. He was an inaugural inductee into the Manitoba Manufacturers Hall of Fame in 2006 and in 2011 was made a Fellow of the Canadian Academy of Engineers, the highest honour an engineer can receive in Canada. He has also been recognized by the Association of Professional Engineers and Geoscientists of the Province of Manitoba, receiving the Association’s 2013 Leadership Award.

Established by the University of Winnipeg and its foundation in 2007, the Duff Roblin Award recognizes outstanding Manitobans who, like former premier and inaugural recipient Duff Roblin, have made lasting and meaningful contributions to their community and especially to the advancement of education. Past honourees include Tom Jackson (2008), Kerry Hawkins (2009), Edward S. Kennedy (2011), Charles S. Coffey (2012), Jan Belanger (2013), Gail Asper (2014) and Justice Murray Sinclair (2015).

Price will receive the award at the 10th annual Duff Roblin Award Dinner Nov. 15, 2016 at The Fort Garry Hotel.