Founding CentrePort CEO Gray honoured with Footprint Award

CentrePort Canada Inc. feted its former chief executive on Wednesday for her contributions to the creation of one of North America’s largest trimodal inland ports.

The organization presented Diane Gray with the CentrePort Canada Footprint Award at its annual spring mixer in Winnipeg, which brought together partners, government officials and stakeholders for an afternoon of celebration.

The award recognizes an individual whose leadership, vision and dedication has played a vital role in CentrePort’s growth and success.

“It’s an honour to accept this recognition,” Gray told a reporter before the event.

The inland port’s success is the result of the vision and work of many private- and public-sector partners, the 58-year-old added. “There have been so many moving parts over the last 16 years and so many different people were involved, so this is a community success. It’s not Diane Gray’s success.”

Formerly the deputy minister of intergovernmental affairs and deputy minister of finance in the NDP government of former premier Gary Doer, Gray was hired as the founding president and CEO of CentrePort Canada in 2009, following a global search facilitated by the organization’s board of directors.

She led the organization until October 2022, after which she was appointed president of Prairies Economic Development Canada, the federal government’s regional economic development agency.

Between Winnipeg (CentrePort South) and the Rural Municipality of Rosser (CentrePort North), CentrePort covers 20,000 acres.

Today, more than 1,000 companies are located on the site. At full build-out, the inland port will boost Manitoba’s gross domestic product by nearly $8 billion.

During Gray’s tenure with CentrePort, she oversaw the creation of the master plan and strategy that transformed empty fields into a foreign trade zone with truck, rail and air cargo operations.

Gray worked with municipal governments on staged servicing plans for CentrePort North and South, and advanced the development plan for the CentrePort Canada Rail Park in collaboration with Focus Equities, a private developer based in Victoria.

Gray also guided CentrePort during the COVID-19 pandemic, when the organization had what she describes as “a bit of a crisis moment.” She laid off CentrePort’s two other staff members and took a 50 per cent pay cut to keep the organization solvent.

Still, her belief in the megaproject never wavered.

“There were lots of people who were strong supporters of the project, but there were also detractors or people who didn’t believe in it,” Gray said. “Thankfully, what I will say is that the supporters’ voices carried the day.”

CentrePort would not be what it is today without Gray’s stewardship, said Carly Edmundson, current president and CEO. She worked in marketing and communications at the organization for six years during Gray’s tenure.

“If you had told (me) back then that we would be where we are today, I almost wouldn’t have believed you except for the fact that Diane always knew the work we were doing was going to pay off in the future,” Edmundson said.

She describes Gray as a “quietly courageous leader.”

“There were so many headwinds in those early days, building a project as massive as CentrePort, and she did not flinch. She was so focused and determined to create something that was going to build a better Manitoba.”

In Gray’s estimation, CentrePort is in good hands and will continue to be a success.

“This is an asset for not only the province to leverage, but indeed the whole country,” she said. “That’s my hope going forward.”

Wednesday marked the second time CentrePort Canada has handed out the Footprint Award.

Last year’s inaugural accolade was presented to Doer, who, during his time as premier, introduced the legislation that led to CentrePort’s creation.

aaron.epp@freepress.mb.ca