Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 26/08/2022 (275 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Diane Gray is stepping down as CEO of CentrePort Canada Inc., after having provided stewardship for the development of the 20,000-acre inland port since its inception in 2009. She’s leaving after having marshalled the completion of a $120 million freeway, more than $1.5 billion worth of industrial development and with the CentrePort Canada Rail Park — its cornerstone development — about to break ground.

After CentrePort announced her resignation effective Oct. 21 on Friday morning, it was announced later in the day that Gray, 55, will become president of Prairies Economic Development Canada (PrairiesCan), effectively deputy minister of the federal government’s regional economic development agency, starting Oct. 31.

‘She has made a remarkable contribution not only as a public servant, but her contribution to Manitoba and to the country in being able to successfully lead CentrePort as its president will serve as a role model for generations to come’– Chris Lorenc, former chairman of CentrePort’s board

As a former deputy minister of intergovernmental affairs and deputy minister of finance in the NDP governments of former premier Gary Doer, she is no stranger to senior management of the public service.

Kevin Hooke, current chairman of CentrePort Canada, said the board may appoint an interim CEO while it conducts a search for Gray’s replacement.

“This was an opportune time for Diane and for CentrePort, not that we wanted Diane to leave,” Hooke said. “She was offered something very attractive and one that would be difficult for her to turn down.”

For her part, Gray said she was not looking to leave and had been approached about other positions in the past but declined because of a desire to continue to realize the CentrePort vision.

“I made a commitment when I was hired into the position to get CentrePort up and running and that meant taking it from a piece of legislation and a concept into something that is tangible and real,” she said. “I truly felt the rail park was a piece that needed to be wrapped up before I would be comfortable moving on into a new career path.”

CentrePort Canada Rail Park is a 665-acre piece of land that will link rail-dependent heavy-industries with Canadian Pacific’s main line in the northwest part of the city, with interconnections to CN and BNSF railways.

In March, Focus Equities, a Victoria developer experienced in complex industrial developments, was named the developer — effectively owner — of the rail park, after an intense and lengthy RFP process.

Construction is scheduled to begin this year realizing CentrePort’s long-sought goal of creating an inland port with an integrated truck, air and rail transport system.

Industries needing 50-to-100 acres are already lining up to be part of the project that is expected to generate between $2 billion and $3 billion in development dollars alone and close to 5,000 new jobs for the province when the complex is built out over the next 10 to 20 years.

As with so many other things, the pandemic put that project in jeopardy. During that time Gray was forced to take a pay cut and was the lone employee of CentrePort for some time.

Hooke said, “To her credit she stood by through COVID when it was a difficult time and the Focus deal was in question. It was a credit to her that she persevered and got that deal done. Had they abandoned us — which they could have done — it would have made it difficult for us.”

Instead, the inland port is now financially self-sufficient because of that deal — CentrePort sold Focus its option to purchase that land from the province and Focus will pay CentrePort a monthly fee for a number of years — and the expectation is that development growth will continue at the pace it has been experiencing for the past few years.

That’s a far cry from what had been the case for many years as Gray and CentrePort tried to market the vision of an inland port and foreign trade zone while working with the land owners and governments to invest in getting the land serviced with sewer water and hydro.

Gray gave strong kudos to the Rural Municipality of Rosser and its reeve, Frances Smee, for taking action in getting land serviced, borrowing to the maximum of their borrowing capacity to be able to build the infrastructure to be able to start development several years ago. About 1,000 acres of development at CentrePort is in Rosser, as is the rail park.

“They went all in on this,” said Gray. “I really think if they had not done that there would be no CentrePort because all the goodwill in the world does not get you infrastructure, which you need to build a project like this.”

For her part, Smee said, “I would say that on top of being an incredibly smart and hard-working person, Diane was certainly an inspiration to me. She is such a dynamic person.”

Chris Lorenc, a former chairman of CentrePort’s board and the person who chaired the original City of Winnipeg task force in 2008 that came up with the concept of what would eventually become CentrePort, was also part of the search committee that he said “ended up being smart enough” to approach Gray for the job as CEO.

“I have met many people in the public and private sector over my 31 years with Manitoba Heavy Construction… and none compare to what Diane brings on a day-to-day basis,” he said.

“She has made a remarkable contribution not only as a public servant, but her contribution to Manitoba and to the country in being able to successfully lead CentrePort as its president will serve as a role model for generations to come,” Lorenc said.

There is broad consensus now that CentrePort is a success, with the rail park about to become a reality and the dozens of new industrial buildings in the area.

But for many years there were plenty of naysayers and lots of questions as to whether it would eventually materialize.

Martin McGarry, president and CEO of Cushman & Wakefield-Stevenson, who has developed and marketed scores of acres of industrial properties in CentrePort, refers to her as “delightfully powerful.”

“My God, I’m not sure we would have got anywhere without her,” he said. “She has such tenacity. She never gave up.”

Although there were times when support was not unanimous among elected officials, Gray credits her boards and the support from the community at large for her accomplishments.

“I was not the only true believer,” she said. “There were others out there who propped me up along the way and kept me going who also believed in the vision.”

In addition to the rail park development, financing for the servicing of hundreds of acres of land west and south of the airport appears about to be finalized with the city and province already having committed to that project.

martin.cash@freepress.mb.ca