Manitoba Business Hall of Fame Class of 2025: Baranyk family, former North West CEO

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This article was published 08/01/2025 (289 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

For the first time, getting inducted into the Manitoba Business Hall of Fame has become a family matter.

The Baranyks, who are behind Pratts Food Service, will be the first collective, multi-generational inductee into the esteemed hall of fame. They’ll join Edward Kennedy, former chief executive of the North West Company, in being recognized at the annual gala dinner in June.

“We are very honoured,” said Lenny Baranyk, president of Pratts Wholesale, the company’s retail division.

His parents, Leonard and Eleane Baranyk, bought the Winnipeg business in 1980. The firm had less than 10 staff at the time. During the couple’s oversight — and with the addition of their three sons — the food distributor grew to span five provinces.

It now has around 850 employees across Western Canada.

JA Manitoba, the non-profit behind the Manitoba Business Hall of Fame, received many submissions for the Baranyk family when it was looking for new inductees, said chief executive Greg Leipsic.

JA Manitoba had considered family inductions in the past. This seemed like the perfect time, Leipsic relayed. “There are … great entrepreneurship stories in Manitoba that are not limited to an individual or a husband and wife team.”

Eleane still works in the office; Leonard died in 2018; three sons Lenny, Jason and Jeff continue operating Pratts. Grandchildren are now getting involved.

JA Manitoba will promote family nominations for hall of fame recognition in coming years, Leipsic said.

Married couples such as David and Katherine Friesen, Qualico’s founders, have previously been inducted.

JA Manitoba chose Kennedy as the second inductee this year due to his expansion of the North West Company. The firm became a vital resource for remote and underserved communities and expanded internationally under Kennedy’s watch, JA Manitoba outlined.

“(It’s) been quite remarkable,” Leipsic said.

Tickets for the June 24 gala are nearly 50 per cent sold, Leipsic noted. Tickets to the 11th annual Metropolitan Event Centre celebration cost $300; there are 550 spots.

The gala is JA Manitoba’s only fundraising event. It accounts for about 40 per cent of the organization’s revenue and is funnelled into teaching Manitoba students financial literacy skills, Leipsic said.

Last year, the gala generated more than $225,000. JA Manitoba reported delivering 807 programs to 22,214 students in 2023-24.

gabrielle.piche@winnipegfreepress.com