One of the most memorable David-and –Goliath stories to come out of this province’s business community is Great Western Brewing Company.
Three decades ago, the Saskatoon-based plant was being closed down by a national firm which agreed to sell the facility to its employees – the Original 16. It was one of the first high profile employee-buyouts Saskatchewan produced. They attracted a leader in Peter McCann and off they went.
The road was a rocky one but they survived and grew with changing ownership structures and executive leadership….grew so much that today they are need of space as they serve markets in other parts of Canada and even as far away as Arizona.
The company has just asked Saskatoon City Hall about the possibility of zoning changes to accommodate a doubling of the existing facility on its current site. While the plant is nearly 100 years old and in need of more space and updated technology, this is also a signal that a true Saskatchewan success story continues while reinforcing the legacy of 16 workers who took a risk.
