Next Monday marks 25 years since the passing of an icon in the province’s business community. Raj Manek was not a big business owner but his influence was felt in every corner of the province.
He was a provincial government employee, working from the economic development department’s Saskatoon office. His specialty was helping fledgling entrepreneurs find their legs and that included some notable figures – individuals such as Jim Scharf from Perdue who built a business that served markets across the continent.
Manek died suddenly and left a hole in the business community, one so noticeable the community rallied together to create a fund in his name to support mentorship. Now, a quarter-century later, that trust continues to operate with locations across Saskatchewan and Alberta with an annual dinner in Saskatoon as the primary event. This year Jeff Sanquist, an executive with Microsoft who grew up in Estevan, will be the featured presenter later this year. But next week the City of Saskatoon will mark Raj’s memory by raising a flag at City Hall in his honor Monday.
