When Bev Simpson went to work at the age of 19, he was simply starting a job.
He had no grand plans.
Certainly, there wasn’t the slightest thought that he might be setting out on a path that would one day earn him a spot among Prince Edward Island’s great entrepreneurs and extremely successful business people.
Under the employ of Arthur Vesey, early on Simpson’s work was often menial. He swept floors. He typed letters.
“I had no real ambition. It (successful career) just sort of fell in (to place),’’ Simpson recalled Thursday in an interview with The Guardian shortly after being named along with Tim Banks and Stan MacPherson as the 2015 inductees into the illustrious Junior Achievement of P.E.I. Business Hall of Fame.
CLICK HERE FOR BACKGROUND INFO ON ALL THREE INDUCTEES
Well, humility aside, Simpson clearly carved out his own success through hard work and careful expansion.
He notes having been brought up on a farm, he was not afraid to work.
In 1959, Simpson joined his boss of three years Vesey as a partner. Six years later the business partners formed the company now known as Vesey’s Seeds Ltd.
Upon Vesey’s retirement in 1979, Simpson and his wife Shirley, who served for years as the chief financial officer, took over ownership of the company.
Simpson has overseen considerable expansion, notably Vesey’s jumping from mailing about 10,000 seed catalogues to more than one million.
Simpson, who at 77 still goes into work every day, has also guided the growth of the company to include a lawn and garden equipment division and to be a distributor of golf cars and utility vehicles.
Still, he describes himself as a cautious businessman.
“We didn’t go out and do things that we thought we couldn’t afford to do,’’ he said.
“It’s not going to happen just because you decide you are going to do it. You have to believe you can and work towards making it happen.’’
Simpson said he is humbled to be included in the same league as the other 56 members inducted into the P.E.I. Business Hall of Fame over the past 18 years.
ABOUT THE BUSINESS HALL OF FAME
“I just wonder whether I’m worthy to be in with those people,’’ he said.
“I just like to think that we (Vesey’s Seeds) have contributed something to the fabric of P.E.I.’’
When Bev Simpson went to work at the age of 19, he was simply starting a job.
He had no grand plans.
Certainly, there wasn’t the slightest thought that he might be setting out on a path that would one day earn him a spot among Prince Edward Island’s great entrepreneurs and extremely successful business people.
Under the employ of Arthur Vesey, early on Simpson’s work was often menial. He swept floors. He typed letters.
“I had no real ambition. It (successful career) just sort of fell in (to place),’’ Simpson recalled Thursday in an interview with The Guardian shortly after being named along with Tim Banks and Stan MacPherson as the 2015 inductees into the illustrious Junior Achievement of P.E.I. Business Hall of Fame.
CLICK HERE FOR BACKGROUND INFO ON ALL THREE INDUCTEES
Well, humility aside, Simpson clearly carved out his own success through hard work and careful expansion.
He notes having been brought up on a farm, he was not afraid to work.
In 1959, Simpson joined his boss of three years Vesey as a partner. Six years later the business partners formed the company now known as Vesey’s Seeds Ltd.
Upon Vesey’s retirement in 1979, Simpson and his wife Shirley, who served for years as the chief financial officer, took over ownership of the company.
Simpson has overseen considerable expansion, notably Vesey’s jumping from mailing about 10,000 seed catalogues to more than one million.
Simpson, who at 77 still goes into work every day, has also guided the growth of the company to include a lawn and garden equipment division and to be a distributor of golf cars and utility vehicles.
Still, he describes himself as a cautious businessman.
“We didn’t go out and do things that we thought we couldn’t afford to do,’’ he said.
“It’s not going to happen just because you decide you are going to do it. You have to believe you can and work towards making it happen.’’
Simpson said he is humbled to be included in the same league as the other 56 members inducted into the P.E.I. Business Hall of Fame over the past 18 years.
ABOUT THE BUSINESS HALL OF FAME
“I just wonder whether I’m worthy to be in with those people,’’ he said.
“I just like to think that we (Vesey’s Seeds) have contributed something to the fabric of P.E.I.’’
New Hall additions
The Junior Acheivement of P.E.I. on Thursday announced the 2015 inductees into the P.E.I. Business Hall of Fame. Here is a snapshot of the three inductees who will be formally inducted during an awards gala and induction ceremony on May 28.
Tim Banks:
-- Inducted as business entrepreneur and community benefactor.
-- Born in Summerside in 1953.
-- Dropped out of school in Grade 9, but later achieved his GED diploma and went on to study construction technology and management at Holland College.
-- Founder, CEO and principal shareholder of APM, which operates APM Construction Services and APM Properties.
-- Director and principal owner of numerous other companies in commercial and residential real estate.
-- Named one of the Top 50 CEOs by Atlantic Business Magazine on five occasions.
-- Served as national director of The Nature Conservancy of Canada, past director of Holland College Foundation, and past president of the Liberal Party of P.E.I.
-- His company contributes to many charitable organizations, including the Confederation Centre of the Arts, the Boys and Girls Clubs of Summerside and Charlottetown, and the P.E.I. Literacy Alliance Bursary Program.
Stan MacPherson:
-- Inducted for excellence in business and community service.
-- Born in Charlottetown in 1942.
-- Obtained Bachelor of Commerce from Mount Allison University in 1969 and received his chartered accountant designation in 1971.
-- A former partner of the national accounting firm Deloitte & Touche, he purchased the P.E.I. practice in 1995.
-- Senior partner with MacPherson Roche Smith & Associates, Chartered Accountants and Management Consultants for the past 20 years.
-- Most noted for his work in the area of management advisory reports, business planning and feasibility studies.
-- Recipient of the Queen Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee Medal in 2012 and the Citizen Recognition Award from the City of Charlottetown in 2005.
-- His considerable community involvement has included chairing the QEH Foundation, the Holland College Board of Governors and the Charlottetown Area Development Corporation.
Bev Simpson:
-- Inducted as an Island business leader and community benefactor.
-- Born on P.E.I. 1937, he grew up in Bayview.
-- Educated at Hope River School, Prince of Wales College and Union Commercial College.
-- Has been a driving force behind the success of Vesey’s Seeds Ltd. for more than 50 years.
-- Formed partnership with Arthur Vesey in 1959.
-- Past president of the Garden Seed division of the Canadian Seed Trade Association.
-- President of Covehead Development Inc., a waterfront land development in the West Covehead area.
-- He is a supporter of over 100 charities and community organizations.
Getting the nod
The Junior Achievement of P.E.I. established the P.E.I. Business Hall of Fame in 1998 to provide a forum to pay tribute to Prince Edward Island business people who have made an outstanding and enduring contribution to business development in the province, and to provide a major fundraiser for the continuance of Junior Achievement programs in schools across the province.
The criteria for selection are high:
-- The candidate must have demonstrated effective leadership, not only within his or her organization but also in the community.
-- The candidate must be considered a role model for future generations of entrepreneurs and business leaders, as well as others in business.
The candidate must also meet one of the two following criterion:
-- Recognized by his or her organization as having made an outstanding contribution to the success of the organization or profession, and have contributed to business growth and business success on P.E.I.
-- Demonstrated in his or her business career entrepreneurial spirit and to have a record of outstanding entrepreneurial achievements.