James Richardson & Sons, Limited is involved in the international grain trade and agri-food business, energy, real estate, financial services, investments, and transportation.

James Richardson & Sons, Limited

James Richardson &amp; Sons, Limited | 2,796 followers on LinkedIn. Established in 1857, James Richardson &amp; Sons, Limited is a private, family-owned and operated corporation. | Established in 1857, James Richardson &amp; Sons, Limited is a private, family-owned and operated corporation. JRSL is actively involved in the global agriculture and food processing business, as well as energy exploration, transportation and marketing, financial services, insurance and real estate investments. Headquartered in Winnipeg, Manitoba, JRSL has assets and operations strategically located across Canada, the United States and in the United Kingdom.

Assistant Vice-President, Financial Reporting & Family Services at James Richardson & Sons, Limited

Brent Dreger

Senior Counsel - Governance & Sustainability

Dani Goyer

Assistant Vice-President, Tax at James Richardson & Sons, Limited

Jeff Koplovich

Lead Pilot at James Richardson & Sons Ltd (Aircraft managed by Execaire a division of I.M.P. Group)

Wesley Winkler

Happy 55th Birthday to the Richardson Building! On November 14th, 1969, Winnipeg’s first skyscraper (then the tallest building in Western Canada!) was officially opened after two years of construction – and 40 years of planning. Manitoba’s top dignitaries, business leaders, and members of the Richardson family were on hand as Muriel Sprague Richardson christened the office tower at Portage and Main, first envisioned by her late husband James A. Richardson four decades earlier. “It has taken time, patience and foresight to transform the hopes of 1929 into the reality of 1969,” said Mrs. Richardson, President of James Richardson & Sons, Limited from 1939-1966. “I have sincere admiration for all the fine work that has been done on this building and it is my very pleasant assignment to officially open it.” With the press of a button, a ceremonial curtain parted to reveal the bronzed title “Richardson Building” on the granite wall of the plaza as celebratory balloons were released over downtown. The grand opening was followed by a reception and tours for over 600 guests, most getting a bird’s view of Winnipeg like they’d never seen before. Due to the ingenuity of its modern design, the Richardson Building continues to rival the efficiency of newer commercial office towers, and because of its minimalist, clean and classic architectural lines, it still looks great at 55. #winnipeg #manitoba #canadianbusiness #architecture #portageandmain

“Have tools, will travel.” It could’ve been the motto of the hardworking journeymen that performed repairs and preventative maintenance on Pioneer Grain elevators. Whenever a roof, siding, or conveyor belt needed attention at one of the wooden crib elevators, members of the repair crew would inspect and fix the issue to keep things in good working order. Pictured here is the 1944 Pioneer Grain Repair Crew in Lougheed, Alberta, led by foreman T. Kenny (centre, with dog). The post-war years brought rapid expansion to Pioneer Grain. As fast as the company built new elevators in the west, it obtained even more assets through acquisition. By 1958, Pioneer Grain owned 439 elevators and 479 permanent annexes for storing fertilizer and crop inputs. The growing grain network undoubtedly kept the repair crews hopping! Yesterday’s wood elevators have long been replaced with much larger, high-throughput concrete terminals, and the technology with which they operate is exponentially more complex. Understanding this innovation comes with the job for today’s Richardson Pioneer Repair Crews, highly-skilled experts with extensive experience in grain handling systems. While the technology and maintenance tools have changed, the Repair Crews’ mission remains the same as their predecessors: ensuring that Richardson Pioneer’s elevators are reliable, efficient and safe places for employees to work and for grower-customers to haul their grain. #agribusiness #agriculture #grainelevators #canadianbusiness #fallharvest

Did you know that Kelburn Farm, Richardson International’s world-class agricultural research, demonstration and education centre in Manitoba, started as a livestock operation? In 1911, JRSL President James A. Richardson sought to improve farming practices in Canada and bought Knockhill Farm near Moosomin, Saskatchewan. This operation acquired a herd of Shorthorn cattle, Suffolk sheep, and a stable of Clydesdale horses, and was considered to be the forerunner to Kelburn Farm, later purchased in 1943. Located on 500 acres in the heart of the Red River Valley south of Winnipeg, the farm’s name “Kelburn” is derived from the Scottish expression for “trees beside the stream.” Muriel Sprague Richardson, JRSL’s fifth President, told Kelburn Farm manager George Jones that she intended to advance her late husband’s contributions to Canadian agriculture by establishing the best possible herd of purebred Shorthorn cattle. Kelburn’s first Shorthorns were 90 of the finest from Knockhill Farm. Jones then traveled to Scotland to buy 25 heifers from renowned bloodlines and additionally purchased two Perth champions to head the herd. Five years later, Kelburn had its first auction sale of Shorthorns. The event, which the Weekly Market News called “one of the most outstanding selections of Shorthorn cattle ever offered for sale in the country,” attracted 500 visitors including several American buyers. Today – several decades after being established as a stock farm – Kelburn (which now has a counterpart in Bennett Farm, a 444-acre demonstration farm and training centre in Richardson, Saskatchewan) has been transformed to be a showcase for agriculture in Western Canada. Richardson International works closely with its sponsors at Kelburn Farm to put the latest technologies and equipment to the test, while at the same time, furthering the Canadian agricultural industry through research and development, educating students about how food is grown, and training employees to provide the most up-to-date information and advice. #canadianagriculture #farming #manitoba #agribusiness #canada #farm

Richardson Stadium at Queen’s University stands as an enduring reminder of James Richardson & Sons, Limited’s roots in Kingston, Ontario – and as a loving tribute to a fallen war hero. James Armstrong Richardson, JRSL’s fourth president, and his brother George grew up across the street from the playing fields at Queen’s. Both attended the university, James being student body president in his senior year and George, a star player on the football and hockey teams. After George’s tragic death during the First World War, James (who served as Chancellor of Queen’s 1929-1939) gifted a stadium in memory of his courageous brother, who excelled both on the sports field and battlefield. George Richardson Memorial Stadium, which was to become a focal point of campus life and countless sporting events, opened in 1921. Kingston’s newspaper of record, The Daily British Whig, said of the new stadium: “It is a living thing which will perpetuate itself and keep his memory green as long as boys grow to men with sound bodies, clean minds and brave hearts.” Fifty years after it was built, the original stadium was dismantled and relocated to the west campus. The Richardson name was transferred to the new facility in 1971; several members of the family planted sod from the old stadium in the infield of the new stadium on the occasion. In 2016, Queen’s University celebrated the grand opening of the revitalized George Richardson Memorial Stadium. The Richardson Foundation was among the first supporters of the capital campaign, donating $5 million in support of the stadium’s refurbishment and its continued legacy. #canadianbusinesshistory #canada #stadium #legacy #familybusiness

Kudos to Winnipeg artisan Chocolatier Constance Popp, who created this custom-designed premium dark chocolate replica of the Richardson Building. Lightly dusted in an edible bronze powder to give the iconic building a sheen reminiscent of daylight’s reflection, this delightful “chocomonument” was presented to guests at a recent private event. The award-winning Ms. Popp has been producing intricate designs and interesting flavours in her Winnipeg shop since 2007. Among the custom treats currently available is a chocolate bar of the downtown skyline that features nine local landmarks including the Richardson Building, which celebrates its 55th year in 2024. #winnipeg #chocolate #winnipegbusiness #manitoba #building

Richardson Securities once had the investment world at its fingertips – thanks in part to the Ultrasonic Stockmaster. Into the 1950s, stock quotes were received through ticker machines and manually tracked on chalkboards. Later, automatic quotation boards projected quotes onto a screen, yet this system was still not ideal as up-to-the-minute trade information sometimes lagged and less popular stocks were rarely tracked. The Ultrasonic Stockmaster was a game changer, linking Richardson Securities’ investment offices to the leading North American stock and commodity exchanges. Richardson brokers could now monitor high, low and closing prices, not to mention volume, dividend rates and earnings – and never miss a transaction. The information appeared on three vacuum tubes holding numbers that would glow to match the data. By pressing a set of buttons, the broker could see stock prices changing in real time. “WHO WOULD BELIEVE IT? ALL THE MAJOR STOCK AND COMMODITY EXCHANGES IN NORTH AMERICA CRAMMED INTO A SPACE 9 x 16 x 8 ½ INCHES!” heralded a 1969 Richardson Securities advertisement touting the Stockmaster’s advanced technology. Coupled with the company’s own teletype system and private news wire, the Ultrasonic Stockmaster helped to affirm Richardson Securities’ reputation as a brokerage wired differently than any other. #securities #brokerage #technology #business #businesshistory #canada

JRSL’s pioneering spirit has had an influence on industries outside of its own – and even had a role in making Hollywood movie magic. In 1912, Herbert Kalmus, an American engineer working at Queen’s University, came to an investment agreement with Kingston businessman James Richardson to fund some of his research projects. One of these projects was the development of a groundbreaking process of colour cinematography called… Technicolor. In return for its early investment, James Richardson & Sons received stock interest in the Technicolor Motion Picture Corporation. By the time Technicolor produced its first three-component camera and facilities for three-colour printing in 1932, the stock had risen in value from $5 to $90. Kalmus wrote to shareholder James Richardson about the prolonged research and development: “It was a long and slow pull, in fact, more of an endurance contest.” However, that persistence paid off. For the next 30 years, several legendary blockbusters were filmed using the innovative process, including Gone With the Wind (the first all-colour production to win an Oscar) and The Wizard of Oz, heralded as a “Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer’s Technicolor Triumph.” #canadianbusiness #investor #pioneeringspirit #technicolor #filmhistory

He shoots, he scores! Meet the member of the Richardson family who played in the Stanley Cup playoffs and was inducted into Canada’s Hockey Hall of Fame. The brother of James A. Richardson, Captain George Richardson (shown at centre with cup), was a spectacular player able to pivot between right and left wing. At 16, he was recruited by Queen’s College, and played on the Intercollegiate Hockey Union championship teams of 1904 and 1906. In the latter season, Queen’s went to the Stanley Cup, where George netted three goals in the two-game series against Ottawa. Part of George’s hockey career was spent playing with the 14th Regiment of Kingston. In 1908, he scored a record-smashing seven out of eight goals in the OHA’s final championship game. The next season, he rejoined the Queen’s hockey club, leading them to win the Allan Cup as Canada’s best senior amateur team. Sports reporters marveled at how the winger seemed to “start instantaneously at full speed,” and praised his talent, proclaiming that “in any hockey age, he would have been an outstanding star.” While he turned down invitations to turn pro in favour of working in the family grain business, George felt strongly about serving his country during World War I. Sadly, he was killed in action in 1916 and posthumously awarded the French Legion of Honour. Captain George Richardson was inducted into Canada’s Hockey Hall of Fame in 1950 and is revered both as a hero on the battlefield and a legend on the ice. #canadianhistory #hockey #canadianbusinesshistory

The iconic JR sign on the Richardson Building is 124 metres (407 ft) above Portage and Main. While large enough to be seen in any direction in Winnipeg, seeing its actual size up close may surprise you! Thanks to Electra Sign Ltd. for this peek at our building signage being created.💡

Grain elevators played a profound role in the development of Western Canada, often serving as the commercial and social hub for the community. At one time, nearly every hamlet, village and town along rail lines boasted a row of sentinels, which stood as prairie landmarks and symbols of economic viability and agricultural strength. But as farming practices evolved, it made sense to centralize grain facilities, which sometimes meant relocating elevators. Such a mammoth undertaking required painstaking preparation, as documented by the National Film Board of Canada’s 1985 vignette, “The Move.” The short film details the six-day process of lifting and transporting a nine-storey, 200-tonne Pioneer Grain elevator nearly 50 kilometres between Greenstreet and Marshall, Saskatchewan. “Months in planning, the move requires absolute precision. Any error and miscalculation could mean disaster,” the film’s narrator cautioned. “The danger is real. It wouldn’t be the first time an elevator has been reduced to bits of splintered wood scattered across the prairie.” (Spoiler alert: they made it!) While modern grain elevators no longer resemble the wooden structures of the past, their purpose has not wavered. Today, Richardson International has the country’s most efficient network of high-throughput elevators, with 55 strategically-located Richardson Pioneer facilities across Western Canada handling 14 to 16 million tonnes of grains, oilseeds, and other crops each year. #agribusiness #canadianagriculture #agriculture #grainelevator

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