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ROTATELLER
MEETING RECAP - 15th of August 2022
 
Submitted by Will Arscott 
 
Guest Speaker: Spencer Early from Early’s Farm and Garden Center
 
This meeting was the first of the new Rotary year with new president Steven Wilson.  The meeting was held in person at the Saskatoon Club. We were joined by Parm Sharma and Jack Brodsky on the Zoom option. President Steve was our MC.  Cashier was Wayne Palmer.  Technology was handled by Mark Gryba. Thanks also to Avis Hardy for setting up the roster. Avis also acted as our greeter.
 
We began with sung ‘O’ Canada led by our intrepid president. Steven sings in tune!  The blessing was asked by Avis Hardy who used a blessing found on a Rotary website. The blessing incorporated the Four Way Test and was most appropriate for beginning a new Rotary Year.
 
Our group was small but enthusiastic. Normally the year begins with the incoming President outlining their plans for the year. This important event has been scheduled for September 12th when more members will be able to attend.
 
Visitors and Guests
 
Our guest speaker was our only guest and Spencer was introduced later in the program.
 
Health of the Club
 
There were two reports.  They were both encouraging:
 
  • Marc Cheriyan is making a slow recovery and is believed to still be in hospital.  He was able to message Mark Gryba by computer and wish us luck with the new year.
 
  • Vic Dubois is on the mend and is back at work and is appearing on air on his regular 60s show.  He says that both he and Bev intend to rejoin the club and he is looking forward to getting back to meetings and seeing everyone.
 
Announcements
 
Regular Board Meeting will be this Wednesday at 4:00 pm in person at the Saskatoon Club or online by Zoom.
 
Grocery cards are available from Donna Gauthier. We have supplies of cards from both Sobeys and Co-Op.
 
Will Arscott spoke on programs and reported that the period till Xmas is being filled up quickly.   If you are looking to give an update on a club project, please contact Will to be scheduled.   There are more spaces after the New Year.  Jim Weber asked if we could be sure to schedule times for club assemblies. Will suggested that any ideas should go to the board. Club assemblies are a good idea but before we schedule, we need a subject and a facilitator.
 
Rotary Minute
 
President Steve related his experience driving two RYLA students up from Regina. It appeared the students had made some very good friends in a short period and were enthusiastic about their experience. He asked them if they would be willing to come to our club to speak. They both liked the idea. Steve will contact the program chairman and see when this might be possible.
 
It was also reported that there was a small outbreak of covid at this year’s RYLA event. Four or five students were quarantined, and the outbreak did not spread further.
 
Happy and Sad Dollars
 
  • Avis Hardy 10H Five were for a trip to Creston to see her sister and celebrate her sister’s 80th birthday. The second were for Joanne Fisher’s son’s upcoming travels.
  • Elaine Zakreski 80H for her 80 years and a successful, if smaller, birthday where nobody got covid.
  • Jim Weber 10 H for having his family together. There were only four of them, but it was great to be together for the first time in quite a while.
  • Mark Gryba 10H for the Hilltops first win of the season or else 10S for their first loss Mark wasn’t sure. (It was reliably reported that the Hilltops did win a very close game.)
 
Early’s Farm and Garden with Spencer Early
 
Spencer Early, the CEO of Early’s Farm and Garden, was introduced by Will Arscott. Will explained that one of his plan’s for this year’s programs is to have speakers from several long-standing and iconic Saskatoon businesses. Spencer is well known in the Saskatoon community with interests in the Jazz Festival and old-timer’s hockey beyond his involvement in the business.
 
The Early business owned by the Early family dates to the first big boom time in Saskatoon’s history. Early’s Seed and Feed was established in 1907 which is the same year that saw the Saskatoon Club established, the Riverside Golf Course established and the University being construction on its current site. The boom would last several more years and by 1910 new businesses such as Butler Byers Insurance and the Saskatoon Funeral Home were added to the Saskatoon scene.
 
The Early family had been residents of Ontario for many years by the turn of the century.  Spencer had a picture that shows a rather dour group typical of group portraits of the time. Two of the brothers decided to start a new life as homesteaders in Saskatchewan. After several years on the land, they determined they were not farmers and moved into Saskatoon to become business owners. The first Early business was a fruit store that lasted only a couple of years.   The two brothers then formed the S.A. Early Grain Company which is the antecedent of the current company.  
 
One brother left the grain business and became a Dodge dealer at the very beginning of the automobile era. This business was very successful and eventually it was sold to the Patrick family and was known as Patrick Dodge for many years. Spencer mused out loud that he might have been happier to be part of the Early family that went into the car business rather than remaining in the feed and seed business.
 
The S.A. Early Grain Company became Early’s Feed and Seed and had addresses on Wall Street, and Ave A.  In 1916 the grain elevator was built by the rail yards very close to the current Midtown Plaza. The elevator remained till 1982. The company was diversified from the beginning and had several other elevators and a large hog operation on the site of what is now Kindersley Transport across from the airport.
 
As so often happens in family businesses, Spencer’s lineage in the company happened partly by chance.  His dad, Tom, had an older brother Allan who was slated to take on the business.   Unfortunately, he was killed in a hunting accident and Spencer’s father Tom was required to step into the business. Tom guided the company successfully for many years but often wished he would have been able to get an education and go in another direction like his other siblings.  Tom came to the business in 1935 and guided it into the 1980s.
 
1966 was an important year in the history of Early’s for two reasons: First the city under Mayor Sid Buckwold began the project of removing the railway from the center of Saskatoon. The second reason was that Joe Blosky was hired as a manager of Early’s. Spencer is very careful to say that while the business has the Early name, since 1966 it has been a partnership with the Blosky family. Derek and Kevin Blosky are still Spencer’s go to guys, and he credits them with much of the company success. In 1982 the company moved to the new site on Lorne Avenue.
 
From the beginning, diversification has been the watchword of the business. From the start they had seed sales, feed sales, a hog operation, a hatchery, and several elevators. Looking back there were missed opportunities particularly in disposing of land holdings. Family businesses can be very difficult when the principals are type A personalities and may become old and cautious.
 
Today the business continues to evolve.  Pet supplies now make up 40% of the business. There is much to Early’s you do not see. They do a great deal of consulting with the golf industry and working on grasses. Custom grasses are mixed to order. It was the Bloskys who developed this side of the business. They also have a large commitment to the greenhouse industry and have exclusive distribution agreements. The marijuana industry has expanded the greenhouse supply business both before and after legalization. In all, Early’s has benefitted from recent demographic changes. Golf, pets, and gardening have all been growing industries with the aging population and covid. The livestock part of the business has fallen off in recent years.
 
Covid provided a challenge and a huge opportunity. Garden supplies and pet supplies were essential services, so Early’s was never shut down. At this time there was a huge move to online sales which created changes for the staff. Post covid the online part has diminished some as people came back to the store, but the volume is still several times larger than before covid.
 
Spencer’s attitude is to hire good people and trust them to do good things. The business employs about forty people and it has a stable and productive workforce. The company also has created a consultative board of advisors that includes owners, managers, and some outside people to monitor and advise the business on an ongoing basis. Spencer reports this has been very successful.
 
Spencer was thanked by President Steve. In recognition, the regular donation will be made to Bethany Homes.
 
The next meeting is on August 29 with ADG Candace Odishaw presenting on the Rotary District 5550 Survey.
 
Adjournment
 
 
 
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