Ride Two Tailwinds Nobody Else Sees Yet

"to the what, the when, and the who. Harrison and Wallace had raw ambition, youth, energy, and an exceptionally strong work ethic. Both had gained invaluable business experience working under the ever-watchful eye of K.C. Irving. They also picked a fortuitous time to get into the frozen food business. The fast food industry was still in its infancy, but rapidly gaining momen- tum. Canada’s population was well into a growth spurt fuelled by the baby boom of the postwar period and the arrival of many new Can- adians. More important still, women were joining the workforce at an increasing rate. Two-income families meant eating out often and also easy-to-prepare meals to eat at home. Frozen french fries were a cru- cial ingredient of both. But launching a frozen food firm required a great deal more than"

"solve that potential problem. Harrison had what he had long hoped for. He was in business for himself with his brothers. There would be immense challenges ahead, but the new business had a number of advantages. The fast food busi- ness, with its heavy reliance on french fries, was about to take flight and change the food-restaurant business. In addition, governments were poised to play a far greater interventionist role in the economy. Harrison with his brothers, particularly Wallace, would ride these two advantages in building their multi-billion-dollar food empire. Both Harrison and Wallace had honed their skills at the feet of a business genius and one of the world’s great entrepreneurs, fellow New Brunswicker, K.C. Irving. Both remained forever grateful to him – but now they were on their own, hoping to emulate their mentor’s success."

"jects that his government could support. The mid-1950s also saw governments in many Anglo-American democracies intervening more and more in the economy to promote economic development and job creation. It was as true for right-of- centre government as it was for left-leaning governments. In Canada, for example, it was the John Diefenbaker Progressive Conservative government that introduced the first of many economic development measures for slow-growth regions.6 Flemming announced with considerable fanfare that he would sup- port the McCain project for his constituency. He proudly declared, “We are convinced that this new industry will help to provide new and profitable markets for farmers over a wide area of New Brunswick.”7 The Flemming government guaranteed a $470,000 bond on behalf of McCain Foods. This, Wallace McCain explained, “was a big deal for us.” It enabled McCain Foods to borrow money at a low interest rate. “Who,” he asked, “was going to buy McCain Foods bonds without a guarantee?”8 Hugh John Flemming was not to be outdone by other provincial"

"for Harrison. Bob knew that Carleton County potato farmers were shipping a lot of potatoes to the Birds Eye plant in Maine that processed them into frozen french fries. He felt that there was something promising there, something worth exploring, and he was right. Fast food restaurants with french fries as a central focus were slowly making their pres- ence felt. McDonald’s, Burger King, A&W, Kentucky Fried Chicken all appeared in the mid-1950s in the United States, and the list has kept growing ever since, as did their demands for french fries. Fast food outlets had arrived to stay and they were grabbing a large share of the restaurant food market.25 Bob suggested to Harrison that the time was ripe for a home-grown"