Ronald Donald Southern (25 July 1930 – 21 January 2016) was a Canadian businessman. He was the founder and chairman of
Calgary-based
ATCO Group, and the founder of the
Spruce Meadows equestrian centre.
In 1947, Southern and his father each invested $2,000 in the original Alberta Trailer Hire Co., which later became
ATCO. Southern received a Bachelor of Science degree from the
University of Alberta in 1953 and began to work full-time for the company. He passed the title of chairman, president and chief executive officer to his daughter,
Nancy Southern, in January 2000. As of 2024 the Southern family still control ATCO.
Spruce Meadows
Southern and his wife
Margaret Southern were the founders and co-chairs of
Spruce Meadows. Opened in 1975, it was built for their daughters who had long been involved with competitive equestrian riding.
Other affiliations
Southern was a director of several corporations, including
Lafarge,
Southam Inc.,
Chrysler Corporation of Canada,
Imasco,
Canadian Airlines,
Fletcher Challenge,
Royal & SunAlliance and
Canadian Pacific. He was a director of Akita Drilling Ltd. and chairman of Sentgraf Enterprises Ltd. Southern was also a member of the
Trilateral Commission. In September 2006, Ron Southern was appointed Officer of Orange Nassau by Her Majesty Queen Beatrix of The Netherlands.
Honours and awards
Southern was invested as a Member of the
Order of Canada in 1986 and a Member of the
Order of the British Empire
The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British order of chivalry, rewarding valuable service in a wide range of useful activities. It comprises five classes of awards across both civil and military divisions, the most senior two o ...
(MBE) in 1990, in recognition of his promotion of Anglo-Canadian relations in the fields of commerce, culture and sport. In 1992 he received the
125th Anniversary of the Confederation of Canada Medal. In 2002 he received the Canadian version of the
Queen Elizabeth II Golden Jubilee Medal. In June 1995, he was elevated as a Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE). In August 2003, Southern was elevated as an Officer of the Order of Canada and promoted to Companion in 2006. In September 2006 he was invested as an Officer of the
Order of Orange-Nassau by the
Kingdom of the Netherlands. In 2012, he was appointed to the
Alberta Order of Excellence. In 2012, Southern and wife Margaret were awarded the Canadian version of the
Queen Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee Medal by the
Lieutenant Governor of Alberta,
Donald Ethell.
He received honorary doctoral degrees from the
University of Calgary in 1976 and the
University of Alberta in 1991. In 1990, Southern received the International Distinguished Entrepreneur Award, presented by the
University of Manitoba through the Faculty of Management. In 1995 he was inducted into the
Canadian Business Hall of Fame. In 1996, he was named ''
Financial Post'' CEO of the Year. He and his wife were inducted into
Canada's Sports Hall of Fame in 2006.
References
External links
ATCO official site
{{DEFAULTSORT:Southern, Ron
1930 births
2016 deaths
Businesspeople from Calgary
Companions of the Order of Canada
Canadian Commanders of the Order of the British Empire
ATCO
Members of the Alberta Order of Excellence
Officers of the Order of Orange-Nassau