As one of British Columbia’s preeminent businessmen, Jim Pattison built one of the largest privately held companies in the country. His empire began when he purchased the Bow Mac car dealership in 1961, and since then, the Jim Pattison Group has prospered and diversified. It now employs more than twenty-six thousand people and is involved in transportation, communications, food products, packaging, real estate, financial services and the Ripley’s Believe It or Not! Museums. Notably contributing in the elevation of British Columbia’s reputation, Mr. Pattison’s leadership has been an integral force in positioning Vancouver as a world-class city. As Chair of EXPO 86, he is widely credited with the event’s unparalleled success.

Mr. Pattison and the Pattison Group have made significant contributions to the communities of British Columbia and our nation, earning a reputation for leadership through public service. Jim Pattison was inducted into the Canadian Business Hall of Fame in 1996.