Orillia native Michael McMullen was recently awarded the coveted Emeritus Leaders Circle Award by the Canadian Chamber of Commerce.
Dubbed a ‘Manitoba business leader’ in a press release announcing the award, McMullen traces the roots of his success - as a business person and philanthropist - to growing up in Orillia.
“The majority of the credit for anything I have achieved goes to the strong work ethic and character lessons instilled by my mother,” said McMullen of his mom, Jean, who passed away in 2011.
Growing up in a single-parent family presented many challenges but, ultimately, helped shape him, he told OrilliaMatters.
“Being from a single parent family, the kindness extended to me from the Y's Men’s organization and men like Jack Hurl, Murray Gormley, Martin Cuiper, the McIsaac family and many others meant the world to me,” he recalled.
The local hockey community was also instrumental in his formative years and became an extended family of sorts.
He recalls great memories from being a “proud member” of the 1969-70 Byers Bulldozer midget team that won a national title in Dauphin, Manitoba.
A few years later, he was part of the only hockey team in the history of Park Street Collegiate Institute to win a Georgian Bay Secondary School Association championship.
He points to Park Street hockey coach/teacher Brian Pounder as a person who had a major influence on him when he was a teenager.
“Mr. Pounder's principles in guiding our GBSSA winning hockey team were invaluable learnings for leadership and team building throughout my life and career,” McMullen told OrilliaMatters.
McMullen said other teachers and coaches also made a big impact on him, referencing Art Insley, Bill Cartmill and Wib French.
While McMullen shone on the ice, he was also strong academically.
The graduate of Mount Slaven Public School is the only two-time student council president in Park Street’s history, was elected valedictorian by his graduating class and was the first recipient of the Arthur B. Laing Leadership Award.
In addition to working hard in school and playing hard on the ice, McMullen always worked and says his three summers at Webers - the iconic burger joint on Highway 11 - provided invaluable insight into the world of commerce.
“I credit Paul Weber with many of my life-long approaches and business philosophy throughout my international business career,” said McMullen.
During that career, he served as chief operating officer (COO) and executive vice-president of Ashley Global Retail Corp., executive VP with The North West Company and CEO and President of Warehouse One.
Today, the Ivey Business School and Western University graduate owns and runs MCM Consulting, a management consulting firm based in La Salle, Manitoba.
For several years, he has also been a key leader for the Canadian Chamber of Commerce. Currently, he is a governor of the national organization and served as its chair from 2014 to 2015.
The Canadian Chamber of Commerce, at that time, was at a crossroads.
“I basically took the year off work and, on our own dime, (wife) Deb and I travelled extensively across Canada visiting large and small chambers,” said McMullen.
“Our goal was to put in a structure that worked better for all our stakeholders and build bridges across the network.”
Ultimately, he initiated “a dynamic change in management process within the Canadian Chamber,” noted the press release announcing the award.
That change included creating a much-needed COO position - a position McMullen volunteered his time and talent to fill while the nationwide organization conducted a search for the right person.
As a result, the award, nominated and voted upon by the executive committee of the Canadian Chamber’s board of directors, is meaningful.
McMullen said “that peer recognition means the most because they are a bunch of hard-working and dedicated teammates who thought I did something special.”
The recognition “means that I was seen as having a role in building, sustaining and unifying a national team comprised of 225,000 mostly small and mid-size businesses.”
Perrin Beatty, the president and CEO of the Canadian Chamber, applauded McMullen’s efforts.
“Since our inception in 1925, the volunteer members of our board of directors have been tireless advocates for the Canadian business community and the millions of Canadians they employ in every sector and every part of Canada,” said Beatty.
“Michael’s tenure with our board epitomized distinguished service above and beyond his duties and embodied the values inherent to the Emeritus Leaders Circle Award.”
While his business and chamber responsibilities keep him busy, he has never forgotten the kindness shown to him as a kid growing up in Orillia.
“I believe this kindness plus other influences in my adult life have led me to ‘give back’ my time to various causes," he said.
McMullen currently sits on five volunteer boards that cover the gamut from Diabetes Canada, #SickNotWeak Mental Health Foundation (founded by TSN sports personality Michael Landsberg) to the First Peoples Economic Growth Fund.
He has also always loved to read and write.
“A life-long love of books and writing was instilled by Park Street teacher Bill Harvey during double classes of Grade 13 English,” said McMullen.
So, it should come as no surprise that McMullen is about to become a published author. He has penned a book, titled Scarred. It’s about a mother and son who “ascend through a decade of abandonment and abuse by making do, getting by and hoping for small mercies.”
No doubt, it will carry echoes from growing up in Orillia with his mom.
He will launch his book in Winnipeg and, just days later, will be at Manticore Books in downtown Orillia on Dec. 8, from 3 to 5 p.m., to unveil his work in his hometown.
“I’m looking forward to seeing a lot of old friends,” said McMullen.
