Ken Achs Midwest Group of Companies “The Harder You WorkThe Luckier You Get”

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BUSINESSVOICE SASKATOON NOVEMBER / DECEMBER 2019 3

November / December 2019

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Ken Achs Midwest Group of Companies “The Harder You WorkThe Luckier You Get”

STAFFDarla Lindbjerg, Chief Executive OfficerKendra Cruson, Vice President, OperationsTerry Lawrence, Acting Director of OperationsMargot Orr, Director of Policy and Government RelationsRoz Macala, Executive AssistantTrish Cheveldayoff, Communications CoordinatorJanelle Kubica, Member Services Coordinator Henry Buitrago, Creative CoordinatorTreena Skaalid, Events & Sponsorships Coordinator

BOARD OF DIRECTORSChair Chris Sicotte - AON1st Vice-Chair Carla Browne - Real Canadian Property Management Professionals Inc.2nd Vice-Chair Jason Aebig - Creative FirePast Chair Peggie Koenig - Koenig & Associates Inc. Executive Sandra Ribeiro - Canadian Light Source Inc.CeCe Baptiste - Saskatchewan Indian Institute of Technology (SIIT)Todd A. Denzin - NutrienLinda Exner - PCL Construction Management Ltd. Katrina German - KatrinaGerman.comDale Lemke - Quicklinkt Solutions Inc. Adam McInnes - Med Hack Enterprises IncorporatedGraham Snell - Saskatoon AerocentreColton Wiegers - Wiegers Financial & BenefitsPenny Yeager - MLT Aikins LLP

PRODUCTIONPublisher: Kendra CrusonEditor: Terry Lawrence Layout & Design: Henry BuitragoContributing Writers: Kendra Cruson, Chris Sicotte, Darla Lindbjerg, Trish Cheveldayoff, Elizabeth IrelandSales: Kendra Cruson, Trish CheveldayoffPhotography: Henry Buitrago

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“The Harder You Work the Luckier You Get”

COVER STORY

by Elizabeth Ireland

Ken Achs Midwest Group of Companies

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16 BUSINESSVOICE SASKATOON NOVEMBER / DECEMBER 2019 BUSINESSVOICE SASKATOON NOVEMBER / DECEMBER 2019 17

COVER STORY

One of the themes of this issue of Business Voice is real estate and real estate development. So, who better to speak with than Saskatoon mega-entrepreneur Ken Achs, the President and CEO of the Mid-West Group of Companies?Achs is described in Peter C. Newman’s 1998 book Titans: How the New Canadian Establishment Seized Power as “a land developer who started as a hot rodder.” It’s true that Achs’ business empire began modestly with an auto body shop on Broadway Avenue (where the Bulk Cheese Warehouse is now located). It’s also true that Achs was a drag racer of impressive speed and he was inducted into the Canadian Motorsport Hall of Fame in 2003.

What gets lost in the book’s description is Achs’ down-to-earth demeanour and his willingness to share his insights, even after 50 plus years of immense success. Today, Mid-West Group is involved in commercial and residential real estate development, commercial and residential property leasing and property management. Outside of Saskatchewan, the group of companies owns and manages properties in Alberta, British Columbia, Arizona, California, Nevada and Washington. Achs still maintains an automotive division.

One of the most telling things about Achs is that he has lived in the same radius of 10 to 15 blocks in Saskatoon’s Broadway district for his whole life. His parents met in Montreal; his Hungarian father Henry moved to Saskatoon in the early 1940s to work at Intercontinental Packers Limited with his friend from Europe, Fred Mendel.

“Not a clue what I wanted to do,” says Achs, describing his time after high school and a stint studying at the University of Saskatchewan. His original plan to become a schoolteacher fell through and he jokes, “saved a lot of children from miserable lives.” He then worked in the meatpacking business at Intercontinental Packers and he was not a fan of that work. Armed with his driver’s licence, the one constant in Achs’ early life was his love of automobiles.

“Automotive gave me a leg up for my future businesses.” In fact, it was Achs’ successful auto body and parts business that led to an investment in real estate and, eventually, property management and real estate development. “I don’t have great ideas of grandeur. Over the years, I’ve approached my businesses in bite-sized chunks.”

In his personal life, Achs was the single father of three children for many years. While his two sons worked in his shops and on his construction sites for summer and part-time employment, they make it clear to Achs that the business “was not their deal.” Now with families of their own, his son Kevin lives in San Francisco and his son Robert lives in Minneapolis. Achs describes his daughter Shelley as seeming to be the most apparent heir for the business, a trained accountant, but Shelley passed away at age 29 from cancer.

Over the years, the name Ken Achs has also become synonymous with heritage building restoration in our community. “Restoring buildings was more happenstance than anything,” says Achs.

One of his most memorable projects was the restoration of the CP railway station on Idylwyld Drive. Originally built in 1908, the station was designated a National Historic Site of Canada in 1976 and a Heritage Railway Station of Canada in 1990.

On 2nd Avenue South, Achs is proud of the Hutchinson Building – a downtown landmark designed by architect Frank P. Martin that was home to the Saskatoon Hardware Store until 1970. The Hutchinson Building was designated a heritage property in 1999.

“I don’t have great ideas of grandeur. Over the years, I’ve approached my businesses in bite-sized chunks.”.

Ken Achs - Mid-West Group of Companies

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COVER STORY

Back on Broadway, the Fire Hall No. 3 building on 11th Street West was restored by Achs and his team to its former 1911 glory (it’s now the Hose & Hydrant Brew Pub). “They are neat buildings, and each meant something to me.”

What are Achs’ favourite buildings in Saskatoon? Of course, the CP railway station but also his own luxurious new build located at 450 2nd Avenue North. With all the bells and whistles, this office building is where the Mid-West Group is headquartered today.

A bit more behind the scenes, Trevor Jacek is the Chief Financial Officer of the Mid-West Group of Companies. Achs describes Jacek as “doing a great job and he’s unique because he gets along with me.” Lise Paquette is Achs’ highly competent long-time Executive Assistant. Paquette also acts as a key resource for commercial tenants and corporate relations.

Achs’ wife of 25 years, Colleen Wilson, is the company’s Executive Vice President, Legal Affairs. A lawyer by trade, Wilson is a multi-hyphenate herself. She was a popular television personality for more than 25 years and has a sense of design reflected in Mid-West’s properties. Those in the city’s horse community, know her as a thoroughbred racehorse trainer and the former chair of the Saskatchewan Horse Racing Commission. A dedicated equestrian, Wilson still owns four horses and is a devoted animal lover; a passion shared with Achs.

Obviously, employees who work with Achs are in his words “not clock watchers, they don’t wear watches. They make a good living, but this is not a nine to five place. I believe in putting in an effort and getting it done.” As if to prove this point, a porter pops into Achs’ office on Saturday morning during our interview and mentions that he is in to deal with a small issue at one of their properties.

Finally, Achs is a mentor in the Raj Manek Mentorship Program and both Ken and Colleen were inducted into the 2018 Junior Achievement Business Hall of Fame. He is also an inductee into the SABEX Business Hall of Fame and has been awarded numerous other prestigious honours.

www.midwestgroup.ca

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er A Business Legend Honours a Music LegendDespite singer-songwriter Joni Mitchell’s several Grammy Awards and many other accolades, her relationship with Saskatoon can only be referred to as, well, complicated.

Mitchell started her legendary music career in the 1960s playing at the Louis Riel Coffeehouse. At the time, the coffeehouse was located across the street from Ken Achs’ first auto body shop on Broadway Avenue. Achs notes that back then Broadway was “the Haight-Ashbury of Saskatoon.” While it was still a temperance colony until the 1980s, and local establishments could not serve liquor, it was “still a cool place.”

Over the years, Achs and his wife Colleen Wilson have kept in touch with Mitchell through mutual friends. Now challenged by health issues, Mitchell is based out of California.

“After my wife and I met a 23-year-old woman in rural Ireland who was a big Joni Mitchell fan, I realized that I needed to do something to honour her incredible talent. Joni is well-known around the world and she grew up right here in Saskatoon,” says Achs.

This discrepancy between Mitchell’s internationally lauded fame and the city’s lack of recognition bothered Achs. He also points out a huge two-night celebration of Mitchell’s 75th birthday at the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion in Los Angeles as an example of where Saskatoon has missed the mark.

As a result, in 2018 Achs was instrumental in creating two plaques to pay tribute to Mitchell’s musical artistry and lasting impact on generation after generation. One plaque is on Broadway Avenue while another is at River Landing on the newly named Joni Mitchell Promenade. Achs is very proud that the celebration of plaque installation was livestreamed to Mitchell’s living room back in Los Angeles; much to the delight of Mitchell who texted and called throughout the day.