From the Ground Up - McCain Foods Limited

Allison McCain, 2004.
By 2007, things were different. The company was much bigger,
and it was being run by professional managers who were responsible
to the owners, rather than by the owners (and founders)
themselves. As a result, a decision on a capital expenditure that
might have been approved after just one phone call now may
require board approval and inevitably takes longer.
Nevertheless, Britain, along with Australia, is one of the
McCain outposts where the original McCain company culture
remains strong. In both cases, there was a strong relationship
with one of the founding brothers over many years. Both are also
English-speaking Commonwealth countries with close ties to
Canada.
“We say there is one culture [across McCain] but that is not
exactly right,” says Vermont. “It depends on the extent of the influence
Wallace and Harrison have had on those businesses, how
long those businesses have been part of McCain, how much they
have been added to by acquisitions, and the continuity of management.”
Britain was the first McCain operation outside Canada, and
both founders, in particular Harrison, spent a lot of time there.
Their influence persists. Vermont worked with Harrison for
nearly twenty years, and several others who were or are still active in the company
also worked with him for a long time. Several either came from or worked in
Florenceville at some point in their careers.
The success of McCain in Britain paved the way for the success that followed in
continental Europe. McCain used its U.K. products to build a beachhead on the continent
before it began production there.
The head of the U.K. operation played a vital role in establishing the European
operations as vice-chairman of the European companies. “Mac looked and sounded
British but spoke and acted European” says Tony van Leersum, who became managing
director for Europe in 1978. “In those years, when the company allowed us only
one transatlantic phone call per week, Mac was Mr. McCain–in–Europe for us, and
the best coach you could wish for.”
McCain could not have made a better choice to lead its first foreign venture. He
was referred to as the “third McCain” because he had the same combination of energy,
decisiveness, and bluntness that made Harrison and Wallace such a formidable
force in building their company. “Mac had a temper, but
he was so motivating, everybody would do anything for
him,” says Ken Wilmot.
Howard Mann, who preceded Dale Morrison as president
and CEO of McCain Foods Limited, paid tribute to
this “third McCain” when Mac retired in 1998, praising him
for his ability to get to the core of complex issues. “One of
his great strengths is his willingness to give a clear, concise
opinion – he is a very difficult man to misunderstand.”
Not only was Mac passionately devoted to his work, he
was also a philanthropist with a keen interest in both theatre
and sports. He was president of local cricket clubs and
the driving force behind the building of a live theatre venue
in Scarborough. He involved the company in community
causes, reflected today in the name of Scarborough’s
soccer arena: McCain Stadium.
“I was fortunate to go to the United Kingdom as manufacturing
director working for Mac McCarthy,” says
Allison McCain. “I am certain the mix of McCain and
McCarthy made us one of the early leaders in the United
Kingdom of progressive management practice. McCain
GB was always considered to be the ‘jewel in the crown’ of the group – it was profitable,
growing, and very solid. I suspect that was extremely important in the early days
of our expansion internationally. It gave us the confidence and the resources to push
farther into Europe.
“I enjoyed my years at GB. It’s a wonderful country. The people made the work
fun: they were experienced, extremely loyal, and proud of their success – and justifiably
so.”
McCarthy served in key roles in several British food organizations. In 1993, Queen
Elizabeth invested him as Commander of the British Empire in recognition of his
contribution to the British food industry. He was made Honorary Freeman of the
Borough of Scarborough in 1996.
As McCain Foods grew and expanded around the globe, clashes arose between
the corporate head office in Canada, which wanted modern, unified systems to link
the branches, and the heads of the local operations, who guarded their autonomy.
None was more jealous of his autonomy than Mac. Take, for example, the initiative
64 From the g round up
crossing the AtlA ntic 65
toP: Mac McCarthy, 1988.
bottom: Mac McCarthy was
awarded the Commander of
the British Empire, New Year’s
Eve 1993 honours list.