Trucking carriers plentiful on top 50 biz list

TORONTO — Once again, for-hire truckers were well represented on Canada’s 50 Best Managed Companies awards listing.

Platinum Club members relating to trucking for 2006 included (from west to east):

Yanke Group of Companies in Saskatoon; Bison Transport in Winnipeg; Quik X Transportation Inc. and the Wheels Group, both of Mississauga, Ont.; Bolton, Ont.-based MSM Transportation; Kriska Holdings of Prescott, Ont.; Groupe Robert of Boucherville, Que.; and Day & Ross in Hartland, N.B.

“What defines MSM is our ability to understand, develop, and enhance the relationship between ourselves and our customers,” said Mike McCarron, managing partner of MSM Transportation. “This award reinforces our leadership position in the North American transportation market and plays to our strength in delivering Integrity Driven Solutions. We’re proud of our Platinum Club membership.”

Requalified trucking or truck firms are: Challenger Motor Freight of Cambridge, Ont.; MacKinnon Transport of Guelph, Ont.; Woodbridge, Ont.-based Consolidated Fastfrate; and Cummins Western Canada of Surrey, B.C.

First established in 1993, Canada’s 50 Best Managed Companies recognizes excellence in Canadian-owned and managed companies with revenues over $10 million. Every year, hundreds of entrepreneurial companies compete for this designation in a rigorous and independent process that evaluates the caliber of their management abilities and practices.

The awards are granted on three levels: Best Managed winner (one of the 50 new winners selected each year); Requalified member (repeat winners retain the Best Managed designation for two additional years, subject to annual operational and financial review); and Platinum Club member (winners that maintain Best Managed status for a minimum of six consecutive years.)

Program sponsors are Deloitte, CIBC Commercial Banking, National Post, and Queen’s School of Business.

This year, the Best Managed program asked the 2006 Platinum Club and Requalified companies about their revenue growth plans. The vast majority named more than one strategy. Of those that specified, the significant majority (59%) plan to pursue domestic growth, while just over a third (36%) plan to drive revenue growth through international operations or expansion.

Acquisitions and alliances are the hottest future growth strategies cited by Platinum Club winners (51% and 56%, respectively). Technology is also at the centre of future growth plans (for 51%), followed by new product lines or new products (43% and 41% respectively). By far the most profound growth challenge these companies face is “finding qualified employees” cited by 63 percent as a concern.