Memorable Manitobans: David R. Penner (1924-2009)

Business executive.

Born at Chortitza, Ukraine on 16 May 1924, he emigrated to Canada with his parents and siblings in 1926. They ended up on a small farm near Langham, Saskatchewan just prior to the Great Depression. He finished his high school education as one of few students in the area to do so. He obtained a teacher’s certificate, then completed a business course by correspondence. His first job was with W. H. Briggs Chartered Accountants in Saskatoon, later moving to Mannix Ltd. in Calgary, in 1953. His responsibilities grew from auditing and accounting to management responsibility, including labour relations for road, hospital, and dam projects in Western Canada and the US. He moved to Winnipeg to take a position with BACM Construction. He was chosen President of the Manitoba Road Builders and Heavy Construction Association (1971), Chairman of the Manitoba Construction Council (1973), President of the Canadian Construction Association (1975), and later, Chairman of the CCA. He moved from BACM to Genstar to BG Chekko. Business travel took him to Jordan, Ghaza, Egypt, Saudi Arabia, Argentina, Venezuela, and Europe. He retired in the 1980s, later moving to Montreal then Saskatoon. He spent the last eight years of his life in Winnipeg, where he died on 13 April 2009.

Sources:

Obituary, Winnipeg Free Press, 16 April 2009.

“The ’09 honour roll,” Winnipeg Free Press, 2 January 2010, page H4.

This page was prepared by Gordon Goldsborough.

Page revised: 16 September 2015

Memorable Manitobans

Memorable Manitobans

This is a collection of noteworthy Manitobans from the past, compiled by the Manitoba Historical Society. We acknowledge that the collection contains both reputable and disreputable people. All are worth remembering as a lesson to future generations.

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