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Season 2, Episode #5: Meaningful Manufacturing - How Samuel is contributing to a greener supply chain

Russell sits down with Colin Osborne, the CEO of Samuel, Son & Co.—an Oakville, Ontario-based advanced manufacturing company that traces its roots back to 1855.

Derek Dobson and Susan Black headshot

“One thing about COVID, I really think that helped is that we were forced to make decisions without great information very quickly. I think it helped reinforce a culture of entrepreneurial spirit and agility. And in all honesty, and I think we're rare, we run this entire company on a one hour weekly meeting. And that started in COVID, you know, because we were like, ‘we can't afford to have monthly meetings or quarterly reviews. We need to have a touchpoint, at least weekly, to see what's happening, what customers are shut down, what we are going to do.’ And we kept that cadence so truthfully, as painful as it was and as difficult as it was and the amount of disruption that it caused us, we're a better company for it.” - Colin Osborne [00:04:48]



Russell sits down with Colin Osborne, the CEO of Samuel, Son & Co.—an Oakville, Ontario-based advanced manufacturing company that traces its roots back to 1855. They discuss how Samuel has made its way to the forefront of a new, green approach to manufacturing by upskilling its labour force, reducing material waste, and building partnerships with some of the fastest-growing businesses in the low-carbon economy.

  • An approach to building longevity in your planning cycles.
  • The power of advocating for sustainability, while improving your bottom-line.
  • The power of enabling your employees to become decision-makers.
  • Steps to improve your carbon footprint.
  • How to teach an old company new ways of building culture.

Listen to Colin's episode:

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Biography

Colin Osborne
President & Chief Executive Officer
Samuel, Son & Co.

Colin Osborne is President and Chief Executive Officer of Samuel, Son & Co., Limited, a position he has held since 2019. In this role, Mr. Osborne is responsible for the development and leadership of the Company’s long-term strategy and growth plans. Within Samuel, Mr. Osborne has held a number of other roles, including President & Chief Operating Officer, President – Samuel Service Centers and Automotive and President – Samuel Manufacturing Division. Before joining Samuel in 2015, Mr. Osborne was President and Chief Executive Officer of Vicwest Inc, a publicly traded industrial products company with operations in North America, Europe, South America and installations on six continents. Earlier in his career, Mr. Osborne held senior leadership positions at Stelco Inc. including COO and EVP Strategy. Mr. Osborne has extensive board experience and currently sits on the board of Hudbay Minerals Inc. Previously, Mr. Osborne sat on the boards of numerous public and private equity run businesses, including Strongco Inc. and TMS International. Mr. Osborne has also been active in the community, serving as Board Director of both Mohawk College and McMaster Innovation Park. He holds a Bachelor of Engineering degree from McGill University and has completed the Executive Management Program from the Smith School of Business at Queen's University.

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