TORONTO – Leslie E. Shaw, the older brother of Shaw Communications chairman JR Shaw, died last Wednesday in his sleep at his Barbados home. He was 79.
While JR built a formidable Canadian communications firm (in which Les owned a minority interest and sat on its board for years) the elder Shaw brother built a global energy services company, ShawCor, from a general construction company in southwestern Ontario founded by their father, Francis in the 1930s.
(JR worked for the original family business, too, setting up its first western base in Edmonton in the early 1960s and soon launched his cable company there after growing frustrated with the lack of TV channels available in Alberta.)
ShawCor began as Shaw Pipe Protection Ltd. and has been best known throughout the years for its pipecoating products. It actually created the business where underground metal pipe was pre-coated prior to shipment. The company is based in Toronto but has grown into a global energy services company of over 5,000 employees in 20 countries.
ShawCor also owns ShawFlex – a cable and wire business used in the petrochemical, power generation, pulp and paper, primary metals, automation, robotics and automotive industries.
"Mr. Shaw joined the Shaw family group of companies in 1950 and was employed by them throughout his business career," said the official ShawCor release last week. "Mr. Shaw was appointed president and CEO of the company in 1968 and led it through its initial public offering in Canada in 1969.
"Mr. Shaw was appointed as a director of the company in 1969 and became chairman and CEO in 1985. In 1994, Mr. Shaw relinquished his executive position as CEO while continuing as chairman where he was instrumental in building ShawCor to its current leadership position as a global energy services company.
"For many years, control of the Shaw family’s interest in the company has been held by Virginia L. Shaw (Les’ daughter), who currently serves as the vice-chair of ShawCor.
"While Les Shaw’s guidance, inspiration and vision will be greatly missed by all who knew him, the company, its board of directors, the management team and all ShawCor employees remain committed to the continuation of Les Shaw’s goal of building a successful, Canadian-based, world class energy services company."
"For more than half a century, Les has led the growth and diversification of ShawCor’s products and services and its expansion around the world. Along the way, Les Shaw’s pioneering attitude has earned him the respect of business leaders in the oil and gas industry, while his warm and generous spirit garnered him the admiration of friends, employees and customers alike," reads his obituary in the Globe and Mail.
Les Shaw is survived by his wife of 56 years, Lois Shaw; his three children Dianne Shaw (Vladek Zagala), Virginia Shaw (Les Hutchison) and Alan Shaw; five granddaughters, two great-grandchildren, and his brother JR Shaw (Carol).
