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In the Smith family, the “r” word is verboten. Patriarch Doug Smith, founder of Manitoulin Transport, is in his 80s, but retirement is nowhere near his radar. After devoting 54 years to building the company up from scratch, Smith maintains the same values and customs that have guided him through more than a half-century of success: modesty, hard work, attention to detail, and a nap every afternoon.
“To this day, his administrative assistant is required to sharpen about a half a dozen number 6 pencils each morning to be at the ready,” said his son, Jeff Smith, describing his father’s daily routine. “His other secret weapon is a bag of Oreos.”
For his contributions to the mining sector through his innovative solutions in the trucking industry, Doug Smith was inducted into the Sudbury and Area Mining Supply and Services Association (SAMSSA) Hall of Fame on Dec. 4, along with the late Paul Marcotte, founder of Marcotte Mining.
Born in Gore Bay in 1933, Doug has remained a humble, hardworking Northerner, never straying far from his roots. After a brief stint in Toronto working in banking following high school, Doug returned to his hometown to help with the family business, Smith’s Wholesale, which serviced general stores, grocery stores and service stations across Manitoulin Island.
In 1957, the company introduced fresh and frozen fruits and vegetables to its grocery line, ferrying goods from Toronto to customers in Manitoulin, Killarney and Espanola, and teaming up with George Bertrand and Sudbury Wholesale.
Facing stiff competition in the wholesaling business, Doug sold to National Grocers and acquired Hill’s Transport for $18,000. With a fleet of three straight trucks and four tractor-trailers, the company continued to service customers from Toronto, backhauling turkeys from the Manitoulin Turkey Co-op, Jeff noted.
In 1965, Doug teamed up with Cooper’s Transport to serve companies like Loeb Grocery Wholesale, Canadian Liquidaire and Canada Cement. Two years later, the companies merged.
Manitoulin Transport was instrumental in bringing more freedom to the trucking industry, which was highly regulated between the 1960s and 1980s. In order to get an expanded licence to operate in additional communities, Smith had to prove a new service was necessary. During Ontario Highway Transport Board hearings, he brought in witnesses from Inco, Falconbridge, mining supply companies and Sudbury’s then-mayor Jim Gordon to testify on the company’s behalf.
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