Leadership tips from an egg industry veteran
At 90 years in business and still a major player in Canada’s egg industry, L.H. Gray & Son is obviously doing something right. Owner and CEO Bill Gray will say the company’s secret to success is a combination of dependable service, reliable supply and satisfied customers. But, as his track record proves, so is having an owner passionate about the egg industry, who values his employees and isn’t afraid to evolve.
Gray, who took over the family operation from his father in the late 1960s, says his experience in all aspects of the business provided the best kind of training to be a successful leader. “My parents started from humble beginnings and as they grew the business, I was part of that growth, too,” he says, adding that he was already grading eggs at the age of 10. Later on, Gray says he performed any task required, from driving trucks, picking up chickens and so on—nothing was beneath him.
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Being involved in all aspects of the company also gave him a clearer understanding of the complexities of the egg industry in Canada. “There is a different culture in the farming community than there is in the sales end of the business dealing with retailers, so it’s important to understand all sides,” he says. As a result, Gray was often out in the field talking to people to better understand what it takes to attract egg producers and keep retailers happy. “We have a philosophy here that you can’t run a business from 40,000 feet up, and so we’ve never done that,” he says.
This kind of hands-on leadership style has been pivotal in helping cement the company’s reputation for being able to meet customers’ needs. “We’ve been a supplier of Loblaws continuously since 1950 and deal with just about all the major retailers now,” says Gray. “We’ve had buyers for more than 85 years … and we continuously strive to build our credibility with customers.”
Even in acquiring dozens of companies over the years, Gray says he’s always prided himself on treating people well. This not only helped him keep his good reputation intact, he says, but improved his chances of being the one people thought to contact when they wanted to sell their businesses.
The key to cultivating loyalty
That there are employees who have worked at L.H. Gray & Son for 40-plus years speaks to the company’s understanding of how to attract good people—and keep them engaged. “For me, communication is key as I want to know what people are thinking and where they are at … and it’s really important to listen more than speak so people feel they have the opportunity to give direction on where they want to go,” says executive vice-president Scott Brookshaw. “You may not always go with that direction, but at least you can tell them why.”
He says helping employees feel empowered is something he always strives to do. “We have people who started on the floor packing eggs and are now running health and safety,” says Brookshaw, who himself once worked on the ground with producers and now oversees operations across the company. “I’ve stayed around for 27 years because I’ve grown with the business.”
In fact, one of the benefits in working for a family business, he says, is having opportunities to drive growth once the head decision-makers are confident in your abilities. “In family businesses, there is often one person at the top and they have to be willing to look at other points of view to make the best decisions,” he says. “You may not always agree, but you’ll talk about it and come to a consensus.”
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Senior vice-president of sales and marketing Sean Mateer, who left a more corporate setting in the food industry to join L.H. Gray & Son in 2019, also appreciates being able to bring new ideas to the team at any time. “We have our budgets, but if there is an opportunity that doesn’t fit the budget, we don’t have to wait until next year to talk about [it],” he says. “If it makes sense, we can make a decision and go.”
With 1,200 employees across three provinces (Ontario, Alberta and British Columbia), cultivating a positive workplace culture also means ensuring there is mutual respect regardless of roles, says Brookshaw. “We all respect each other, from the person sweeping the floor to the president,” he says. “Your voice on the floor is as important as the one in the boardroom in my opinion, and Bill would share that.”
With a diverse workforce working in food production often doing the same tasks day in, day out, it has been essential to keep people excited about coming into work, whenever possible, says Brookshaw. That means celebrating various cultural holidays and making efforts to instil some fun, such as a party and presents for employees’ children at Christmas or giving them turkey dinners and gift certificates for the holidays. “Ten years ago, we would have worked Thanksgiving Monday and today we don’t,” he says. “We figure out what we need to do to ensure people can have that day with the family—it will cost us, but it creates a much better environment for people to want to work in.”
Evolving means never standing still
In dealing with COVID-19, Avian flu and other challenges that have negatively impacted the egg industry over the years, Gray says his company’s strong relationships with suppliers and retailers—along with a willingness to keep innovating—have been essential in finding solutions. When restaurant closures during the pandemic resulted in a surge in egg supply and shortage of egg cartons, for example, the team was able to quickly source larger egg trays for its retail customers that are still popular among consumers even now. Similarly, when the Avian flu hit British Columbia, the company could pull from assets in Alberta and Ontario to keep the egg supply going.
“Yes, there have been difficult times, but nothing we couldn’t handle,” says Gray. “This is a competitive industry, but our reputation is everything and we’ve managed to find ways to supply our customers … and our customers have rewarded us for that in terms of being able to grow our business.”
The team’s willingness to stay ahead of the curve with technology—whether investing in plants and trucking fleets to improve efficiencies or scoping out the latest technologies in egg production—has been another asset in staying relevant throughout the decades.
“There have been advancements in the egg industry that we have been a big part of,” says Gray, citing the vast expansion of egg varieties over the years now available to consumers in the grocery store. “We have a philosophy here taught to me many years ago that if you’re standing still, you’re going behind—and we have not stood still, believe me.”
Going forward, there will be more growth and more innovation, but never at the expense of good customer service, says Gray. “Supporting local supply and building a sustainable future is always important to us.”
This article was first published in Canadian Grocer’s November 2024 issue.
