The newest inductee into the Nick and Verna Morsky Estevan Business Hall of Fame has been a big part of the business community in southeast Saskatchewan for more than 50 years.
Garry Hirsch of Hirsch Holdings Ltd. was inducted into the hall on Oct. 25 at the Estevan Business Excellence Awards, in front of more than 250 people at the Wylie-Mitchell building. Hirsch has been in business for 52 years, and has taken many risks while expanding his operations through Hirsch Holdings, Hirsch Construction and Red River Lumber.
鈥淭he ability to provide construction services, contracting, land development, rentals and lumber supplies kept him diversified, with the ability to prosper in any sort of market condition,鈥� said a video for his induction.
He has also provided stable employment for many long-time workers, and his businesses have provided services to customers.
鈥淚t鈥檚 fantastic,鈥� he told Lifestyles after he was inducted. 鈥淚 never expected it. I didn鈥檛 think I even deserved it. There are so many people that have done so much in our community, so it鈥檚 an honour. I鈥檓 very, very happy.鈥�
In an induction speech that was often mixed with humour and stories, Hirsch reflected on his career. Since he started Hirsch Construction more than 50 years ago, a lot has changed. He started by himself and slowly added employees, although there were a couple of occasions when he thought he was going broke.
鈥淚 started building grain bins, patios, sidewalks like any other young person trying to get in business,鈥� said Hirsch.
When he was working out of town, he would sleep on a bench, and he would carry three layers of insulation with him.
There were times in which the water was shut off at home because payment was past due, but he managed to keep the doors open and the business grew.
Eventually he moved onto constructing single-family and multi-family homes, and Hirsch Construction built the first condominium complex in Estevan. It also started the city鈥檚 first condo association.
鈥淚 had to get help from accountants and lawyers from out of town initially, as nobody in town had any experience with condo associations that could assist us,鈥� said Hirsch.
He completed many other residential projects and added commercial jobs. The company worked with SaskPower and was involved with the construction of the Shand Power Station. They also built strip malls, schools and other buildings.
In 1981, Red River Lumber opened to assist with the supply of building materials for all the construction jobs they had going. It has also grown to be an important business in the community.
鈥淭he lumber yard grew to include windows, doors, flooring and hardware, and is still serving our local community today.鈥�
A short time later, he started Hirsch Holdings to build condos, apartments, strip malls and more under Hirsch Construction, but were sold to Hirsch Holdings as residential-commercial rentals.
鈥淚 was initially told that this was crazy, as I initially started the company when the interest rates were through the roof. My banker told me it was not a smart move. I proved him wrong, that鈥檚 for sure,鈥� he said adamantly to the laughter and applause of the audience.
He also purchased the former Scotsburn School building 鈥� a structure he helped build 鈥� and turned it into a strip mall.
Hirsch believes that 小蓝视频 an entrepreneur has supplied him with 52 years of fun.
鈥淚 would wake up early, early in the morning at 4 or 5 o鈥檆lock,鈥� he said. 鈥淚 could not wait to get to my office. I had fun every day. I go to work still, seven days a week, not so many hours on Saturday or Sunday, but it is total fun.鈥�
He has loved Estevan all of his life. He built houses in Alberta and in southeast Saskatchewan and all over the province, but he always kept coming home to Estevan.
鈥淭he people are fantastic here,鈥� he said.
Hirsch also continued to farm while owning his businesses, and some members of his family couldn鈥檛 be at the induction 小蓝视频 because they were combining.
He is proud of all his accomplishments, of his ability to contribute to the community, and grateful for those who have helped him along the way.
鈥淭he bottom line is none of this could have been done without my family, without good loyal employees and of course the loyal support of our customers.鈥�
He also joked that he thought he would never get to the red carpet, but now that he was there, he found he liked it, because it was the same colour as his trucks.
The Business Hall of Fame is named after the Morskys, who played an instrumental role in Estevan鈥檚 business community for decades. Nick Morsky died early this year, and there was a video tribute to him before the induction 小蓝视频.
The Morskys were among the charter members of the business hall when it was established in 2011.
A tribute video aired at the EBEX Awards that night.
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