Still, there are challenges. Reconciling differences between new and long-term staff can be an issue. “How do you balance the old guard and the new? The people who’ve worked 25 years for five weeks of annual leave versus the newcomers who want flex time and to start with a month’s vacation every year… that’s something we’re working on,” says Fabian Connors.

Even maternity leave can be a challenge when most of your staff have been with you for over a decade, adds Stephanie Patten- Kibyuk. Four years ago, the company saw its first maternity leave in 15 years. That led to policy updates and revised work hours to accommodate child care needs. “People needed to leave earlier so they could pick up their kids from day care.”

Maureen Meaney, a 26-year employee, says the “benefit” that earns her loyalty is considerably less tangible than a pension plan or executive salary. “There’s a ‘we’ culture here,” says A. Harvey’s vice president of Finance. “Yes, it’s a family business but they have put people in significant positions who are not family. We’ve had employees who have left the organization, who have asked if they could come back to work with us.”

Has anyone ever tried to lure her away from A. Harvey?

“Yes.”

Did she tell that to the Pattens, perhaps hoping they’d give her a raise?

“No.”

Why does she stay?

“Because I love my job. I feel valued, like I’m part of the team. I’m included in operational decision- making. I’m so involved, and I’ve been trusted with so much responsibility, that I have a real satisfaction in my work. I feel like I’m truly important to this company.”

Jim Peddigrew, vice president of Operations and A. Harvey’s longestserving employee, has a similar story. He joined the company in 1969, fresh out of high school. It was supposed to be a summer job as the office gofer while he waited to start university in the fall. A. Harvey, big into coal sales at the time, was just starting to get into the salt business. And they were ship’s agents for the Russian and Romanian fleets, as well as part of the French fleet — it was that department which offered him a full-time job. His role was to coordinate the paperwork for customs and immigration, doctor’s appointments, supplies and equipment. Orders came in by telex, and each manifest required seven copies. Forget photocopies; they were literally carbon copies.

As the company grew and the technology evolved, so did Peddigrew’s career. He was offered his first management position in 1978. “My predecessor, John Walsh, believed in me. He trusted me. His advice to me then, and it’s been invaluable ever since, was that if you can overcome and handle people problems, you can handle anything.”

And the secret to handling people?

“You have to treat them well and respectfully. Charlie Patten (Susan Patten’s late husband) was a very nice, very approachable man. He would speak to me the same way he would speak to the janitor.”

That old-fashioned courtesy is one of the reasons why Peddigrew has no desire to retire, even after 47 years. “The day I get out of bed and wish I didn’t have to go to work, that’s when I’ll retire. I promised Robert (Patten) a year’s notice. So, the day I wake up and wish I didn’t have to go to work, I’ll work another 365 days after that.”

Though he too has had job offers from other companies, Peddigrew says he has a “don’t touch” sign on his head. “My motto is do unto others, and A. Harvey has been very good to me.”

As important as quality people are to the success of any operation, you sense that — like its discreet matriarch — there’s a lot more to this fourth-generation family business’ sesquicentennial triumph than courteous leadership and favourable fortune. Fortune, it’s said, favours the brave and A. Harvey is no exception. From Alick through to his great-grandsons, Robert and John Patten, it’s obvious that competitive initiative runs strong in this family.

Consider Browning Harvey, the Pepsi manufacturing plant headed by John Patten. You’d think being named North American Bottler of the Year and gaining 75 per cent of the provincial soft drink market might make them complacent. But it’s the fear of being complacent that John Patten says drives him and his management team. It’s why they invest a million dollars a year in plant upgrades. It’s why they have a stronger flavour portfolio than the competition, and why they still use regular sugar in their mix (the only bottler in the country still using the original formula). And it’s why they partner with Labatt’s beer distributors in rural areas. “Putting beer and pop on the same truck makes it profitable for them and for us. We’re there every week or two with fresh stock. Our competition doesn’t do that.”

Consider Harvey’s Oil, their residential and light commercial heating division. They have to buy from their competitors (North Atlantic and Irving), their maximum retail price is set by government regulation, they operate on a set margin — and they’re still profitable. That’s at least partly due to 31-year-old general manager Chris Forward. The quintessential hungry Young Turk, he’s already proving his worth — implementing a “shop around” policy to get fuel at the lowest price (“even if it’s just half a penny margin, it makes a difference in the middle of the winter”). He and his team have also streamlined the account application process and created “score cards” to keep track of goals. His primary focus, however, is on sales. He believes that engaging every member of the staff to offer a superior customer service experience will pay off in the form of new accounts. “If we have competitors, it means we still have opportunities to grow. What we are selling is service. We are here, the other guys are elsewhere. That doesn’t play well at three in the morning when there’s no heat.”

And consider A. Harvey Marine Base. They’ve been involved with the service and supply of Newfoundland and Labrador’s offshore oil sector since its inception. When they responded to the first Call for Expressions of Interest for the Hibernia project, it was completely foreign to them. But they had the waterfront property and they could see the opportunity. That was 1987. Today, they have approximately $40 million worth of dockside infrastructure in place: fork lifts, 1,800 containers, trucking operations and not one, but two, moveable cranes. And, with the exception of a soon-to-be- opened ad hoc berth, all of it has been purchased on A. Harvey’s dime.