Canscott was established in 1985 by Garry Rowell, CPHR. As a former operations supervisor, trainer, and manager in the distribution industry, he had attended numerous seminars. During these many seminars Garry was presented with mostly theory and very little actual “experience-based” information and tools that he could use to become a more effective operations leader. Garry often refers to the material that he was presented with as “fluff”. Many of our participants confirm that they have had experiences similar to Garry’s, until they participated in one of Canscott’s programs.
“The lunches were generally pretty good, but the information tended to have very little meat. It was stuff that is nice to know, but of little, or even no value in dealing with the day to day front-line issues, that are common in the industrial sector.”
Garry Rowell
Because of his experience with various ineffective training programs, Garry identified a significant need for training programs that provide “straight to the point – no-nonsense” knowledge and skills that a supervisor or manager can actually use on the job. He concluded that while theories are interesting, front line supervisors and operations managers need clear, concise information and skills when dealing with urgent issues on the job. They need to know their roles and how to carry out their responsibilities as “agents” of the employer.
In 1984, in consultation with operations managers, Garry developed three training programs, “Better Supervision”, “Better Employee Relations”, and “Discipline – When & How”. He resigned from his job as an operations manager and moved forward with setting up Canscott Management Services Ltd., with his good friend and Scottish business associate, Bob Kyle (hence the name Canscott – a Canadian & a Scot). In addition to opportunities in Canada they also decided to seek opportunities in the UK. Consequently, for nearly five years Garry commuted between Vancouver and the UK to deliver training programs in both countries.
By 1990, demand for Canscott training continued to expand into the mining, forestry, pulp & paper, and other manufacturing sectors. To meet customer requirements, “The Industrial Supervisor” program was developed. More programs followed and many more clients began to rely on Canscott training to ensure their supervisors and managers had the knowledge and skills required to be effective.
Over the years, based on increasing demand, Canscott continued to expand across Canada and later into the United States.
Today, our clients continue to receive training that is in keeping with our core values and objectives of providing training that is directly useful to supervisors and managers to improve operational effectiveness. We remain a provider of high quality, specialized training programs focused on providing practical knowledge and skills. Our current clients come from a variety of sectors including, Mining, Forestry & Wood Products, Pulp & Paper, Oil & Gas, Road Construction, Manufacturing, Agriculture, Maintenance, Government, and Health Care. We provide training across Canada, and also in a number of States in the United States, including Wisconsin, Maine, South Carolina, Alabama and Mississippi.
As founder of Canscott Management Services Ltd, and after 31 years at the “helm” Garry is transitioning to retirement with his wife Lorraine. Garry remains available to provide support & guidance to Canscott as required, but will not be delivering any training programs.
