PCLConstruction Legend Bob Stollery Passes Away

EDMONTON, Alberta – The PCL family of companies regrets to announce that former company president, chief executive officer and chairman Bob Stollery passed away in Edmonton today after a lengthy battle with cancer. His family was by his side.

Bob Stollery began his illustrious career with Poole Construction in 1949 as a site engineer. His business savvy, dedication and leadership helped him become the Poole brothers most trusted advisor. Bob became president of Poole Construction in 1969. He is most recognized at PCL as being the key person who led the management buy-out of Poole Construction in 1977. The employee ownership model in the PCL family of companies today is regarded as one of the best in North America. Bob continued to have an active role in the organization until he was appointed to the honourary position of Director Emeritus on the PCL Construction Group Inc. Board in 2000.

Bob was also very well known in the communities he touched for his philanthropic efforts. Along with his wife Shirley, Bob was instrumental in forming the Stollery Children’s Hospital in Edmonton. This healthcare facility is known across the country for leading-edge treatment of sick children. The Stollery Executive Development Centre (University of Alberta School of Business) was made possible by a gift from Bob and Shirley in honour of the pioneer Stollery family. These are just two of the many generous endeavours the Stollerys have led in the Edmonton community.

“We are saddened today by the passing of our friend and the visionary behind what the PCL family of companies is today. Bob’s foresight, generosity and commitment to sharing paved the way for our employee ownership model that we believe makes us so successful,” said Ross Grieve, president and chief executive officer of the PCL family of companies. “He was also a quintessential business leader and generous community person. All of us at PCL who had the honour of working with him, meeting him or hearing him speak know how special he was. Bob Stollery was a great leader and builder.”

Bob was a director on many boards and was bestowed several awards during his life. Amongst the many forms of recognition that he received are honourary doctorates from four post-secondary institutions, the 1993 Canadian Business Leader of the Year, and a Paul Harris Fellow recognition from Rotary International. In 2001, Bob received the prestigious Order of Canada.

In recognition of the lifetime contributions of Robert (Bob) Stollery to the development of the PCL family of companies and his many contributions to the broader community, PCL Construction Group Inc. has endowed two perpetual scholarship programs in his honour at the University of Alberta: the Robert Stollery Academic Excellence Scholarships in Engineering in the Faculty of Engineering and the Robert Stollery Awards in Social Entrepreneurship in the Faculty of Business.

Donations in memory of Bob Stollery can be made to:

Stollery Children’s Hospital Foundation

#8401, 4th Floor Aberhart Centre
11402 University Ave
Edmonton, Alberta T6G 2J3

A memorial service will be held Tuesday, March 20^th at 2:00 pm at The Francis Winspear Centre for Music in Edmonton, Alberta.

More information on Mr. Stollery’s PCL career and community service is available below:

The PCL family of companies is the largest contracting organization in Canada and the tenth largest in the United States. The PCL family has major offices in twenty-seven locations across continental North America, the Hawaiian Islands and the Bahamas. More information on the PCL family of companies can be found in the Newsroom.

For further information, please contact:

Wade Wilson
Communications Specialist
PCL Constructors Inc.
Phone: (780) 435-9750
Email: wwilson@pcl.com