a passion for people and - university of alberta · a passion for people and. alberta school of...
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� ALBertA School of bUSINeSS • spring/summer 2006
a passion for people and
ALBertA School of bUSINeSS • spring/summer 20 0 6 9
cliff lede, ’79 bcom, personifies passion: passion for people and
passion for finding poetry in all that he now does. poetry comes in
many forms he says: words, nature, music, architecture, wine, art, the
perfect morning run, to name but a few. it is a quality that stirs the
imagination; a quality of spontaneity and grace. and this is very much
what he has created in napa Valley, both figuratively and literally,
since buying a vineyard in 2002.
Alumni profile B y M o n i C A W e G n e r
10 ALBertA School of bUSINeSS • spring/summer 2006
Cliff ’sphilosophyremainstohirethebestandthebrightest,andhisteamincludesMichelleEdwards,atalentedUCDavis-educatedwine-maker;France’sfamedconsultantMichelRolland;andthemuch-reveredDavidAbreuwhomanagesthevineyards.AllhaveplayedanintegralroleinintroducingCliff ’struelove,Bordeaux,tothevineyard’sofferings.
Havingbeeninvolvedinafamilybusinesshasalsoprovenvaluablegiventhehighpercentageofvineyardsthatarefamilyrun.Hisfamilyandfriendshaveclearlybeenastronginfluenceandremainapriority.Oneofthebestthingsabouthisdaysatbusinessschoolheaddsweremeetingtwolife-longfriendsthere,AllanSawin,’77BCom,andhiswifeSally(neeBaldwin),’78BCom.
Cliff ’srelationshipwithwinebeganearlywhenasakidheraidedhismother’shomemadewinestoredinthebasement.Heremainsveryclosetohismother,anindependentwomanofgreatstrength,whostillresidesinLeduc.CliffandhisbrotherDave,’70BCom,wereatthehelmofEdmonton-foundedandVancouver-basedLedcorIndustriesforover25years,overseeingitsgrowthintooneofNorthAmerica’smostsuccessfulandrespectedconstructioncompanies.Recognizingeachother’sstrengths,healthycompetitionbetweenthetwobrothers,andthefactthattheywereoppositesarewhatallowedthemtosucceed,survive,andthriveinbusinesssaysCliff.Despiterelinquishinghisroleaspresident,theystillspeakalmostdaily.
Cliff ’simmediatefamily,ofwhomheisbothproudandprotective,includeshiswifeCheryl,histrue“partnerinwine,”twochildrenfromhisfirstmarriage,Cheryl’sson,andachildhejustrecentlydiscoveredhefathered30yearsago.ThegenepoolisaninterestingthingsharesCliffreflectively.“Thisyoungwomanalsoearnedherbusinessdegree,wentofftoexploreEurope,fellinlove,gotmarried,livedoverseassince,andisnowasuccessfulbusinesswoman.”Aself-describedfreespirit,thismayverywellhavebeenthepathClifftookasayoungsterhaditnotbeenforthetragicdeathofhisfatherwhenCliffwasjust24.
Poetryisboththenameofhisflagshipwineandthenameofthedreamyandluxuriousrestoredinn,aptlynamed
PoetryInn,andbothstirtheimagination.The2002Poetryisarich,opulentwine,whichisdrinkingincrediblywellnowbutwitha20-yearcellarpotential.ThePoetryInn,theonlypublicaccommodationintheexquisiteStagsLeapDistrict,openedinMay2005andwasfeaturedintheJune2006issueofArchitecturalDigestmagazine.SurprisedthatthenamePoetrywasstillavailableforawine,itwasyetanothersignalthatpoetrywasmeanttobe.“Thereispoetryineverythinginthisvalley”saysCliff,“andwewantthatfeelingtopervadethisplace.”
Poetryisnotthenameofthewineryhowever.CliffLedeVineyardsisthenewnameofwhatwasS.AndersonVineyard,afamily-ownedproducerofstillandsparklingwineestablishedin1971.Havingthevineyardnamedafterhimwasclearlynothisfirstchoicegivenhisteamapproachtobusiness,buthewasconvincedbyhisteamthatitwasthewaytogo.Visitorstovineyardsliketoknowwhotheproprietorisandtomeethimifatallpossible,andCliffmaylovethismostofall.Asthelong-timepresidentofLedcorIndustries,“theconstructionbusinesswasgreatpreparationforthewinebusiness”saysCliff.“Bothareverymuchapeoplebusiness.”
C l i f f L e d e V i n e y a r d s
Napa Valley…“
a place where the soil has
sublimated under the sun
and stars to something
finer, and the wine is
bottled poetry.”
Robert Louis Stevenson, 1883.
ALBertA School of bUSINeSS • spring/summer 20 0 6 11
“There is poetry in everything in this valleyand we want that feeling to pervade this place.”
Cliff Lede
1� ALBertA School of bUSINeSS • spring/summer 2006
Alumni profile
raise.Oneofhisfavouritehigh-schoolactivitieswashangingoutatthepoolhall,butbeforehecouldgohisfatherwouldmakehimspendonehourworkingwithhimattwoofhispassions:gardeningorcarpentry.“Ihatedthemboth,”Cliffrecalls,buttreasurestheconversationstheywereabletoshare.Whenaskedabouthisfirstflirtationwithentrepreneurship,hesmilesandsays,“IthinkitmighthavebeenwhenIwashigh-schoolpresidentandwebroughtinbandsfordances…wealwaysmademoney.”
Today,afather’spassionsmayverywellbewhatfueledhisson’s.Carpentryisverymuchthefoundationoftheconstruc-tionbusiness,theCliffLedeVineyardisindeedagardeninparadise,andpeopleareverymuchattheheartofboth.Andwhileonemightassumethatthismaybethetimeandtheplacehetakesawell-earnedbreakandenjoysthefruitsofhislabour,Cliffwithatwinkleinhiseyesays,“Well,Ican’tannounceitofficially…”asheenthusiasticallydiscusseshisnextnewventure.AproudfatherBillwouldbe.
Fromamodestbeginningin1947,fatherBillLedeestablishedthecompanythenknownasLeducConstructionCo.Ltd.Acquiringthecompany’sfirstcrawlertractor,thecompany’sentryintotheconstructionindustrywasahistoricone:buildingtheaccessroadandwellsiteforImperialOil’sfamousdiscoveryoilwell,LeducNo.1.In1968,hewaselectedmayorandservedasmayorofLeducfor12years.“Noonewouldrunagainsthim”saysCliff,“hewassowellrespected.”
In1980,theinconceivablehappenedandBillwaskilledonthejob–hewasburiedalivewhenthefaceofa20-metre-highpileofgravelfellonhim.“Icertainlygrewupthatday”Cliffrecallsbothsomberlyanddistantly.“Weweretherewhenithappened.WedughimoutofthegravelpileandthenwenthometotellMomthatDadwasdead”.
Inadditiontobeingbotharealistandafreespirit,Cliffalsodescribeshimselfasanon-conformist;andperhapsthemostchallengingofthefoursiblingsto
Poetry Inn: “a microclimate
of luxury where slippers
magically appear beside your
bed, the pillow is preordered
to your specifications, and
killer views from your private
entrance lull you into believing
that the entire Napa Valley is
yours and that you are the only
one with the key.”
Architectural Digest, June 2006