In 1882, Norman M. Paterson is born in Portage la Prairie, Manitoba.
Mr. and Mrs. Hugh Paterson and family, Norman M. Paterson on upper left.
Norman M. Paterson constructed his first grain elevator in 1912, known as elevator “K”. Elevator “K” was one of the very first hospital elevators in Canada.
In 1915 Norman M. Paterson purchased his first ship, a steamship called the D.R. Van Allen. This ship was used to haul off-grade grain to Paterson’s facility for drying.
In October of 1920, workers pose for a photograph during the construction of N.M. Paterson and Company's terminal in Thunder Bay, Ontario.
By 1925, Norman M. Paterson owned 97 grain elevators located across the country and had become one of the largest grain merchants in Canada.
Officers and Captains of Paterson Steamships in 1929, Toronto, Ontario
One of the few works of expansion during the Great Depression was the 1,700,000 grain bushel storage annex constructed at Fort William, Ontario in 1930.
Norman McLeod Paterson, at the time of his appointment to the Senate of Canada in 1940.
Paterson makes the transition from the grain business to the war effort. Norman M. Paterson made his company’s shipping fleet and crew available to the Government of Canada for use in hauling materials for the Second World War.
Norman M. Paterson’s business took a costly hit during the Second World War, losing 15 ships and 70 dedicated crewmen.
With the addition of Norman M. Paterson’s sons, John and Donald Paterson, the company adopted a new name – N.M. Paterson & Sons Limited.
By the mid 1950’s, N.M. Paterson & Sons Limited’s shipping fleet was the second largest sailing the Great Lakes of Canada. This remarkable feat of rebuilding was achieved only twelve short years after the ending of the Second World War.
By the mid 1950’s, N.M. Paterson & Sons Limited’s shipping fleet was the second largest sailing the Great Lakes of Canada. This remarkable feat of rebuilding was achieved only twelve short years after the ending of the Second World War.
In 1976, in Orkney, Saskatchewan, the Saskatchewan Wheat Pool announced it planned to shut down the town’s only grain elevator. The local farmers lined up to demonstrate their loyalty to N.M. Paterson & Sons Limited.
On August 11th, 1983, only eight days after his 100th birthday, Senator Norman M. Paterson died peacefully in his home in Ottawa, Ontario. Norman M. Paterson’s passing was a great loss to the Canadian business world, and the Mayor of Thunder Bay, Ontario expressed the thoughts of many Canadians in describing him as one of “the great captains of industry in this country.”
By 1984 N.M. Paterson & Sons Limited’s grain division was operating 78 country elevators located at 60 different locations across the Canadian prairies. The total combined storage capacity was 235,580 tonnes.
On April 18, 1985 the M.V. Paterson was launched. The M.V. Paterson had a total length of 736 feet, a beam of almost 76 feet and a shipping capacity of 32,350 tonnes. To this day, the M.V. Paterson remains the largest ship to ever navigate the Great Lakes Seaway.
In 1992, Norman M. Paterson’s grandson Andrew B. Paterson launched the first “Inland Export Terminal” in Indian Head, Saskatchewan. This revolutionary concept allowed for the cleaning of grain on the prairies rather than at seaport. Completion of this facility marked the beginning of Paterson’s consecutive construction of nine (9) separate inland export terminals, all of which are located at key locations across the Canadian prairies and each includes a minimum rail load out capability of 112 cars.
In 1998, N.M. Paterson & Sons Limited created its own trucking company, Truck Freight International, for the handling and transportation of bulk agriculture commodities. This photograph shows the first truck included in Truck Freight International’s fleet.
N.M. Paterson & Sons Limited continued to expand its presence across the Canadian prairies by constructing new, fully modernized inland grain terminals. In 1999, PTC Construction Ltd. (a subsidiary company of Paterson GlobalFoods Inc.) finished building N.M. Paterson & Sons Limited’s new Winnipeg inland export grain terminal located in Winnipeg, Manitoba.
With the leadership of Andrew B. Paterson, N.M. Paterson & Sons Limited branched into animal nutrition and opened a feed mill in Killarney, Manitoba in 2001. FeedMax Corp. specializes in the production of conventional and organic animal feed.
In 2003, NutraSun Foods Ltd., a Regina based flour mill, was acquired by N.M. Paterson & Sons Limited. NutraSun Foods Ltd. mills both organic and conventional flours for use in a variety of flour products including bakery mixes, dough conditioners and whole grain products.
Led by Andrew B. Paterson, as sole shareholder, the company shifted its focus in 2003 towards a bold and new direction; as a result, N.M. Paterson & Sons Limited completed the sale of its marine division to Canada Steamship Lines, a Canadian shipping company owned by the former Prime Minister of Canada, Mr. Paul Martin.
To reflect its presence in the global agri-business marketplace, N.M. Paterson & Sons Limited changed its name to Paterson GlobalFoods Inc. in 2005.
In 2007 Paterson GlobalFoods Inc. led the joint venture purchase of Alliance Grain Terminal Ltd., a 102,000 tonne capacity export grain terminal located on the south shore of the Burrard Inlet in the scenic Port of Vancouver. The facility serves as a strategic gateway for the export of Canadian grain into the Asia-Pacific market.
In 2008, PTC Construction Ltd. completed construction of a new 28,000 tonne inland export terminal in Assiniboia, Saskatchewan. This terminal is equipped with two separate receiving driveways and is fully capable of loading a 130 car unit train in less than 8 hours.
In 2010, PTC Construction Ltd. started construction on NutraGro’s new state-of-the-art high volume fertilizer distribution center located in Winnipeg, Manitoba. The facility incorporates a 130 car rail loop track design and serves as a high volume distribution outlet for top-rated fertilizer manufacturers across North America.
PTC Construction Ltd. completed the construction of Paterson Grain's Long Plain inland export terminal in Gleichen, Alberta. This facility features an innovative 134 car rail loop track design which allows for the fastest train loading times ever seen on the Canadian prairies.
In 2012, PTC Construction Ltd. built two separate large scale expansion projects. The Killarney, Manitoba and Dunmore, Alberta terminals each received the addition of four large steel grain storage tanks which increased the storage capacity of each terminal by over 32,000 tonnes.
In time for the bountiful Fall harvest of 2013, PTC Construction Ltd. completed construction of flat storage infrastructure at Paterson Grain’s terminal locations in Morris, Manitoba and Winnipeg, Manitoba.
In 2014, PTC Construction Ltd. began construction of a state of the art fertilizer distribution centre at Paterson Grain's farm services centre in Swift Current, Saskatchewan. In addition, Paterson Grain's Winnipeg inland export terminal completed the construction of its second flat storage site, providing 40,000 tonnes of additional storage capacity.
Paterson Grain began an expansion project at its terminal in Assiniboia, Saskatchewan, increasing capacity by over 28,000 tonnes. In addition, Paterson Grain opened its doors to Swift Current farm services facility's new fertilizer distribution centre. PTC Construction Ltd. began NutraGro's expansion of its fertilizer plant in Winnipeg, Manitoba, which includes a second load-out line and 20,000 tonnes of additional storage capacity.
Paterson Grain announced plans to build inland export terminals in Daysland, Alberta and Bowden, Alberta. The two facilities will feature 55,000 tonnes of storage capacity and an innovative 150-car loop track design. In addition to the terminal announcements, NutraGro completed the fertilizer expansion in Winnipeg and Paterson Grain began the construction of its new farm services center in Melita, Manitoba.
Completed construction of Paterson Grain's Flagstaff inland export terminal located in Daysland, Alberta. With storage capacity of over 55,000 metric tonnes, the new facility will utilize a highly efficient loop track system, which has become a customary feature in Paterson’s newest grain terminals. As the first in the industry to utilize the loop track design, Paterson has been able to minimize train loading times, setting new benchmarks at its two loop track sites.
Completed construction of Paterson Grain's Foothills inland export terminal located in Bowden, Alberta. With storage capacity of over 55,000 metric tonnes, the new facility utilizes a highly efficient 150 car train loop track capable of loading a full unit train in 8 hours. The facility can ship 75,000 bushels per hour, clean 8,800 bushels per hour, and receive 32 Super B trucks per hour. In addition, the terminal also includes two fully independent receiving lanes and is able to receive different commodities from each driveway without interrupting shipping operations.
Paterson Grain began an expansion project at its terminal in Morris, Manitoba, reducing loading times by over 50% with the installation of one of the largest capacity bucket elevators in operation. In addition, PTC Construction Ltd. began expansion at Paterson Grain’s terminal in Binscarth, Manitoba, increasing rail car capacity and constructing new fertilizer and bulk seed facilities.
PGF began detailed planning for its world class oat processing facility located on PGF’s 1700 acre property in North Winnipeg. O Foods Ltd. will process up to 250,000 metric tonnes of North American oats once completed in 2022. The site has superior logistics presently served by the CN, CP and BNSF railways as well as many major trucking firms, allowing O Foods to market its products to the entire continent of North America.
Paterson Grain began major upgrades to its terminal facilities in Dunmore, Alberta and Winnipeg, Manitoba. Additionally Paterson Grain completed a large scale chemical distribution centre in Dunmore, Alberta and completed major rail expansion projects which increased railcar loading capability to 150 railcars in a single shift at its locations in Swift Current and Assiniboia, Saskatchewan as well as Dunmore, Alberta.
Paterson GlobalFoods announces the purchase of the former Pipeline Foods Bowbells, North Dakota facility. The new Paterson Grain facility will be known as St Mary Terminal. According to President and CEO Andrew Paterson, “North Dakota is a significant agricultural center and the addition of the St Mary Terminal in Bowbells will expand our presence in North Dakota beyond our Turtle Mountain Terminal in Bottineau.”
Paterson GlobalFoods launches its subsidiary O Foods, one of Canada‘s largest oat mills. Read Press Release Here
