Village Squire, 1979-01, Page 19PROFILE
Sam McGregor
has warm ideas
BY FRANCES BARRICK
Sam MacGregor is a man for all seasons.
He is not only Bruce county's largest
developer, but the originator of the idea to
use waste hot water from the Bruce nuclear
power development to heat greenhouses
and other spin-off agricultural industries.
He even dabbled in politics, when he ran
unsuccessfully for provincial parliament in
1977.
Owner of the development firm Huron
Ridge Ltd. in Kincardine, and part-owner
of two other companies, South Bryce
Development Ltd. and Sutton Park
Holdings Ltd., Sam admits he has come
a long way from the days of his hot dog
stand in 1960, when he started his tourist
business.
Dressed casually in a bulky white and
grey pullover and grey dress slacks, and
sitting back in a modern brown leather sofa
in his wood -panelled office, Sam recounts
in an interview his progress in the business
world.
Born in Stratford, Sam, 45, said he
recognized the enormous tourist resource
in Bruce, when he spent his boyhood
summers on his grandparents farm in
Hiron township, south of Kincardine.
With three years of high school as the
extent of his formal education, he said, "I
learned about life from pragmatic parents
and learned about industry from highly
competent tradesmen."
He worked for a number of years as an
electrician in Stratford, then in 1960 he
came to Kincardine to start his tourist
business.
From 1960 to 1965 he operated a trailer
peak, roller skating rink and miniature golf
course, while at the same time he worked
as an electrician for Ontario Hydro at the
Douglas Point generating station.
It was during his employment with
Hydro. that the potential waste heat use
recovery came to his attention. He left
Hydro in 1965, and started developing
Huron Ridge. as a summer retirement
subdivision.
In 1968 Hydro "announced construction
plans of the Bruce (nuclear plant) and it
became obvious the needs of the
community would change from a resort
retirement to a volatile community," he
said.
16 Village Squire. January 1979
"So we then changed the plans of Huron
Ridge...and put it into a permanent
development concept."
It took about three years to develop the
217 single family unit subdivision in the
north end of town, he said.
As the need for development increased,
Sam over the years developed Sutton Park
Mall and Inn and a total of three '
subdivisions in and around Kincardine.
Without knowing exact dollar figures, he
estimates he has "millions in assets and
probably that much in liabilities."
"I have done well," said Sam.
And he attributes his success to the
presence of the power project. "It provided
the climate for growth and development."
Barry Schmidt, part-owner and general
manager of Huron Ridge, said about Sam.
"He is very energetic and ambitious. He is
not afraid to take a chance...probably a
mark of a good developer."
In 1975, Sam began to develop his
Kincardine greenhouse idea.
And now his proposal is one of 26 that
was expected to go before the provincial
cabinet in December, with a statement
expected on the project in January.
One can tell as Sam pours over drawings
and flips through briefs, that the potential
use of thermal power is his pet project. He
said his three part proposal is a definitive
plan that will take the "project from A to
Z"
Because of the limited ability of his
company, Sam said he "devised a strategy
that would allow our input as a catalyst
group working with the government to
convince the private sector of the
investment possibilities."
The first phase is a prototype one -acre
greenhouse development, which will use
the 105 degrees Fahrenheit water, a
byproduct of nuclear power production.
The cost to operate and monitor the
experimental greenhouse is about $1
pillion.
The one -acre will then evolve into a
130 -acre greenhouse development for
between $25 to $30 million.
The last phase consists of raising the
temperature of the hot water to 250
degrees Fahrenheit to fuel other industries
such as distilleries and breweries. The
price tag for this phase will be hundreds of
nillions of dollars, he said.
"If we were the only firm who will
undertake the full application, then we
will. But we would much prefer to see a
large and more secure corporation with
better' expertise be convinced of the
opportunities and the need (for thermal
power)", he said.
"The important thing is it is done, not
who does it,"
Sam said the greenhouse project will
stabilize the county's economy once the
power project ends
The county is expected to face a
$50 -million -a -year loss in salaries as
employment at the -plant drops from its
peak of 8.300 to about 3,500 full-time jobs
in about 1985.
"I agree the economy around the power
plant will be depressed if nothing is done,"
he said.
'What it (the county) doesn't need isreed is
rnetoric. It needs action."
And Sam believes Ontario's future lies
with the development of thermal power.
"The successful implementation of
thermal power can provide a resolution to
the energy cost dilemna in the province."
he said.
Commenting on his attempt to win a
provincial seat in the 1977 election, Sam
said he "committed political suicide."
He ran as a Conservative candidate
against incumbent Liberal Murray Gaunt
on the conviction "that the riding on
Huron -Bruce held specific answers to the
economy of the province."
Concerning his future plans. he said his
decision to stay in Kincardine will depend
on the development of thermal power. "1
will stay if the community continues to be
progressive."
He added he is looking at development
prospects in Alberta and Florida.
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