Donald Savoie On John Bragg – Blueberry Baron And ‘Pac-Man’ Of The Maritime Cable Industry
John Bragg got his entrepreneurial start as a teenager in the blueberry business. He quit law school because he decided he was meant to be a businessman, not a lawyer, and started off down a path that led to the creation of Oxford Frozen Foods and the telecommunications company Eastlink, both headquartered in Nova Scotia.
Bragg is one of the Maritimes business titans that have inspired books by Donald Savoie, who joins David Campbell and Don Mills on the “Insights” podcast this week to talk about The Rural Entrepreneur: John Bragg.
Savoie, the author of 53 books on the Atlantic Canadian economy and its entrepreneurs, also wrote Harrison McCain: Single-Minded Purpose and “Thanks For The Business” – the story of K.C. Irving, Arthur Irving and Irving Oil. Savoie appeared on the “Home Office” podcast in 2020 to chat about that book.
Podcast: Donald Savoie On Why Irving Oil Is, And Always Has Been, An Underdog
Mills and Campbell talk to Savoie about Bragg’s entrepreneurial journey and the state of the Maritime economy. Savoie is optimistic about the region’s growth prospects, which he says relies on the success of entrepreneurs like Bragg.
“Our region is poised to do something good,” says Savoie. “I do think, however, that the only way we’re going to do something really good is through the entrepreneur, the local guy or gal that wants to start an [business] and grow like Harrison McCain did; like K.C. Irving did; like John Bragg does. And what I find quite encouraging is I see a number of young John Braggs floating around. And so I think the future looks promising.”
You can listen to their conversation in the player above or search for “Huddle Insights” on a podcast platform like Apple or Spotify. Follow the show and never miss an episode. You can also listen to past episodes on those platforms, including conversations with John Bragg and his son Lee Bragg.
The “Insights” podcast combines the experiences of an economist, David Campbell, and a social scientist, Don Mills, to explore the challenges and opportunities facing Atlantic Canada, to promote data-driven decision-making among policymakers, and to encourage a wider dialogue and debate leading to greater prosperity for the region.