Family matters at the 2024 Rod Senft Family Business Conference

“A community icon, a brilliant business leader, one of the most unbelievably strategic minds I’ve ever met, a mentor, and a friend,” said Rick Duha [BComm(Hons)/82] of Mark Dufresne [BComm(Hons)/88].

When Duha introduced Dufresne as the keynote speaker for the 2024 Rod Senft Family Business Conference, he was quick to point out what has made Dufresne a winning business leader. Duha noted Dufresne’s penchant for strategy, his willingness to dream big, and his ability to make things happen have all put him in the “winning column” as long-time CEO of The Dufresne Group (TDG).

But the first thing Duha really identified as key to Dufresne’s success was a table close to the front of the stage, a table that Dufresne himself takes a moment to acknowledge at the top of his keynote.

Gesturing toward familiar faces in the front row, Duha invited the Dufresne family to keep Mark in line, while later Dufresne himself welcomed his brothers, daughters, nieces, and wife to chime in and share their insights, noting their involvement in the success of TDG and how many of them shared his Asper School of Business alma mater.

“I absolutely love family businesses,” Dufresne begins. “What’s most important in life? For us, it’s family, and if you mix family and business, well, you have a winning formula.

“This is our story,” he said.

As Dufresne delved into his impressive career journey interwoven with the advancement of TDG from a seven-employee operation to a corporate umbrella that spans every Canadian province with over 225 storefronts, it became clear why Duha’s introduction to Mark Dufresne began with an introduction to the Dufresne family.

While Dufresne has his own success story, he understands the success of the family business TDG to be collective, shared—’our story,’ not just his story.

At the Rod Senft Family Business Conference, success is measured less in individual achievement and more in the communities of support, shared missions, value systems, collective contributions, and connections established in the family and beyond.

An annual event that brings together industry and academic expertise, the 2024 Rod Senft Family Business Conference took place on Wednesday, September 25, attended by leaders in the Manitoba family business ecosystem and presented by the Asper School of Business in partnership with the Stu Clark Centre for Entrepreneurship.

Named for accomplished entrepreneur, investor, and philanthropist Rod Senft [BComm/67, LLB/70], the conference reflects Senft’s passionate support of family business and advocacy for the importance of family enterprise within the Canadian economy.

Each year, the event is possible thanks to the dedicated communities of alumni, donors, and business community members who share the Asper School of Business’ mission of providing exceptional business education and advancing cutting-edge research, tailored to Manitoba’s unique business landscape and applicable around the world.

Bruno Silvestre, Dean of the Asper School of Business and CPA Manitoba Chair in Business Leadership, comments on the many minds that made the event possible.

“If family enterprise teaches us anything about success in business, it is that connections are key and that no one succeeds in business alone. I am so grateful to leaders like Rod Senft for establishing and supporting this incredible event, and to the Dean’s Advisory Board, comprised of Grant Cockshott, Rick Duha, and Mark Dufresne, who were instrumental in designing this year’s conference.

“Your contributions, insights, mentorship, and stories enrich our communities and inspire the next generation of business leaders in family enterprise and beyond,” said Silvestre.

In his keynote, Dufresne, an Asper School of Business alum, shared stories of growing up in a blue-collar family near Kenora, Ontario, explaining that his family always emphasized the importance of education. He even recalled presenting the Dufresne business plans to his family in the basement of the Drake Centre in 1986 before he returned to the business in 1992 after completing his studies. After graduating from the Asper School in 1988, he earned his CPA designation while working at KPMG.

Beyond Dufresne’s keynote, conference attendees took in powerful sessions from Estelle Métayer (President, Competia), discussing proper planning and social media monitoring, from Evelyn Jacks (Founder & President, Knowledge Bureau) and Larry Forstiak (Founding Partner, Frostiak & Leslie Chartered Professional Accountants Inc.), presenting the impacts of changing capital gains rules on family enterprise, and from Lukas Neville, (Associate Professor of Organizational Behaviour, Asper School of Business), leading participants through an interactive session on conflict best practices.

At the Senft Family Business Conference, presentations become exchanges as influential leaders named in the program have a chance to connect with influential leaders in the audience, each with their own wealth of experience, insights, and contributions to offer.

Near the end of his address, Dufresne explained “the power of a leader is the ability to be resourceful.” Each year the Senft Family Business Conference demonstrates just how resource-rich the business community of Manitoba is: a community of passionate leaders with a drive to give back, to teach, to learn, and to connect.

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The Stu Clark Centre for Entrepreneurship brings insights from the business community and entrepreneurial expertise to the Drake Centre for all UM students to inspire the next generation of entrepreneurs. With a range of services and resources to help students, faculty, and alumni turn their ideas into successful businesses, there’s something for everyone at the Stu Clark Centre. Learn more here, and read more about the 2024 Rod Senft Family Business Conference here.

Emily Wilson