Leonard Omstead
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Leonard H. Omstead | |
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| Born | 1930 Wheatley, Ontario, Canada |
| Occupation | Businessman |
| Years active | 1961–1984 |
| Employer | Omstead Foods Ltd. |
| Known for | Co-founder, President, and former owner of Omstead Foods Ltd. |
| Parent(s) | Leonard Roy Omstead and Mabel Omstead |
| Relatives | Everett H. Omstead (grandfather) |
Leonard H. Omstead (born 1930) is a Canadian retired president, co-founder, and former owner of Omstead Foods Ltd of Wheatley, Ontario. In the 1970s and the 1980s, the company employed hundreds of people from southwestern Ontario and its products were shipped across Canada, the United States, Latin America, Europe and Japan. Leonard Omstead, like his grandfather Everett, had the largest fishery in Wheatley before it was sold to John Labatt Ltd. of London, Ontario in 1984. Today, Omstead is a civic leader in Ontario's Essex-Kent.
Biography
Born in 1930 in the village of Wheatley, Ontario, Leonard H. Omstead is the son of Leonard Roy and Mabel Omstead.[1] His grandfather Everett H. Omstead[2] was a descendent of early settlers in Essex County and the founder of the Omstead Fishery in 1911. Everett and his son Leonard Roy, president of Omstead's Foods, were the first on the North Shore of Lake Erie to attempt to "fillet" fish. Later, Leonard Roy was responsible for initiating and introducing trawling for smelt in the Great Lakes after speaking at the Fisheries Research Board of Canada that funded and built a stern trawler ("Leo d'Or") to kick-start the program. Then, Everett's grandson Leonard H. Omstead went on to develop a modern food processing plant under the brand of Omstead Foods Limited (1961).[3]
Before the Second World War, half of the Wheatley population worked in the fishing industry, and the largest of the fisheries was owned by Everett Omstead with three pound-net fisheries, four grill-net fisheries, and a fleet of six modern boats. He also conducted a large-scale warehouse and retail business.[4] In the early days of commercial fishing in Wheatley the pioneers were: Everett H. Omstead; George and Enoch McLean; T.H. Maxwell; Issac Shaw; LaMarsh Brothers; Josh Liddle; Moody and Coulson, A. E. Crewe; John W. Bailey; Adolphus N. Baldwin; and many others.[5]
In 1942, the height of World War II, Leonard's grandfather Everett, died aged 56 when most of the male population in Wheatley either left for overseas or were about to leave. This acute shortage of manpower forced 12-year-old Leonard to work alongside his family's employees at Omstead Fishery during the war.[6]
Later, he attended St. Andrew College and H.B. Beal Technical School in London, Ontario, majoring in electrical science.
Innovation and diversification
The company went on to purchase a tandem dual truck that carried twenty thousand pounds of mink feed. The deliveries of mink feed and fresh fish throughout Michigan, Ohio, Wisconsin, New York, and Ontario fell on Leonard, who enjoyed the driving despite the difficulties encountered on the road, bad weather, and a variety of unexpected obstacles that awaited him, including the time "he couldn't collect on his sales", but came home with an idea of introducing the process of filleting.[7] From a truck driver, Leonard worked his way up to sales and quickly learned other facets of the Omstead Fisheries operations and processes.[7] The firm sold breaded and battered fish portions of many species from the fresh waters of Lake Erie all across A&P stores, then opening across Ontario, Canada and beyond.[7] Later on, when other chains got the word of "Omstead's great product," they wanted to cash in. Not to jeopardize the good relationship with A&P, Leonard and his family members decided to develop different trademarks for the different chains.[7]
Omstead Foods Ltd
In 1984, Omstead Foods Ltd.[8] was sold to John Labatt Ltd. of London (Ontario), and over the following two decades, more ownership changes took place, H.J. Heinz, TriWest Capital Partners, and other.[7] However, Leonard H. Omstead retired at 54 years of age as a successful corporate executive and former owner of a multi-million dollar fishery.
But during its heyday, the brand names included Wheatley, Sportsman, W Brand, Omstead Foods, and Leo d'Or labels.[8]
In 1951, when the future Queen of England, Princess Elizabeth, was visiting Canada with her husband, a chef was rummaging in his mind what to serve the royal couple during their stopover in Toronto. Then, remembering the Omstead's reputation of being the first to "fillet" fish, he immediately "ordered 320 kilograms of fresh fillets from Wheatley Fisheries."[7]
On 2 May 1971, the 26th Annual Meeting of the Fisheries Council of Canada, held at Chateau Laurier in Ottawa, 40-year-old Leonard Omstead, vice-president of sales of Omstead Fisheries (1961) Ltd., was elected its president.[9]
In 1979, when Leonard became the company president and his father (Leonard Roy) chairman of the board, they decided to build a plant in Port Dover and expand the cook room by adding two cooking lines. That helped the company expand.
Recognition
Fifteen years later, Leonard Omstead, as President and Chief Executive Officer of Omstead Foods Limited, was invited to the Standing Senate Committee on Agriculture and Fisheries and Forestry by Honourable Senator Jack Marshall at the Parliament of Canada in Ottawa in 1986. He was personally introduced by Marshall to other senators for the work his family did to develop the Lake Erie freshwater fishing industry in Canada that was being hailed the world over as the largest and most efficiently run.[10] At the height of Omstead Foods Limited, Leonard recalls that they had a 125,000 square foot refrigerated warehouse and a fleet of more than two dozen refrigerated trucks.[8]
References
- ↑ "Obituary information for Mabel Omstead".
- ↑ "Everett H. Omstead - Ancestry®".
- ↑ Temelini, Walter (18 July 2019). The Leamington Italian Community: Ethnicity and Identity in Canada. McGill-Queen's Press - MQUP. p. 220. ISBN 978-0-7735-5585-3.
- ↑ Lobzun, pp 8-9.
- ↑ Lobzun
- ↑ Kennedy, W A. A HISTORY OF COMMERCIAL FISHING IN INLAND CANADA (Including Appendlcel wltb Additional Hlstorlcal Material) (PDF). London, Ontario: Fisheries Research Board of Canada. Retrieved 14 September 2025. p.34
- ↑ 7.0 7.1 7.2 7.3 7.4 7.5 Cornies, Larry (19 June 2020). "Cornies: Omstead name may be fading, but Wheatley food family's impact undeniable". London Free Press. Retrieved 14 September 2025.
- ↑ 8.0 8.1 8.2 Frozen Food Factbook and Directory. National Frozen Food Association. 1982.
- ↑ "Canadian Shipping and Marine Engineering". 1970.
- ↑ Délibérations Du Comité Sénatorial Permanent de L'agriculture, Des Pêches Et Des Forêts (in français). Canada Parliament Senate Standing Committee on Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry. 1984.
External links
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