North Shore Neos AFFLUENCE ae \NFLUENCE WOMAN OF STE “9 - Sunday, November 26 , 1989 - photo Noil Lucente Known by many as the woman who develaped B.C. Zearing Engineers from a single Vancouver branch to the international presence it is today, Wendy McDonald -- nee Stoker — is better known by some oldtime North Shore residents as the girl who grew up on Stoker Farm at 29th and Lonsdale. Contemporary Soviet Artists “Harringion’s inaugural show is a tribute to the chansing face of Europe and those artists whe for so long have dedicated their very souls to the silent revolution.” EL .C. Bearing Engineers Lta.’s sumptuous new head office and warehouse on the banks of the Fraser River run, appropriately, like well-oiled machinery. But the atmosphere is by no means anonymous or mechanica!; evident throughout the operation are the personal trademarks of B.C, Bearing’s chairman and CEO, Wendy McDonald: from the stun- ning native art on the walls 4. ihe twe poodles who follow her faithfully around the building. B.C. Bearing’s queen bee incar- nate comprises a curious com- bination of steely purpose, seem- ingly unlimited drive and fierce maternal instincts. While ‘maternal’? may seem an unusual adjective to use in re- ferring to any aspect of this largely male-dominated industry, in this family-owned company, five of the senior managers call McDonald “mom,” to some of the staff she is “grandma,” and at least ont personal assistant refers to her af- fectionately as ‘Mrs. Mac.” Indeed, it is largely because of her children that this North Van- couver resident built the business from a single Vancouver branch in 1935 to the inteznational, 34-outlet distributor of bearings, power transmission components and other industrial products that it is today. Widowed at an early age when company founder R. MacPherson crashed in his private plane in 1950, McDonald was left with four children and the experience she had gained running the company when her husband had heen away at war. While the full-time demands of motherhood would have pro- hibited many women from even ! considering entering the paid workforce, it was the need to pro- vide for her children that prompted McDonald io do so. \ road service \ e / - With your collision \eo" overage! How? Call us and qualify for Royal Insurance on collision & com- an Michele Davies ee prehensive coverage. You get com- petitive rates (sometimes lower) and emergency road service at NO EXTRA COST! BONUS: For $20 a year you can get Comeand oxperionce a unique showing on world class art at Canada’s newest major gallery, Pride crecurs biaaponiincn Harrington Galleries bt. het dd Nameouter Brotish Cohunbur Ved, 203 West Georgie Strout iedlepbone too bias s ase barsimite coins’ Tal? 759 Jean Gordon (outside entrance) coverage for rental cars for anywhere in Canada and the United States. FOR ALL YOUR INSURANCE, NEEDS Park Royal North 922-9321 B.C. Bearing Engineers’ Wendy McDonaid “There were pesple who wanted te buy me out,” she reca!ls now. “But by that time [ had four kids, the youngest being two months, and { thought ‘to heck with it, Vil try it.’ When you're that young, you don’t know what the pitfalls are, you just crash in and there you are.” So began McDonald’s reign of what can now unblushingly be termed her empire. Along the way she battled an attempted company takeover — “Il had a heck of a fight on my hands’ -- survived the deaths of a second and third husband, expanded her business to the United States and Singapore “and raised a total of 10 chitdren. The fruits of her labor are evi- dent in her corporate success and her closely-knit family. Five children are senior managers, and, like their parents before them, grandchildren are starting to ap- Prentice during the summertime and other school holidays. Other than the office, another popular meeting spot for all her relatives is the cluster of six family homes at Halfmoon Bay on the Sunshine Coast: ‘‘ti’s great during the summer. It’s the way | get to know the grandchildren, and it’s the way | get to know my own children, too.” Her accomplishments to date would certainly allow McDonald to rest cn her faurels. But she is -~ characteristicaliy — now focusing on her company’s future in the U.S. market and has surrounded herself with commit- ments that include being senior vice-chairman of the Vancouver Board of Trade and participant on the International Trade Advisory Con:mitiee. Would McDonald agree that, in light of her accomplishments, she is an amazing woman? “Oh, | guess so,” she says offhandedly. “You just do what you’ve got to.” - Peggy Trendell-Whittaker For Christmas ~~ A conversation piece. the lady $1498” herdog 9110 her dog ; Gallery Shop 750 Hornby St. 682-2765 Open 7 Days Thursday til 9pm