Ted Rogers: A Life Unconquerable

May 27 marks the 80^th anniversary of the birth of Ted Rogers, namesake of the Ted Rogers School of Management at Ryerson University. Arbitrage Magazine explores the years of his remarkable life.

Viviane Fairbank, Staff Writer

Image courtesy of economicclub.ca

Ted Rogers had always taken pride in his pace of action. In his aptly named autobiography, Relentless, he wrote, “I love speed. I’ve always had the drive the get things done.”

[pullquote]The only thing he continuously postponed, in fact, was his death.[/pullquote]

Outliving both his parents, and doubling his father’s age, the Toronto-born founder of Rogers Communications Inc. was determined to stay alive as long as possible in order to secure his business legacy — and he had the means to do so.

In 2007, Rogers was named the second richest man in Canada by the Canadian Business magazine. He had a net worth of $7.6 billion.

His influence on Canadian business, on the other hand, was much greater. In 1991, Rogers was made an officer of the Order of Canada. A few years later, he was introduced into the Canadian Business Hall of Fame. Throughout his life, Rogers received eight honorary doctorates from North American universities.

Rogers, a tall man with greying blond hair and a pale complexion, quickly grew a reputation after buying CHFI, Canada’s first FM radio station, in 1960. By the end of his life, though he was physically more frail, Rogers’ influence was undeniable.

The Ted Rogers School of Management, named after Rogers following a $15 million donation, owes its success to the brand of Rogers’ name. Adam Kahan, vice-president of university advancement, explains that Rogers’ name on the building had a huge impact on the school’s recognition.

“I remember Sheldon Levy [Ryerson’s president] and I went to see Ted to begin the discussion about whether he would consider naming the business school,” says Kahan. “In the taxi, I asked [Levy], ‘How much money should we offer him to help him give his name?’ In reality, he was giving us the money, but both of us recognized that he was considered to be one of the best entrepreneurs in Canada.”

The money donated by Rogers and his wife Loretta allowed for many scholarships at the undergraduate and graduate levels, both at Ryerson and at the University of Toronto.

Much of Rogers’ philanthropic work alongside his wife has been focused towards students. The couple donated tens of millions of dollars toward education, including the institutions that their children, Edward, Lisa, Melinda, and Martha, attended. Rogers wrote in his autobiography, “I can think of few things worse than good minds not developing to their full potential because of economic reasons.”

Kahan, who worked alongside Rogers for several years during the establishment of the school of management, remembers the enthusiasm with which Rogers spoke to young students.

“During the awards ceremony, each student would present his or her research, and often [Rogers] would bring his executives. He would turn to them and say, ‘You better hire that guy, hire that girl.’ He was always looking for opportunities. We would bring students to meet him and Loretta and that would be the best part of the event for him.”

Even when students were not presenting research, Rogers was well known for always being on the go. In a famous quote, former Ontario lieutenant-governor Hal Jackman described his old classmate: “Ted is not laid back,” he said.

Kahan says he’s never seen Rogers stop working, even when they were in the elevator. “He was a completely driven person for success, for outcomes and for involvement. Every time I was with him and other people, he would always ask them whether they use Rogers service.”

Rogers never let his success — or his failures — get to him. Often, Rogers was criticized for his managing of debt and his heavy risk taking, admitting himself at times that he should be more careful. Caroline Van Hasselt, in her book, Ted Rogers and the Empire That Debt Built, condemned Rogers’ business practices, noting: “Debt has never been the hallmark of a great leader.”

Rogers affirmed, however, that “If you haven’t got problems, you haven’t lived right; you haven’t tried enough.”

“I’d say I was bloody lucky,” he wrote.

Despite his luck, Rogers was continually affected by his health throughout his business ventures, social events and amassment of debt. But he never allowed himself to be set back by it.

As a small boy, plagued by bad vision and weight problems, Rogers watched his father, Edward Rogers, manage the first television licence in Canada. After his father’s death in 1939, Rogers set out at age five to follow in the family business.

Rogers envisioned himself as a continuation of his father’s legacy, admitting at 70 that he could not allow himself to retire. As he put it, “it would dishonour my father.” Rogers Sr. worked until his death, so it seemed only natural to his son that he should do the same.

By the time Rogers reached the age at which his father died, in 1972, he had launched and acquired several radio stations, including what is now 680News, founded Rogers Cable TV, introduced Rogers Community Television, and taken over other cable companies. A young lawyer at the time, Rogers described his early career as an attempt to “do the impossible.”

This period of Rogers’ life was the healthiest. Only a decade later, he used the same motto to fight the many diseases of old age. In 1985, Rogers suffered a silent heart attack. It marked the launch of the Rogers wireless phone business, as well as the beginning of Rogers’ fight for life.

Working in depth with his family doctor, Bernard Gosevitz, for over 30 years, Rogers spent his money and strived to survive. Gosevitz asserts that Rogers’ openness to new medicine gave him a few extra years of life. And Rogers certainly did not waste the time that he gained.

Reporters describe Rogers committing to his business even between medical appointments, partly so that stockholders would not be suspicious of his health. By the time of Rogers’ death, after a quadruple bypass, experimental stem cell treatment, two decades of medical procedures and a rejected application for heart transplant, he had established himself as a visionary leader of the late 20^th century — and had used his body to the very end.