Interview: Stu Lang

Q&A With STU LANG

Of the Gordon S. Lang School of Business and Economics

S tu Lang is the man behind the single largest donation the University of Guelph has ever received. The $21 million dollar donation was given in honour of his father Gordon S Lang. Gordon founded CCL Industries in Toronto in 1951. CCL is now the largest label maker in the world, bringing in billions of dollars of revenue. CCL Industries is not only a successful company but a company that embodies Guelph’s values such as sustainability, treating people with respect, and working to uplift communities. Stu is also involved with the school through the football program where he was head coach of the 2015 Yates Cup winning Gryphon team. He himself played in the CFL as a wide receiver where he won five Grey Cups in eight seasons.

We had the pleasure speaking to Stu Lang regarding his connections, football, and advice for students.

What special connection does the University of Guelph have with the Lang family?

Historically there is no connection whatsoever. I grew up in Toronto and all my schooling outside of going to Queen’s in Kingston was centered around Toronto. Then we moved to Puslinch in 1989. This was primarily because my wife Kim has ridden horses all through her life, and she would always say she would love to have horses on a farm that she owned. We decided to move to Puslinch as it was close to her trainer. My wife then joined the Pet Trust Board at OVC which oversees fundraising. I also had a chance to meet the Head Football Coach at Guelph and he hired me. That sort of started the connection to Guelph and our involvement. As we have lived in Guelph we have developed a love for the city, the university, and the students. It fit a lot of the characteristics my dad lived by creating a connection there.

What did you enjoy about being Head Coach of University of Guelph’s football team?

I played nine years at the highest level with the Edmonton Eskimo’s in the CFL but I also spent twenty-five years in business. What interested me in the job was that

being the Head Coach meant I was as much of a football coach as I was

also a General Manager. This excited me to get into the football program and try and turn it around. That involved more than just performing on the field, as I also was interacting with the alumni, the students, and the parents. We recruited students that would fit the character to the team, and I discovered the character of the team is very similar to the character of the general student. Humble, hardworking, very collaborative group who had a sense of pride in the University which led me to fall in love with it.

It started it 1951 by my Dad's (Gordon) grandfather and, funny enough, it was called Lang Lamps. The company made Lamps for major department stores like Eatons and Simpsons. They were at a trade show in the U.S. and my Dad noticed someone selling aerosols. They then bought the rights to manufacture aerosols in Canada. That became so successful they sold off the lamps and focused on aerosols.

Because they were dealing with major marketers like Proctor and Gamble and Unilever in the aerosols industry, they decided to try making additional products, like powders and liquids. They evolved into this custom contract manufacturer where they would go to big marketers and say “what you do well is market, what we do well is manufacture. So we will manufacture your products and we’ll ship it to your plants or your stores and you guys can sell them. Then dad realized that we were buying a lot of labels and said why don’t I buy a label company. It just evolved from one thing to the next. Now we have sold off the custom manufacturing side and invested heavily in labels.

When you worked at the company what was your position and what did you enjoy?

I started out in summers, typically as an owner's child would. You start out in the maintenance department and other low-end jobs. While working there I truly got a sense of the culture of the company. My dad really tried to run the business like a family. Whenever he was working, he would always wander around and talk with the workers about how they are and how their family is. I got a sense of how much the employees loved my father and respected him which was cool to see. Over time I moved up the ladder and ending up running some of our companies in Europe. I’ve since retired but I still am on the board of the directors.

What would your advice be to young business students starting their careers?

Jim Estill, the CEO of Danby Products, has an expression “fail often, fail fast, fail cheap”. I think there is a lot of truth to that. Some people when they graduate university are scared to make mistakes. You are still young and you will probably not be in the same job forever, unlike my generation. When you are young take risks, be bold, and don’t worry about failing. The other thing is always be learning. Just because you have graduated from University doesn't mean you put learning on hold. Read books, meet people, and travel, as things are happening faster than ever so you must be on top of your game to capitalize on opportunities.

What do you think is special of the Guelph’s city and campus community?

Guelph is a perfect size, it’s not too small and it’s not too big. It’s very family oriented and has very hard working humble people. I got to work with a woman named Jaya at the Hope House in Guelph. She is a saint with what she does with the homeless people at the Hope House. The mayor Cam Guthrie comes to the football games and you can have great conversations with him. There's an element of community and everyone seems to be a neighbour in Guelph. The character of the city and of the citizens is what I have come to fall in love with. I call it the hidden gem of Ontario.