Terry Mason loved Prince Albert, and the Prince Albert and District Chamber of Commerce honoured that legacy Monday at the 31st Annual Samuel McLeod Business Awards Legacy Brunch.
Mason, a longtime realtor in the City, passed away in June 2021. His wife Barb and daughter Amber represented him at the gala. They were pleased to have him join such a great list of honourees.
“It is a really prestigious award,” Barb said. “When you look at the people in the past who have been awarded the Legacy (Award) it’s a very special award. Terry was all about community and it’s a recognition by the community, so it’s very meaningful.”
The Chamber Legacy Award is handed out every year to a member of the business community who has had a hand in making Prince Albert a best place to live through their contributions. Barb said her husband loved Prince Albert, and was always looking for ways to give back.
“He was involved in all kinds of different activities and that sort of thing,” she remembered. “He did love PA. He had an opportunity to move to larger centres but he was always here.”
Mason found his way to real estate after he suffered an injury in a previous profession, according to Barb’s speech. Despite the injury, Bard said Terry brought a positive attitude to his new profession.
“He was always very positive,” she said. “He set a goal and he is a very good example of being confident and going for your goal, even if there are some adversities because it certainly wouldn’t have necessarily been a career that was chosen.”
Mason was also a very social person. Barb related a story about how much he loved Christmas shopping because he would run into so many people he knew. The gala itself was something that he would have enjoyed.
“This would have been perfect for him,” she said. He would have just loved it.
“He definitely would have been the last one out of the room. He really did love to connect with people and it is really remarkable when you meet people how many people he did connect with people on a deep level. People really cared about Terry,”’ she added.
A long line of well-wishers greeted the Masons following the award presentation. Scotiabank branch manager Aysha Khaliq presented the Masons with the award. Chamber board chair Bill Powalinsky chaired the event.
Mason began his career in real estate in 1979 working for Century 21 for a decade. In 1989 he went to Re/Max and in 1999 he placed at 90 in the Top 100 teams in Canada list.
In 2005 he opened his own real estate company, Terry Mason Real Estate. Here he worked alongside Barb and mentored Amber in the industry. After 41 years in the industry he retired in 2020 with the legacy continuing through Barb and Amber.
His community involvement was vast. It included several terms on the Prince Albert Real Estate Board as a director and the Political Action Representative. Mason was also a longtime member of the Prince Albert Kinsmen and was heavily involved in Telemiracle fundraising.
He was also a longtime Prince Albert Raiders supporter and season ticket holder from the inception of the Raiders as a WHL franchise. The family also served as a billet family for many years.
He was involved in other sports as well including supporting the Prince Albert Men’s Soccer League in the early years and taking part in charity golf tournaments. Local projects he supported included the Alfred Jenkins Fieldhouse and the EA Rawlinson Centre for the Arts. His donations were also numerous including support for Ducks Unlimited, the Special Olympics, YWCA, Victoria Hospital Foundation, SHARE and numerous sports teams at all levels among countless examples.
Samuel McLeod Business Award nominees announced
The other part of the Brunch was the announcement of the Samuel McLeod Business Award finalists. The awards gala is on Thursday, April 14 at Plaza 88.
The nominees for Business of the Year are Gem Denture Clinic, Pet Planet and WillowGrove Pharmacy.
The finalists for the Business Transformation Award are Doell Osmak Wealth Management, Kilarney Kastle and Pet Planet.
The finalists for the Community Involvement Award are Lake Country Co-op, Lakeland Ford and Mann-Northway.
The finalists for the Customer Service Award are Carlton Trail Hearing Clinic, Gem Denture Clinic and Pet Planet.
The finalists for Female Business Leader are Marianne Turcotte of Beau Lac Funeral Home, Mona Selanders of the Coronet Hotel and Sarah Graves of Gem Denture Clinic.
The finalists for Male Business Leader are Fred Matheson of Ted Matheson Men’s Wear, Mark Ripley of Mann-Northway and Michael Lypchuk of Re/Max P.A. Realty.
The finalists for the Marketing Award are Lake Country Co-op, Mann-Northway and Pet Planet.
The finalists for New Venture are Alumarine, Limitless Gear Clothing Company and Prairie Lily Financial.
The finalists forn Non Profit Organization are KIN Enterprises, the Kinsmen Club of Prince Albert and the Rotary Club of Prince Albert.
The finalists for Young Entrepreneur are Amy Lamb of WillowGrove Pharmacy, Cody Demarais of Limitless Gear Clothing and Taylor Korycki of Korycki Mechanical.
michael.oleksyn@paherald.sk.ca
