In the late 1800’s, Canada was a work in progress with only seven provinces (Alberta and Saskatchewan joined in 1905). The young nation was struggling to protect its development by means of high trade tariffs on goods that were or could be manufactured domestically. Duty rates of 20-40 percent accounted for most of the government’s revenues as income taxes weren’t initiated until 1917.

At this time, George Henry Young was the Chief Inspector of Customs Ports stationed in Winnipeg. In 1901, recognizing opportunity when he saw it, he left the civil service to open one of the first customs brokerage houses in Western Canada. This pre-dated the automobile era, and the majority of goods moved by rail. However, the winds of change were blowing. In 1903, Wilbur and Orville Wright took their first flight at Kittyhawk, and by 1929 the first international commercial flight into Winnipeg arrived from Minneapolis. That was likely Northwest Airlines, one of our longest standing international relationships.

In 1950, Geo. H. Young & Co. Ltd. Incorporated and began an exciting era of growth. News of those years is well documented in the formal corporate minute books which include colourful details about the business of the day, the people and events, the challenges and opportunities. There is reference to some of our long-term clients who have become pillars of the Manitoba business community. Some of these relationships span more than eight decades and have contributed significantly to our success.

The second half of the 20th century saw an infusion of young blood, as Charles Riess and Amie Decock joined the company. Charles married Leona Young to become part of the founding family’s third generation and was named the company’s third president in 1968. Along with Gordon Feir, these three individuals were instrumental in steering our organization through its growth in the 1960’s, 1970’s and early 1980’s.

In the late 1980’s, under the leadership of Richard Riess, great grandson of the company’s founder, GHY recognized the need to adapt to a rapidly changing world economy. Embracing information technology, we created new and improved service offerings to assist our diversified and dynamic customer base. As a result, GHY is now an integrated trade services company that encompasses our core Customs Brokerage services plus Customs Consulting, small parcel cross-border logistics, warehousing, distribution and freight forwarding services.

Today, we manage more than $2 billion of cross-border trade annually through our Canadian and U.S. brokerage operations. We pay more than $100 million annually to governments on behalf of our clients, and we work with more than 1,000 importers and exporters.

Growth and continuity through four successive generations is an incredible milestone. GHY has achieved it thanks to dedicated people delivering quality service to great customers. It is a testament to the power of the highest levels of commitment, professionalism and integrity.