Toronto looking for New President to be Duquette.

[Mayor McCheese]

And where is Duquette anyway? It seems like he has gone into the witness relocation program in the last week.

I believe Ghostbusters 3 is now starting to shoot. Could be Dan Aykroyds stunt double??

[weams]

http://www.torontolife.com/informer/features/2014/10/16/edward-rogers-the-man-who-would-be-king/

On a grey December day in 2008, a thousand people gathered at St. James Cathedral on Church Street to remember Ted Rogers, the legendary founder of Rogers Communications. The business icon had died of congestive heart failure at his Forest Hill home a week earlier, after months of declining health. Rogers’ funeral was a rare event in the city—a *coming-together of high society, business titans and politicians that was the lay equivalent of a state funeral. Stephen Harper shook hands with his on-again, off-again friend Brian Mulroney, former premiers David Peterson and Mike Harris were in attendance...

As Ted’s widow, Loretta, looked on from the front row, Alan Horn, an accountant who had served as Rogers’ financial lieutenant for more than 15 years before being named chair of the Rogers board, delivered the main eulogy.

...

” Two of Ted’s daughters, Melinda and Martha, spoke about their father being “their rock,” a devoted family man who always made a point of being home for dinner. And then Edward Jr., Ted and Loretta’s only son, took to the podium. To many in the church, Edward was something of an unknown who’d kept a low profile while working his way up through the ranks of the company. But on that day he was the perceived heir apparent, stepping out from behind his father’s long shadow...

Few people plan their deaths as carefully as Ted Rogers. He had to. His life had been punctuated by multiple illnesses, from the celiac disease and poor eyesight he suffered as a child (he would later be declared legally blind), to a weak heart, aneurysms and a blocked carotid artery. Ted’s father, Edward S. Rogers, had died as a result of an aneurysm at the age of 38, and Ted always feared he would suffer a similar fate. He frequently updated his life insurance policies and established trusts to protect his nearly $8-billion fortune. When it came to the future of his company—which was, in essence, his first child—he left little to chance, consulting with his closest friends, especially John A. Tory, the father of mayoral candidate and Rogers board member John H. Tory.

...Rogers Control Trust, which would be run by Loretta, Edward, Melinda, Martha and a third daughter, Lisa, plus a few old friends and trusted advisors (including Horn and Tory, the former Scotiabank CEO Peter Godsoe, and Rogers’ board members Phil Lind and Thomas Hull). Edward was named chair of the trust, Melinda vice-chair. There are all sorts of checks and balances in place (an arrangement Ted compared to the American system of government) to guard against hasty or unilateral actions by any one shareholder.

[weams]

In his speech, Edward talked about his father the deal-maker, the man who relished the role of the scrappy underdog going up against his entrenched rivals—the David to Bell Canada’s Goliath. He outlined the empire his father had built, acquisition by acquisition. Toward the end of his speech, he reiterated one of Ted’s favourite sayings: “The best is yet to come.” But he followed it up with something that in hindsight was revealing. “With him gone, it is hard to think how this can now still be the case…. He didn’t work so hard and build so much for his passion and determination to die with him.” And with that, Edward Rogers III vowed to continue his father’s legacy.

[weams]

Rogers is a $34-billion company, with 28,000 employees, 9.5 million wireless subscribers, and two million TV and two million Internet subscribers.

...

Edward and Suzanne’s relationship has been a source of strain within the family. The Rogerses are buttoned-down and prim, and Suzanne, a tough-as-nails woman with a *penchant for couture gowns by designers like Zac Posen, *Alexander McQueen and Chanel, is an attention-seeker. She appears frequently in newspaper society pages and in magazines, often promoting her favourite clothing designers. A few years ago, the fashion website Coveteur featured extensive photographs of her carefully curated wardrobe propped up against the neoclassical decor of her home—all soft pinks and creams with gold finishes.

Suzanne has been known to call up employees in Rogers’ media division looking for personal favours, leading to much awkwardness in the office. She would request magazine coverage of herself or TV coverage for one of her charity events, such as her annual fashion show (which she calls “Suzanne Rogers Presents”), starring designers like Oscar de la Renta and Marchesa. Rumours of her million-dollar-a-year clothing allowance circulated through Rogers headquarters and beyond. The optics were unfortunate at a time when the company was being slammed for gouging customers.

Edward Rogers expected to run the family empire after the death of his father, Ted. But the board squeezed him out.

[weams]

On December 2, 2013, exactly five years to the day since Ted Rogers died, Guy Laurence arrived at 333 Bloor East and took hold of the office—down the hall from Edward’s—that Nadir Mohamed had vacated only the day before. Laurence spent his first three months on a cross-country “listening tour,” meeting with more than 10,000 employees, including senior managers and board members, as well as customers, suppliers, clients and tech analysts. He asked Rogers *employees questions like: “What would you most like to see me do as CEO?” and “What would be the worst thing I could do as CEO?” and “What would you like to be able to look back and say about my first year on the job?”

While he was conducting interviews and town hall meetings, Laurence kept his own counsel. He was sphinx-like—*listening to everybody but confiding in no one. In late April, he compiled his report, a 20,000-word document he presented to the board. The findings weren’t entirely surprising, but they put the internal issues like poor customer service into high relief. Everyone was worried the company had lost its way, that it had become slow and risk-averse. Dispirited employees were envious of Telus, with its slick branding and high customer retention rates. They were tired of working for the most loathed company in Canada.

After Laurence made his presentation to the board, he had a separate conversation with a few senior directors. He told them that he believed it would be better for the company if family members no longer had a role in operations. He suggested they help facilitate a smooth exit for Edward and Melinda, ahead of his planned presentation to the Rogers management team on May 23, 2014. The directors found themselves in the same position they’d been in with Mohamed. If they were to keep Guy Laurence as CEO, they had to act.

Thus began the delicate, weeks-long process of extricating the ROTs from the day-to-day operations of the family business. Edward was eventually persuaded to accept the role of a hands-off owner while Laurence undertook the unenviable task of firing staff and streamlining the company. An internal memo saying that Edward was resigning his VP role finally went out to Rogers staff on May 22, the day before the meeting. Convincing Melinda to leave was no less complicated. Two hours before Laurence was scheduled to speak to managers in the Vinci ballroom of the Four Seasons Hotel, a memo went out announcing her departure

Ed was forced out? He only runs the trust now?

[McLovin]

And where is Duquette anyway? It seems like he has gone into the witness relocation program in the last week.

He's scouring the Independent Leagues and planning for next year's Rule V draft.

[weams]

He's scouring the Independent Leagues and planning for next year's Rule V draft.

He does it well.

[weams]

Ed was forced out? He only runs the trust now?

f an internal memo is emailed to someone outside the company, the culprit will be issued a warning. Laurence is a cool, shrewd operator who likes to keep staff on their toes.

Meanwhile, he has convinced the board to approve a *$100-million renovation of the Rogers buildings, implementing the “hotelling” model he espoused at Vodafone—*employees check in to a desk, then check out. The oft-repeated line at *Rogers is that the company “will be unrecognizable within a year.” After he successfully overhauled the culture at Vodafone U.K., Laurence said his ultimate goal was to “change the way Britain works.” A lofty ambition to be sure, but changing the way *Rogers works may be an even greater challenge. No one believes *Laurence will be in Toronto a day longer than his five-year contract

So, this is all "Despite Laurence’s apparent openness and his desire to create a culture of mutual trust—especially among his colleagues in upper management—the pervasive feeling on the Rogers campus is insecurity and paranoia" Rogers dysfunctionality?

[weams]

Edward Rogers Jr., the deputy chairman of Rogers (and son of the late Ted Rogers Sr.) he says he was "surprised by how little appreciation his company has received!?

Implementing the “hotelling” model he espoused at Vodafone—*employees check in to a desk, then check out."

Rogers, a fine company to work for!

[weams]

Good Lord. That is unfortunate on so many levels.

His apparent obsession with secrecy doesn’t help: internal documents are watermarked with recipients’ names so that if something is leaked, he can pinpoint the guilty party.

[weams]

Good Lord. That is unfortunate on so many levels.

Dan, meet the new boss. Better than the old boss.

[weams]

Dan, meet the new boss. Better than the old boss.

...believes that the NHL broadcasting rights are a project the entire company can rally behind, and one that can be leveraged to help resuscitate the Rogers brand.

[TonySoprano]

Dan, meet the new boss. Better than the old boss.

Take off 'eh. You Toronto hosers

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[weams]

The Blue Jays announced that they’ve re-signed popular infielder Munenori Kawasaki!

Kawasaki, a fan favorite due to his affable nature and quirky sense of humor, has batted .244/.327/.302 in 563 plate appearances for the Blue Jays over the past two seasons.

Dan hard at work!

[weams]

Ed was forced out? He only runs the trust now?

The name of the Rogers employee who got the presidential ball rolling down hill and into the public relations gutter remains unknown,” Elliott writes. “However, Edward Rogers, son of the late Ted Rogers, did call White Sox president Jerry Reinsdorf to ask about hiring Williams during the World Series. He called Williams too.”

...Elliott reminds us that “under new Rogers boss Guy Laurence, both Edward Rogers and his sister Melinda have been removed from the day-to-day operations of Rogers Communications even though they are major share holders in the company.”

He leaves the money quote to Reinsdorf: ““I’m not responding to a request from Edward Rogers a beneficiary. You have to follow baseball procedure. A request for permission to interview someone has to be put in writing.”

Now, it should be remembered that Reinsdorf is a friend of Beeston’s and may be intentionally casting aspersions here, but what in the great ******* universe is Edward Rogers doing making these calls?

I mean, maybe he was the designated point man and this was all squared by Beeston’s bosses, Laurence, Keith Pelley, and whoever else may fit in the chain of command, but… um… you know who at Rogers probably has the inside baseball knowledge to go and find an appropriate replacement for Paul Beeston? You know who is probably up on standard MLB protocol in such matters? I’m thinking it’s Paul Beeston.

"You occasionally see things written suggesting that the relationship between the Jays and Rogers is maybe not as rosy as it seems on the surface "