A generous donation of $1 million was made by Laurier alumnus Dan Einwechter, BBA ‘77, in support
of supply chain management research.
The Laurier Centre for Supply Chain Management, housed within the Lazaridis School of Business and Economics, will now be named the Einwechter Centre for Supply Chain Management following the donation.
“[Einwechter] himself is a Laurier grad. He’s been very connected with the school since he gradu- ated. He’s been a volunteer, he’s been a donor to both scholarships, athletics and business,”
said Jason Coolman, Vice President of Advancement and External Relations.
“He’s also helped us with advocacy and as an advisor. He’s come back to speak to classes while also being one of Laurier’s top 100 alumni.”
“It’s always great to receive external funds to help Laurier and our faculties do our work because budgets are tight. It’s an ability to do things that we might not otherwise,” said Coolman.
The Einwechter Centre for Supply Chain Management facili- tates and coordinates research in supply chain management as well as assisting in undergraduate and graduate education materials.
The Centre also participates in the yearly World Class Supply Chain Summit, which is one of the facility’s most high-profile initiatives.
“[Supply Chain Management] is an important area of focus for the Lazaridis school and an area where we do great work. At the end of the day, it will enable our students to have better supply chain experi- ences with access to industry ex- perts and research,” said Coolman.
Einwechter has an extensive background in business as the chairman and founder of Challenger Motor Freight Inc; a company he started while still a student at Laurier.
His company is now one of the largest privately owned truckload carriers in Canada.
“He started this company as a student, he had one truck at that point, and it was him as the only driver. Now it is one of Canada’s largest trucking operations. You got 2,000 plus people working there and 1,500 trucks,” said Coolman.
“I think it’s worth noting the value of the Laurier degree and experience, because when Dan came back and spoke, he did say that Laurier changed his life for the better,” Coolman said in regard to Einwechter’s talk at Laurier.
“[Einwechter’s donation] also establishes our researchers at a world-class area because they now have a named center. It signals to others that Laurier welcomes partnership with industry and welcomes large donations to help us do our work. It’s a testament to how connected the working degrees that we grant are to career paths for our students,”
said Coolman.
For more information on The Einwechter Centre for Supply Chain Management and Einwech- ter’s donation, visit the university’s website.