There have been many successful Canadian companies over the years. While a large part of Canada’s economy is in the fossil fuel sector, businesses in other industries have thrived. These are some of those companies.
1-800-GOT-JUNK
1-800-GOT-JUNK was founded in 1989 when Brian Scudamore was stuck in a fast food drive-through line behind a beaten-up truck advertising hauling junk and thought he could do better. He started the business in Vancouver with the concept that most of the junk would be recycled or donated to prevent it from ending up in a landfill.
Other locations of 1-800-GOT-JUNK are franchises. The first franchise was in Victoria, and then another opened in Toronto. The first one in the United States was in Portland, Oregon. There are now 160 locations across Canada and the US.
Banff Lodging Co
This company was founded in 1985 and operates in Banff National Park. It started when its founder Wim Pauw bought the commercial mall Caribou Corner Mall. It now owns commercial properties, hotels and restaurants throughout the park.
The commercial properties owned by Banff Lodging Co include Caribou Corner Mall, Wolf & Bear Street Mall, Chustas Mall and Town Centre Mall. It owns several hotels including Moose Hotel and Suites, The Dorothy Motel, Irwin’s Mountain Inn and Hidden Ridge Resort. Restaurants owned by it include The Keg Steakhouse & Bar, Pacini, Chili’s Grill & Restaurant and The Meatball Pizza & Pasta.
Cirque Du Soleil
Circus company Cirque du Soleil is a Canadian company based in Montreal, Quebec. Founded in 1984, it’s now the biggest circus company in the world. It began as a touring that toured Quebec. It nearly went out of business but was saved by a government grant.
Cirque du Soleil shows are held in many cities across Canada, the United States and elsewhere. You can see its shows in more than 300 cities. There are cities with shows that have run for years, such as Las Vegas. Over 4,900 people work for Cirque du Soleil, and it earned over $1 billion in 2019 before the pandemic.
Some of its shows opened in 2020 with limited audiences because of COVID-19. Cirque du Soleil is slowly reopening shows, such as all of its shows in Las Vegas except Zumanity. In November 2021, Drawn to Life premiered in Quebec. This was the first show to premier since the pandemic began.
