Gordon Lownds
Encyclopedia
Gordon Lownds co-Founder of Sleep Country Canada
and Listen Up! Canada, is a successful Canadian entrepreneur
.
Gord Lownds was born and raised in Toronto
, Canada
. He earned a Bachelor of Arts
degree in Philosophy
from York University
and an MBA from the University of Toronto
.
In an interview with Business Edge News Magazine, Lownds describes his early career, "I started working at 15 as a barker
at a carnival
, and found out at that point that I enjoyed working. I was also a professional rock
musician for a couple of years, playing bass
and guitar
. Then, I started my legitimate business career with Consumers Distributing
in 1970 in a warehouse and worked my way up to the management team there."
He moved towards work in consulting and investment banking. He managed the strategic management practice at DMR & Associates. Later Lownds became a partner at Paradigm Consulting Inc.. In 1988, he left that company to start Kenrick Capital, a boutique investment banking firm, with a few other partners. In 1994, he co-founded Sleep Country Canada
with Christine Magee
and Steven Gunn
. He assumed the chairman and CEO position of that company for four years and saw the chain grow from nothing to over 50 stores across Canada.
After leaving Sleep Country Canada in 1998 he spent a year traveling around Costa Rica
and the Cayman Islands
. In 2000, he developed and funded Red Apple Entertainment. In 2003, he co-founded Listen Up! Canada, a hearing aid
retailer.
Sleep Country Canada
Sleep Country Canada is a major mattress retailer in Canada, with over 140 stores operating in British Columbia, Alberta, Saskatchewan, Manitoba and Ontario.The company was ranked one of the top 50 companies to work for in Canada by the Globe and Mail...
and Listen Up! Canada, is a successful Canadian entrepreneur
Entrepreneur
An entrepreneur is an owner or manager of a business enterprise who makes money through risk and initiative.The term was originally a loanword from French and was first defined by the Irish-French economist Richard Cantillon. Entrepreneur in English is a term applied to a person who is willing to...
.
Gord Lownds was born and raised in Toronto
Toronto
Toronto is the provincial capital of Ontario and the largest city in Canada. It is located in Southern Ontario on the northwestern shore of Lake Ontario. A relatively modern city, Toronto's history dates back to the late-18th century, when its land was first purchased by the British monarchy from...
, Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
. He earned a Bachelor of Arts
Bachelor of Arts
A Bachelor of Arts , from the Latin artium baccalaureus, is a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate course or program in either the liberal arts, the sciences, or both...
degree in Philosophy
Philosophy
Philosophy is the study of general and fundamental problems, such as those connected with existence, knowledge, values, reason, mind, and language. Philosophy is distinguished from other ways of addressing such problems by its critical, generally systematic approach and its reliance on rational...
from York University
York University
York University is a public research university in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. It is Canada's third-largest university, Ontario's second-largest graduate school, and Canada's leading interdisciplinary university....
and an MBA from the University of Toronto
University of Toronto
The University of Toronto is a public research university in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, situated on the grounds that surround Queen's Park. It was founded by royal charter in 1827 as King's College, the first institution of higher learning in Upper Canada...
.
In an interview with Business Edge News Magazine, Lownds describes his early career, "I started working at 15 as a barker
Barker (occupation)
A barker is a person who attempts to attract patrons to entertainment events, such as a circus or funfair, by exhorting passing public, describing attractions of show and emphasizing variety, novelty, beauty, or some other feature believed to incite listeners to attend entertainment...
at a carnival
Carnival
Carnaval is a festive season which occurs immediately before Lent; the main events are usually during February. Carnaval typically involves a public celebration or parade combining some elements of a circus, mask and public street party...
, and found out at that point that I enjoyed working. I was also a professional rock
Rock music
Rock music is a genre of popular music that developed during and after the 1960s, particularly in the United Kingdom and the United States. It has its roots in 1940s and 1950s rock and roll, itself heavily influenced by rhythm and blues and country music...
musician for a couple of years, playing bass
Bass guitar
The bass guitar is a stringed instrument played primarily with the fingers or thumb , or by using a pick....
and guitar
Guitar
The guitar is a plucked string instrument, usually played with fingers or a pick. The guitar consists of a body with a rigid neck to which the strings, generally six in number, are attached. Guitars are traditionally constructed of various woods and strung with animal gut or, more recently, with...
. Then, I started my legitimate business career with Consumers Distributing
Consumers Distributing
Consumers Distributing was a catalogue store in Canada and the United States that operated from 1957 to 1996...
in 1970 in a warehouse and worked my way up to the management team there."
He moved towards work in consulting and investment banking. He managed the strategic management practice at DMR & Associates. Later Lownds became a partner at Paradigm Consulting Inc.. In 1988, he left that company to start Kenrick Capital, a boutique investment banking firm, with a few other partners. In 1994, he co-founded Sleep Country Canada
Sleep Country Canada
Sleep Country Canada is a major mattress retailer in Canada, with over 140 stores operating in British Columbia, Alberta, Saskatchewan, Manitoba and Ontario.The company was ranked one of the top 50 companies to work for in Canada by the Globe and Mail...
with Christine Magee
Christine Magee
Christine Magee is a well known spokesperson for and President of Sleep Country Canada. In October 1994, she co-founded the company with Steven Gunn and Gordon Lownds. By 2004, the company had expanded to 89 stores, with over 600 employees and operations in three provinces...
and Steven Gunn
Steven Gunn
Stephen K. Gunn is Chairman, Chief Executive Officer and co-Founder of Sleep Country Canada Inc. As of 2006, the company had 111 stores across Canada and 32 stores in the US .- Early life :Gunn grew up in Montreal and Kingston...
. He assumed the chairman and CEO position of that company for four years and saw the chain grow from nothing to over 50 stores across Canada.
After leaving Sleep Country Canada in 1998 he spent a year traveling around Costa Rica
Costa Rica
Costa Rica , officially the Republic of Costa Rica is a multilingual, multiethnic and multicultural country in Central America, bordered by Nicaragua to the north, Panama to the southeast, the Pacific Ocean to the west and the Caribbean Sea to the east....
and the Cayman Islands
Cayman Islands
The Cayman Islands is a British Overseas Territory and overseas territory of the European Union located in the western Caribbean Sea. The territory comprises the three islands of Grand Cayman, Cayman Brac, and Little Cayman, located south of Cuba and northwest of Jamaica...
. In 2000, he developed and funded Red Apple Entertainment. In 2003, he co-founded Listen Up! Canada, a hearing aid
Hearing aid
A hearing aid is an electroacoustic device which typically fits in or behind the wearer's ear, and is designed to amplify and modulate sound for the wearer. Earlier devices, known as "ear trumpets" or "ear horns", were passive funnel-like amplification cones designed to gather sound energy and...
retailer.