Andrew Crosbie
Andrew Crosbie built one of the largest business empires this province has ever seen. After taking over the presidency of the Crosbie Group from his late father in 1965, Mr. Crosbie led the business through a period of tremendous prosperity and expansion in the late 1960’s and 1970’s. He successfully managed the family business and diversified into manufacturing in Montreal, foreign exchange trading, travel insurance and offshore oil and gas services. By the mid 1970’s, the Crosbie Group totalled 70 companies, 2200 employees and more than $300 million in annual revenue.
Although high interest rates in the 1980’s led to the sale of many of the Crosbie Group’s assets, Mr. Crosbie was a true entrepreneur and business visionary who demonstrated unequivocally that Newfoundland businesses could compete on a national stage. Among his many accomplishments, Mr. Crosbie led the charge to take Eastern Provincial Airlines public, chaired the consolidation committee that created FPI and served on a number of boards including Newfoundland and Labrador Hydro and the Bank of Montreal.
Above all, Mr. Crosbie believed in giving back to the community and treating all employees fairly. Outside of business, his accomplishments include serving as Chair of the 1977 Canada Summer Games, induction into the Regatta Hall of Fame as a builder and appointment as Freeman of the city of St. John’s.