COOPER HONOURED FOR HELPING INSPIRE ‘GREAT CANADIAN WILDERNESS’ EXPERIENCE TOURISM CHANGE
Mark Clairmont | MuskokaTODAY.com
GRAVENHURST — John Cooper’s dad said ‘When you retire encourage others to do what you did.’”
That means being a “capitalist with empathy,” the long-time businessman and entrepreneur said today.
In receiving the first Pillar of Support Award from Explorers’ Edge, he added setting an example has always been the best legacy he could leave with younger generations.
Explorers’ Edge CEO James Murphy nominated Cooper for the award, citing his mentorship as a board member not only with the tourism group, but for helping numerous community and business groups with his years of experience, advice, guidance and encouragement.
The award was one of more than a dozen handed out to business owners and employees nominated by their workers who know their strengths best. Recipients received $100 to spend in area tourism.
Stuart Morley, who operated the Parry Sound Community Network, noted that if it wasn’t for Cooper many Muskoka start-up businesses that have gone on to greatness wouldn’t have happened if not for Cooper getting the Founder’s Circle going with an initial donation.
Muskoka Watershed representatives talked about Cooper’s leadership in their environment movement and persistence on fighting to keep the importance of climate affects alive.
Murphy said it was Cooper — a 56-year pilot — whose non-stop advocacy and recognition of the vitalness of the Muskoka Airport to tourism that kept the Porter Air project up in the air when naysayers said it couldn’t be done.
He was the driving force at all their meetings.
Others at the Muskoka Bay Club luncheon Wednesday lauded the humble co-founder of the Cooper sports equipment empire for his participation on their boards.
You might call him a “Cooper-all,” said Murphy, adding the third annual Edge ‘Big Applause’ Awards are to recognize those “in the trenches who show the true grit” of the tourism industry, which is about 85 per cent female workforce.
It was part of a planned launch in April of its new brand design called the ‘Great Canadian Wilderness — Just North of Toronto.’
They bill themselves as a ‘Regenerative Travel Agency.’ An initiative to continue as always encouraging more visitors, but to focus on their personal experiences.
As well as “high yield” tourists with more means who can take advantage of the grandness of our great local lakes and openness across Central Ontario in what was once zoned as RTO12.
Like one of their members groups from Port Loring who call it “5-star rustic.”
The new addition of a Tico.ca licence also allows the Great Canadian Wilderness — which stretches from Georgian Bay to Algonquin Park — to create travel packages.
Which they’ve already begun with by moving more in to the Quebec destination market with bilingual sales pitches and soon over in to Germany in the same way.
See an earlier related story on here.
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