REGINA — The story of the Hill family’s contribution to Saskatchewan business was highlighted this past week with the screening in Regina of “Built to Last — The Paul J. Hill Story.”
It was screened at Mosaic Stadium Sept. 10 as part of the North Saskatoon Business Association’s Popcorn and Entrepreneurship Series, and it marked their first such event in Regina.
The documentary focused on the story of Paul Hill’s involvement in business in Regina, and the lasting imprint those efforts have had on the Regina community and elsewhere.
The Hill Companies dates back to 1903, two years before Saskatchewan became a province, and while the company has grown and diversified, it has also felt the ebbs and flows of economic conditions throughout its history.
After the Mosaic Stadium screening, Paul and Carol Hill joined business commentator Paul Martin for a discussion, where many of Hill’s remarks on business took on a big-picture focus. He noted the challenges and economic climate that faced the province over the years — something he elaborated on further when he spoke to SaskToday.
“Well, that's true, because each time period encountered different challenges,” Hill said.
“Between the Thirties when things really were very, very tough. A lot of bankruptcies, a lot of unemployment. To get through that period and survive was not easy. And then through the Forties and the war years. And then to get through a period where we had a government in place that didn't believe in the private sector, and basically took over all the key industries in Saskatchewan.
“And that's when we started to lose population. In fact, we lost 65,000 people in the first four years of that government. And then our biggest export over the next 40 years was people, until we got everything back into the private sector in the 80s. And that stabilized, and then there needed to be confidence for investment. And that needed to happen – it didn't happen overnight, it happened over time. And eventually that confidence returned.
"Now we have the return of the confidence — that government's not going to take over your business if you invest and grow your business in Saskatchewan. So today we've got a growing population … We're the fastest growing province now in the country. And I think that's going to continue.
“I think we would be, if we hadn't had that mid-term interruption I'll call it, we'd be seven or eight million people in this province today … But then getting into the 50s, by the end of the 50s, we lost it. We basically lost population because of the environment that we were, the framework of the environment we were living in. And other provinces benefited from that, particularly talented Saskatchewan people. [But] one of the great things that's happening is those talented Saskatchewan people are now coming back to the province.”
One thing that Hill has focused on over the years is the importance of education, establishing several scholarship programs. Both Paul and Carol Hill founded the Mother Teresa Middle School and the One Life Makes a Difference Foundation.
“I think that within our province we do have great education. And we also have a focus on helping those that need help, extra help in education. And that's what we do in our efforts to make that happen. So I'm very optimistic about our province. I think that all political parties are very supportive of growth and investment. So I think we've got a great future.”
The impact of the Hill imprint on Regina can be seen throughout downtown in the development of the skyline over several decades. The downtown is dotted with multiple office buildings including the twin Hill towers that are a landmark of modern Regina beside the Scarth Street Mall. The various buildings are also linked by a network of skywalks to keep Regina residents warm in the winter months.
“It was part of a long-term vision, 25-year vision, because none of that happened overnight. And a lot of other people had to buy into that vision. We worked hard at basically sitting down with the other key players to help make that vision come through. But the great thing is that everybody bought into it, all the players, and they all supported it. And that's why we have what we have.”
One point Hill has emphasized — both in the documentary and also in his conversation with Martin afterwards — is the importance of family.
“There's no doubt about it – family comes first. … You've got to pay attention to your own health to start with, because if you're unhealthy, you're not going to be able to contribute very much. Family always comes first, and then friends, and then everybody else.
Hill has also credited those he worked alongside for getting things accomplished.
“Successful people in life work with other people to become successful, and all of those people become successful together. Nobody is an island unto themselves. They have to work with and through other people, and that's what we try to do, and most of the people around us do the same thing.”
Among the pillars for Hill is faith.
“Faith is very important in everybody's life,” he said. "You have to believe in something, and in our case, it's the Christian faith. But we have Muslims in our family, and we know people of the Hindu faith. But the common element is that they do have faith, they do believe, and they guide their lives appropriately, as opposed to being rudderless.”
In all, Hill said he was honoured to have participated in the documentary and the event showcasing it.
“This was a great honour to be participating in this event tonight. It was a great honour to be with all of these great people who are also builders. I mean, they allocated that to one life, one person that was involved in building, but everybody in this room are builders. They're builders with their families, they're builders in their community, they're builders in the businesses or the jobs that they have. It's something that everybody works at, and I honour everybody that does.”
As for whether people in the audience might have come away inspired by the documentary, Hill said “I think you have to ask them that, to see what they walked out with, because lots of people have made positive comments. “
“And you can judge for yourself, but when people reflect on what they've heard and what they've learned, and some of them will influence on what action they take with their lives and their friends and their families going forward. And hopefully there's a little bit of that that can be helpful.”
Paul Hill is the owner of Harvard Media, which includes SaskToday.ca.
To hear the interview with Hill, click below.
