Challenger Motor Freight president and long-time OTA executive Dan Einwechter has donated $1 million to Laurier’s Centre for Supply Chain Management, which will be renamed after him.
The centre, housed within the Lazaridis School of Business and Economics, focuses on facilitating and coordinating research in supply chain management. “This is a transformational gift for Laurier’s Lazaridis School of Business and Economics,” said Deborah MacLatchy, Laurier’s president and vice-chancellor. “The Einwechter Centre for Supply Chain Management will enable Laurier to produce the next generation of researchers and decision makers with expertise in supply chain management who will drive business and innovation.”Einwechter told OTA that the donation was his a way to give back to the institution and educators who supported and encouraged him while he trying to balance school and launching his own trucking businesses during his second year.
“There’s a saying that it takes village to raise a child and that was part of my village. Laurier was the foundation of education,” he says. “I had such great professors. They believed in what I was doing and they cut me some latitude when I had to miss class to deliver freight and when I was overwhelmed they worked me. They said they would make sure I got through it and I did.”
Einwechter hopes his contribution will help support young professionals as they learn to address the challenges of a complicated and ever-changing transportation industry and supply chain.
Logistics has a lot of challenges and they’re coming at us at a faster pace than ever,” he said. “These are bright young capable students that can get us through this journey with better, faster, cheaper solutions …
“Especially with offshoring as the costs are different in North America compared to elsewhere, so in the future we need to be as efficient as possible. That’s where they come in. If they can help us improve and be more cost efficient with better ideas, than that’ll be a great benefit to the economy and the country.”