Kenneth Rowe

Net Worth:
$1.48 billion
(▲4.2% from 2017)

Rich 100 rank: #79
Change in rank from 2017: ▼9
Major company holdings: IMP Group International
Location: Halifax
Age: 84

IMP Group International has extensive business interests in the Maritimes, owing to founder Kenneth Rowe’s diversification push. But not every venture has worked out. In September 2015, the company announced it would suspend operations at CanJet, a charter airline owned by IMP, and explore how to move forward under a different financial plan. A year later, CanJet remains grounded.

Still, Rowe has plenty of other businesses to pick up the slack. He arrived in Halifax from England in 1964 to run the North American operations of his then-employer, a manufacturer of commercial fishing equipment. Rowe later went solo and purchased a foundry called Industrial Marine Products. Since then, he’s expanded into aerospace, defence, aviation, real estate, health care and even call centres. His three children, Stephen, Kirk and Julie, all serve in senior positions at the conglomerate.

Updated Thursday, November 9, 2017