Patrick Dovigi Explained

Patrick Dovigi
Birth Date:2 July 1979
Birth Place:Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario, Canada
Occupation:Businessman, entrepreneur
Alma Mater:Ryerson University
Known For:Founder and Chief Executive Officer of Green For Life Environmental Inc. (GFL)

Patrick Dovigi is a Canadian former hockey goaltender, entrepreneur, businessman and founder, president and chief executive officer of Canadian environmental services company, Green For Life Environmental Inc. (GFL). Under Dovigi's leadership, GFL Environmental has grown to have a total enterprise value of $5.13 billion as of April 2018.[1] [2] In 2017, Dovigi's net worth was estimated at $1.08 billion.[3] In 2018, GFL merged with Waste Industries,[4] increasing Dovigi's net worth to more than $1 billion.

Early life and education

Patrick Dovigi grew up in Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario.[5] As a boy, Dovigi demonstrated a talent for hockey goaltending, an interest supported by his family. Dovigi attended Ryerson University in Toronto in 2000, studying business management at the school.[6]

Hockey career

Dovigi played minor league hockey in Canada, tending goal for the Ontario Hockey League (OHL)'s Erie Otters in parts of three seasons from 1996 to 1999.[7] Dovigi also played as a goalie for Toronto's St. Michael's Majors in the team's 1998 to 1999 season.[8]

In 1997, Dovigi followed his cousins into the National Hockey League (NHL) in Canada when he was drafted 41st as a goalie by the Edmonton Oilers in that year's entry draft.[9] Although passionate about playing hockey, a teammate of Dovigi's recalls that, "We were thinking only about hockey. His [Dovigi's] mind was somewhere else".

Early career

While playing minor league hockey, Dovigi began gaining business and entrepreneurial experience. From 1999 to 2002, Dovigi served as vice president of Right Lease, a construction equipment and automotive leasing company. In 2002, Dovigi gained exposure in corporate finance when he joined Brovi Investments. It was while working at Brovi Investments that Dovigi gained his first experience in waste management.

In 2004, a waste transfer station in Maple, Ontario suffered a fire. Brovi Investments had a mortgage on this waste transfer station and Dovigi was assigned to take care of the station's clean-up.[10]

Dovigi then established a new company and worked with the municipality of Vaughan and the environment ministry for two years to return the operating license to the waste transfer station.

In 2004, Dovigi took a seat on the board of NGTV, otherwise known as "No Good TV", which was a YouTube music and celebrity channel and an organization chaired by Kiss bassist and vocalist Gene Simmons.

Green For Life Environmental Inc.

In 2007, Dovigi founded Green For Life Environmental Inc. As Dovigi has mentioned to the media in the past, in establishing GFL, Dovigi had two goals in mind: first, to unlock the potential value hidden in small, mom-and-pop waste companies in Canada; second, to conveniently offer bundled environmental services under one company brand, an offering that was not present in the Canadian waste industry at the time.

Dovigi successfully led in merging and acquiring several local haulers, including National Waste Services. GFL would go on to successfully acquire nearly a dozen waste management companies.

Dovigi and GFL gained a significantly higher level of prominence when the company won a $186-million, nine-year contract to manage and collect the residential waste of 155,000 homes in the west end of Toronto.

In 2016, GFL gained an equity investment from Macquarie Infrastructure Partners, which raised the total value of GFL to roughly $2.4 billion.[11]

In April 2018, GFL negotiated a recapitalization with BC Partners and Ontario Teachers' Pension Plan at $5.125 billion.[12] In October 2018, GFL merged with Waste Industries in a deal that valued Waste Industries at US$2.825 billion (approximately C$3.65 billion). The merger doubled GFL's presence in the United States.[4]

Dovigi continues to serve as GFL's president and chief executive officer.

Recognition and community involvement

In 2017, Dovigi was named Entrepreneur of the Year in the Power & Utilities & Environment sector at the EY Entrepreneur of the Year Ontario Awards.[13] In 2018, he appeared on the Canadian Business - Canada's Richest People 2018 list at #97 with a listed net worth of $1.08 billion.[3]

In honour of his hometown, in 2018 Dovigi acquired naming rights for GFL for the home of the Soo Greyhounds from the city of Sault Ste. Marie. The arena will be called the GFL Memorial Gardens for the next 10 years.[14] Also in 2018, Dovigi was elected to the Board of Directors of the Environmental Research & Education Foundation (EREF).[15]

Dovigi has made financial donations to organizations that include Camp Oochigeas,[16] Habitat for Humanity,[17] Sunnybrook Foundation, The National Ballet of Canada.[18]

In June 2019, Dovigi donated $5 million to fund a new sports medicine clinic, called The Dovigi Family Sports Medicine Clinic, which will be built in partnership with Sinai Health in Toronto.[19]

Other organizational work

Dovigi serves as a director on the board of directors for the Ontario Waste Management Association (OWMA).[20]

Personal life

Dovigi lives in Toronto with his wife and five children and has a second home in Muskoka, Ontario.[21]

In 2021, an entity tied to Dovigi purchased an apartment for $4.5 million on the 38th floor of 432 Park Avenue, a luxury development in New York City.[22] In December 2022, Dovigi sold his Aspen, Colorado mansion for $55 million, after one year of ownership.[23]

In May 2023, Dovigi purchased €330 million superyacht Ahpo from fellow Canadian billionaire Michael Lee-Chin.[24] Upon his purchase, it was renamed Lady Jorgia.[25] It made its first high-profile appearance since Dovigi's purchase at the 2023 Monaco Grand Prix.[26]

Notes and References

  1. News: Top of the heap: How BC Partners pulled off the biggest private buyout in Canada with GFL deal. Nelson . Jacqueline . June 3, 2018. The Globe and Mail . October 4, 2018.
  2. News: GFL Environmental Inc. announces $5.125 Billion recapitalization with new investors led by BC Partners and their partner OTPP. April 22, 2018 . October 4, 2018.
  3. News: Canada's Richest People 2018 . November 9, 2017. Canadian Business . October 3, 2018.
  4. News: GFL Environmental buying U.S. company Waste Industries in deal valued at $3.65B . October 10, 2018. CTV News . October 26, 2018.
  5. News: Toronto's new garbage magnate stickhandles his way to the front . Lorinc. John. October 26, 2011. The Globe and Mail . March 3, 2016.
  6. News: Q&A: Patrick Dovigi, the NHL-goalie-turned-entrepreneur who won Toronto's lucrative garbage contract . Johnston. Malcolm. January 31, 2012. Toronto Life . March 3, 2016.
  7. News: Looking back at the 1996 and 1997 drafts . Roper . Paul. March 28, 2012. ottershockey.com . March 4, 2016.
  8. News: Business is picking up at garbage upstart Green for Life . Kari. Shannon. February 3, 2015. The Globe and Mail . March 1, 2016.
  9. News: Hockey team gets offensive . Gonsalves. Kevin. October 10, 2001. The Eyeopener . March 2, 2016.
  10. News: Levy: Talkin' trash . Sue-Ann. Levy . October 30, 2011. The Toronto Sun . March 2, 2016.
  11. News: GFL Environmental Completes CAD$800m Acquisition of Matrec . Messenger. Ben. February 22, 2016. Waste Management World . March 2, 2016.
  12. News: GFL to stay private amid IPO rumors with $5B recapitalization deal . Rosengren . Cole . April 14, 2018. Waste Dive . October 4, 2018.
  13. News: GFL Founder & CEO Patrick Dovigi Wins Prestigious Ernst & Young Award. October 25, 2017. October 5, 2018.
  14. News: We can officially call it 'The Gardens' again . Taylor. Darren. September 12, 2018. Sootoday.com . October 5, 2018.
  15. News: Marty Bryant, Patrick Dovigi and Tara Hemmer Elected to EREF Board of Directors . February 22, 2018. wasteadvantagemag.com . October 5, 2018.
  16. News: Individual Donors. October 5, 2018.
  17. News: Annual Report 2017. October 5, 2018.
  18. News: Annual Report. October 5, 2018.
  19. News: Patrick Dovigi Donates $5M To Fund New Dovigi Family Sports Medicine Clinic . June 14, 2019. Value Walk . June 26, 2019.
  20. News: OWMA . March 3, 2016.
  21. News: Kamping-Carder . Leigh . September 1, 2016 . Muskoka, Canada's Vacation-Home Haven, Gets a Modern Makeover . The Wall Street Journal . October 3, 2018.
  22. News: Clarke . Katherine . Exclusive A Mega-Lawsuit, a Rush of Listings and Price Cuts Galore: What's Going on at 432 Park? . 2024-05-30 . WSJ . en-US.
  23. Web site: Hourie . Ilya . 2022-12-31 . Patrick Dovigi sells Aspen home for $55M . 2023-05-27 . The Real Deal . en.
  24. Web site: €330M Lürssen Ahpo sold in three months and renamed Lady Jorgia . 2023-05-27 . www.boatinternational.com . en.
  25. Web site: LADY JORGIA Yacht • Patrick Dovigi $350 Million Superyacht • Lurssen • 2021 . 2023-05-27 . SuperYachtFan . en-us.
  26. Web site: The coolest yachts in town for the 2023 Monaco Grand Prix . 2023-05-27 . www.boatinternational.com . en.