Obituary: Former Westinghouse Canada president Ted Priestner was 'bigger than life'

Former Westinghouse Canada president Edward (Ted) Priestner is being remembered as a bigger-than-life character who had a down-to-earth quality.

Priestner - who died at age 86 on Aug. 12 - was one of the last presidents of the once-venerable Hamilton-based industrial giant that employed thousands across Canada in the 20th century, including at plants in Hamilton, Burlington, Guelph and Oakville.

The Hamilton native served as president from 1985-91, taking over from Frank Tyaack, who served seven years. The company was already divesting and restructuring when Priestner took over, having sold its appliance division to Camco in 1977 and abandoning its seven-storey office building on Sanford Avenue North, and that continued under him. One of its large appliance plants was on Aberdeen Avenue.

Under Priestner, 12 divisions were merged into four, layoffs hit the firm, jobs were sent overseas and divisions were sold off. Its head office was relocated to downtown Hamilton and, in 1987, it sold its former office building, built in 1917. Two years later, it sold its transformer business to a Swiss company, which involved 1,500 workers at six plants, including two in Hamilton. It represented a fifth of its workforce.

Westinghouse Canada lasted until 1997 when it sold its turbine generation plants to Siemens AG of Germany. This involved three plants in Hamilton, including a large plant on Milton Avenue, near the former headquarters.

Priestner warned business would not be usual when he took over.

"The bottom line is survival," Priestner told The Spectator after he assumed the presidency on June 1, 1985. "The days are over when Henry Ford could say you can have any colour you like as long as it's black ... You wake up one day and realize you have to be competitive."

Priestner was succeeded by Gary Graham in September 1991, but remained as chairman on a part-time basis until 1993.

Priestner's daughter, Nancy Gervais, described her father as a people person who treated everyone with dignity.

"He was probably the most generous, fair and down-to-earth man you would want to meet," said the Ancaster resident, who is a nurse at Joseph Brant Hospital. "He treated everyone with dignity and loved to make people laugh."

She also said, despite his busy schedule, he always made time for family.

On social media, friend and co-worker Robert Palmese said he would remember Priestner "as the top guy, bigger than life, but down to earth and always ready with a joke."

Another co-worker Al Robson said Priestner had a "wonderful confident presence" whether he was in an executive meeting or joking with rank-and-file employees.

Priestner was one of six children born to William and Helen Priestner. He arrived June 4, 1936. His father worked at the International Harvester plant and his mother was a homemaker. He attended St. Ann's Catholic Elementary School and Cathedral Boys' secondary school.

He obtained a Bachelor of Economics from the University of Western Ontario in London, Ont., in 1958. His first job was at the Prudential Insurance Co. in Toronto.

He joined Westinghouse Canada in 1961 and steadily climbed the ladder, serving as treasurer (1971-78), vice-president of finance (1978-81) and vice-president of operations (1981-84).

Priestner served on the boards of the Hamilton Chamber of Commerce, McMaster University, Junior Achievement, United Way, St. Joseph's Hospital and the Electrical and Electronics Manufacturers Association of Canada. He received an honorary law degree from McMaster. His hobbies included sailing, golfing, skiing and woodworking.

Pittsburgh-based Westinghouse came to Hamilton in 1903 and, at one time, its operations here also made air brakes, circuit breakers, toasters, radios, not to mention munitions during both world wars.

Its successors are now gone - the Camco plant on Aberdeen Avenue closed in 2002 and Siemens closed the turbine plant on Milton Avenue in 2011.

Priestner is survived by his wife Marianne, daughters Lorrie, Patti and Nancy, and six grandchildren. He is also survived by his sister Helen.

Daniel Nolan can be reached at dannolanwrites@gmail.com