Klyne to be recognized for professional excellence

Posted: September 16, 2013 2:25 p.m.

Marty Klyne, 2013 recipient of the Alumni Award for Distinguished Professional Achievement Photo: U of R Photography

When Marty Klyne graduated from high school, going to university was the farthest thing from his mind.

A few years later, Klyne found himself in a classroom at the University of Regina, determined to acquire the skills he needed to handle the challenges he met on a regular basis in the business world.

It took eight years of taking class at night and on weekends, even working full-time and going to school full-time at one point, but he stayed with it and graduated with a Bachelor of Administration (With Distinction) in 1986.

Klyne is the 2013 recipient of the Alumni Award for Distinguished Professional Achievement, awarded to an alumnus who has achieved professional excellence and demonstrated leadership in his or her pursuit of success.

The knowledge and skills he acquired became the "toolbox" he carried as he took on positions of increasing responsibility in the business world, starting with jobs in the banking sector and going on to other challenges in gaming, publishing and running his own business.

In addition to the enduring friendships he made with faculty members and classmates and his "toolbox" of skills, Klyne values the opportunities opened up by his participation in the University's Co-Operative Education (Co-Op) Program.

"One of the best things I got myself into was the Co-op Program," he says. "I highly recommend this route for any business or engineering student.  It accelerated my career path by probably seven years.  Having the extra cash while going to university was a good thing too."

Klyne's goal at the time was to work in the banking industry, doing corporate lending, and the experience he gained as a Co-Op student helped him secure a position with The Mercantile Bank of Canada. Later, he worked in retail banking with the Royal Trust Corporation of Canada.

The next step was president and CEO of the Sasknative Economic Development Corporation, a commercial lender and business advisory group serving Métis entrepreneurs. He said the corporation financed "everything from cattle operations to a radio station in the north, to tourism-related businesses, to oil and gas companies, to micro-businesses and everything in between."

From 1997 to 2002 he was president and CEO of the Regina Regional Economic Development Authority. In 2004, he was hired as president and CEO of the Saskatchewan Gaming Corporation, which operates Casinos Regina and Moose Jaw.

Klyne says his most challenging and rewarding career experience came between 2008 and May 2013 when he was the Publisher/CEO of The StarPhoenix and The Leader-Post, divisions of Postmedia Network, Inc. He took on this job at a time when the newspaper business faced major changes in the industry, a downturn in the economy and high levels of debt.

Throughout his career, Klyne also operated his own business, a Maaco Collision Repair and Auto Painting franchise that he acquired in 1987 and sold only recently. Together with his spouse Charlene, he built it to a level where it was recognized as the top Maaco franchise in Canada.

Community involvement has also been a priority for him and he has devoted time to a wide variety of causes, among them serving as chairman of the National Aboriginal Economic Development Board and president of Grey Cup 2003 Inc.

Klyne will be one of five distinguished alumni recognized at the ninth Annual Alumni Crowning Achievement Awards Gala on September 20.

To purchase tickets and for more information visit: www.uregina.ca/alumni.