Marc
F.G. Vanden Bussche’s grandfather immigrated to Canada from Geluwe, West
Flanders, Belgium, where he had supplemented his work on the family farm
by cycling professionally. Seeing greater opportunities for himself in
Canada, he set sail from Antwerp, 1926, aboard the Melita, an immigrant
ship carrying 1,500 passengers to Quebec City. Young Gerard made his way
to Chatham, Ontario, where other people of Flemish background had settled
as farmers. Nearly 30 years later, Gerard Vanden Bussche and his family
migrated to Delhi, Ontario, where Gerard and son, Roger, a recent graduate,
Ontario Agricultural College, Guelph, established a business specializing
in irrigation systems, supplying irrigation equipment as well as design
and installation services for local farmers. Nearly 21 years after his
father had co-founded the Belgian Club of Delhi, 1948, Roger Vanden Bussche
died prematurely, 1979, age 49. His wife initially carried on the business
operations. At age 18, however, Marc, Roger’s son, left school, 1980, to
begin working for the family business, eventually taking control of the
operations, 1991. As General Manager of the business co-founded by his
grandfather and father, Marc, former President, Canadian Irrigation Association,
has mandated a millennium goal: to make Vanden Bussche Irrigation &
Equipment Limited a North American leader in supplying and installing irrigation
systems. In this view, Marc Vanden Bussche, left, and the Vice President
of Shanxi Province toast each other, Feb 7, 1999, while the Vanden Bussche
team from Delhi toured China on a trade mission trip. [Photo, courtesy
Marc Vanden Bussche]