Vaughn Wyant and Lori Leach
Community building and business success are two sides of the same coin for Saskatoon entrepreneur Vaughn Wyant and his partner, Lori Leach.
“There are many worthwhile fundraising efforts, and we support the majority of them,” says Vaughn, president of Vaughn Wyant Automotive Group. “But helping to build Remai Modern is a legacy opportunity for me, for my family, and for my employees.”
“The term ‘legacy’ is an important one for us,” Lori says. “My mother and grandmother were both artists, and Vaughn’s father [Gordon M. Wyant, a founder of the anesthesiology department at Royal University Hospital and an Officer of the Order of Canada] was a great lover of the arts.”
Vaughn says Lori, a lover of art and designer with her own company, Kinetic Design, has helped him and his family to understand the significant impact of the arts.
“Remai Modern is a very important cultural facility, and I totally agree with where it’s being built, at River Landing,” he says. “I see it as a great learning and meeting place for young people. The project is a way for us to make a significant contribution, to lend our name in perpetuity. I’m not just the guy who sells the cars.”
On behalf of his family—which includes, he emphasizes, more than 300 employees at his 12 dealerships—Vaughn donated $1 million to Remai Modern capital campaign. In recognition of this outstanding contribution, the café and adjoining terrace at the new facility will be named to honour this gift.
Remai Modern is “the right project at the right time,” Vaughn says. “If we’re growing up as a city, we need a world-class art museum.”
Adds Lori, “People are coming here from across Canada and around the world. The amenities of our city and province are now better matching their needs and expectations …and Remai Modern is a great part of that.”
In this resource-rich province, most businesses are thriving, Vaughn says. “I anticipate there will be a lot more people moving here in the next 20 years, so we’re going to be successful in our little enterprise. Why not give some back to the community?”