On August 16, 2016, WestGen recognized Gordon Souter in a dedication ceremony of the boardroom. Gordon and Barbara Souter attended with their family.
Over his 40 plus year career in the genetics and AI field, Gordon Souter – or as most people know him, “Gordie” – made an impact on the industry in Western Canada that is simply unmatched. It could be argued perhaps, that none has made a bigger impact in the whole of Canada.
Born in Alberta and educated in British Columbia, Gordie joined BCAI Centre in 1959, starting as a technician but swiftly moving into the key role of fieldman in 1961 His skills, and vision in all aspects of genetic improvement, permitted him to become a major innovator in multiple facets of the cattle breeding industry. He refined genetic evaluation methods, developed sire proving programs, introduced genetic mating programs and improved cow identification and registration.
Many know Gordie as an expert sire analyst for dairy breeds, but he was instrumental as well in promoting the importation of well-known sires of several beef breeds to North America during the exotic breeds era. –
In 1971 Gordie was promoted to assistant manager and General Manager in 1977. He quickly began making an impact in his leadership roles with the company. He led BCAI Centre to become the first in Canada to offer monetary incentives to producers to progeny test young dairy sires. It was the catalyst needed in BC to add many more herds to the key breed improvement programs of registration, milk recording and classification. Through this key change, WestGen was able to at one point sample over 40 Holstein bulls per year – through it, establishing the concept of punching above our weight class.
A Herd Analysis Service, introduced under Gordie’s tenure as manager of BCAI became the first mating 
program in Canada using official proofs on bulls to improve faults in cows. An improved, computerized version evolved into the current ‘G-Mate’ program. Under Gordie’s management, funding was provided by the BCAI Centre for research on genetic evaluation for protein at the University of British Columbia. This work gave a base for Protein Proofs, which later were adopted by the Canadian Milk Recording Board as part of the Official Proofs.
As general manager of the BCIA Centre, Mr. Souter provided an embryo transfer service to clients. He played a central role in helping 4 Canadian partners transition their jointly-owned export arm, Semex Canada, to the celebrated success story that the Semex Alliance has become today..
Gordon was a board member of Semex UK, Semex Deutschland and Semex Holland, subsidiary companies that Semex held ownership in.He was a founding director of the British Columbia Dairy Herd Improvement Services. Notably, as an active member of the ‘Futures’ group, in 1995 Gordie played a pivotal role in establishing the private, industry-funded, genetic evaluation centre for dairy cattle in Canada, the Canadian Dairy Network. He was responsible for hiring its first and only GM Brian VanDoormaal who is here today, and served as the CDN’s first board chairman until 1997.
In recognition of service to agriculture, Gordie was inducted into the Canadian Agricultural Hall of fame 
2004 . In addition Gordon and his wife, Barbara, were presented with the Ralph J. Barichello Memorial Trophy by the Canadian Jersey Cattle Club. Gordon has been recipient of the Canadian Association of Animal Breeders Award of Merit, the BC Holstein Breeders Award, Agriculturist of the Year Award, Certificate of Recognition from BC Holstein Breeders Association and many other community awards.
Gordie ran a tight ship at BCAI and had the unquestioned respect of all its long-tenured employees, many of whom are here today. He was frugal, yet was never afraid to invest in progressive steps intended to secure BCAI Centre’s future. And while by all accounts, Gordie was an exceptional, much-loved manager here, he was even more outstanding in his additional role as sire analyst. His acquisition of Madawaska Aerostar, its impact on this small AI centre, on Western Canadian herds, herds across Canada and herds around the world is unprecedented. Aerostar and his sons helped usher in an era of unprecedented growth in international sales, including his son Aeroline who was also purchased by Gordie and who made his career here. They are still the only sire-son pair in Canada who both produced and sold a Million doses of semen while living under the same roof. Gordie also gets credit for two additional millionaire sires, Stouder Morty and Mainstream Manifold, who is Semex’ latest addition to the famed list and who coincidentally would be a very rare bull today to have no Aerostar in his pedigree. No one has more millionaires to his credit than Gordie. While Morty and Manifold was purchased for Semex, the millions of dollars in sales generated by Aerostar and Aeroline – bulls owned by BCAI and then later WestGen – are the biggest contributors even two decades later for underwriting the costs of this new office.
For a remarkable career, Gordie, for a legacy that equates to consistently ensuring that you and the company you led “punched above its weight class” we feel it only fitting to herald that legacy by naming in your honour, the room where many more critical decisions for the next 70 years will be made.
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