Irvings To Break Up Empire

The reason, as in most family splits, is a succession impasse, the sources say. Decision making was manageable when there was one owner, the patriarch K.C. Irving, and even three owners – in the person of his three sons, who operated for years on a close collegial basis. But there are now five younger Irvings working in the business, led by two strong-willed cousins: J.K.'s son Jim, day-to-day manager of the forest products business, and Arthur's son Kenneth, who handles the fast-growing energy business in Saint John. The tension was underlined yesterday when only one of the three elder brothers, J.K., now 79 – flanked by his sons Jim and Robert – attended the Toronto lunch marking the announcement of their induction into the Canadian Business Hall of Fame. J. K. Irving confirmed in an interview Tuesday that the structure of the family business is evolving. Asked if the different arms would become independent of each other, he said, “that's the evolution taking place today, and we're just in the process.” ... http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/story/RTGAM.20071121.wrhall21/BNStory/energy/

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