Business History With HRI
Business history is an integral aspect of a company's profile. It is a specialized field of corporate research that showcases the historic successes, growth, and legacy of the company.
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Historical Research International Inc. (HRI) will expertly research and document the history of your company, with a narrative that accurately showcases the accomplishments and innovations of the business. It is therefore a key component of business for all entrepreneurs.
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HRI Business History Offers
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Archival and business research on your company.
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Corporate Archiving - building a corporate archive.
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Publication of your company history.
Webcast
A Premiere Webcast, Business History with HRI​
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HRI invites leading members of the business and intellectual communities, to share their vast experience on our webcast.
Webcasts
Professor Joe Martin
Professor Joe Martin is the Founding President of the Canadian Business History Association and at the University of Toronto - Rotman School of Management Finance and Business History Initiative, he served as the Director of the Canadian Business and Financial History Program. In the realm of academia Prof. Martin has authored two groundbreaking books:
• Relentless Change; A Casebook for the Study of Canadian Business History, Rotman/UTP; 2010 (Canadian best seller) and
• From Wall Street to Bay Street: A Comparative History of the Financial Systems of the United States and Canada; C.P. Kobrak & Joe Martin; Rotman/UTP; 2018 [made into a Documentary, shown to 85% of the PBS affiliates and was translated into Mandarin and sold in China in 2023- 5 times the sales in one year in China than in 5 years in North America).
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In addition, Prof. Martin has written five Chapters, three Forewords, and four Monographs since The Role and Place of Ontario in the Canadian Confederation was first published in 1974 by the Ontario Economic Council. He has also supervised 11 Business History Case Studies and written three more beyond the 13 published in Relentless Change. Prof. Martin has written over sixty historical articles and book reviews, or business and management articles. His work has been published in Canada’s History, the Financial Post or academic journals such as AHR, BHR, E & S, Financial History and HER. But he has also published in Saskatchewan Folklore, the Polish Banker and the Tiny Cottager. His subject matter has included the economy, industries, companies, and business/government matters. In recent years he has reviewed books for McGill Queens University Press and articles for BHR published by the Harvard Business School.
In addition to his time at the University of Toronto, Professor Martin also served as a Visiting Scholar; University of Sydney, Australia 2008. His guest lectures included, Harvard Canada Seminar, Weather head Center for International Affairs in 2005. Professor Martin is a prolific speaker. He has given nearly 200 presentations on historical and management topics While many of those have been given in Toronto or his hometown of Winnipeg, he has also spoken across Canada and other parts of the world – the USA, Europe, Asia Pacific, South Africa and Bermuda. His awards and honours include:
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2012 - Queen's Diamond Jubilee Medal
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2004 Arbor Award from the University of Toronto, for establishing the Canadian Business History Program
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2008 – Philip B. Lind Award winner; WNED/PBS for assistance with The War of 1812 production;
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2013- Heritage Champion Award;
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2023 - Albany Club of Toronto Honouree of the Year for his work as Club historian
Dr. Chris Fernandes
LLD. hc, CCH, AA
John Fernandes Limited, Guyana, South America/ Caribbean, is a prestigious shipping company that "provides customized shipping and logistics solutions in and out of Guyana, connecting with any worldwide destination."(JFL)
Dr. Chris Fernandes led JFL as Chairman and CEO from 1992, and oversaw expansions. JFL subsidiaries include Fernandes Energy Inc. (FEI), Oil and Gas Support Services; Bounty Farm Ltd., local producers and nationwide distributor of poultry, stock feed and live chicks; Bounty Supermarkets, a chain of supermarkets in and around Georgetown; Fairfield Rice Inc., Rice farmers, millers and exporters; JP Santos & Company Ltd., Real Estate holders and majority owners of Bounty Supermarkets and a myriad number of partnerships.
He has served as the Honorary Consul for Germany to Guyana; the first President of the Shipping Association of Guyana Inc. over the period 1995-2002, and the Chairman of St. Stanislaus College Board, and on the Caribbean Shipping Association, among many other noted roles.
For his long and dedicated service in the field of Commerce and Shipping, the Government of Guyana awarded him two prestigious national awards, the CCH (Cacique Crown of Honor) Award and the Golden Arrow of Achievement (AA). In 2024, he was bestowed with an Honourary Doctorate from the University of Guyana. In 2025, he received a Lifetime Achievement Award from the Georgetown Chamber of Commerce & Industry (GCCI) for his outstanding accomplishments and significant contributions to the business community and the wider society. He is a distinguished graduate of the Irish Management Institute and Pennsylvania State University.
