Bryan Bennett, the founder of TheMIGroup and one of the founding fathers of OMNI, died recently, aged 97.
It was back in 1986 that two trading groups, CETI and Eurovan, both representing US van lines in the European market, came together to form OMNI. According to Patrick Oman, a past president of OMNI, it was Bryan and fellow industry heavyweight, Bob Tull of Security Storage in Washington, who had the idea that was to change the face of global moving. Bob died in May 2022 aged 96.
In a recent interview Patrick said that Bryan had been very influential in the industry and a wise mentor to many. He said that he even used to time his visits to London, to coincide with when Bryan visited, just so he could share a taxi with him from the airport and have the opportunity for some one-on-one time with him.
Bryan was born in Wales, UK and spent his early childhood in India before he was sent to the UK for school. He subsequently returned to Asia and then on to the Caribbean. Later he headed for Canada where he started the company that was to become TheMIGroup, one of the major influencers in the industry.
In a recent press release his family said that Bryan was deeply passionate about the moving and relocation business. He cared immensely for the people he worked with and all employees of TheMIGroup. He worked hard to create a culture of involvement and ownership and was immensely proud of the company and its people. Even in his eighties Bryan would attend conferences and loved speaking to all attendees to learn about their perspectives and sense of direction of the business.
Bill Graebel commented: “Bryan was certainly a visionary leader and industry pacesetter who we greatly admired and respected. As well, TheMIGroup were a formidable competitor that helped elevate their customers’ experience when moving internationally. In total, he was an exceptional gentleman with a bright twinkle in his eye. He will be missed!”
There will be a celebration of his life in Oakville, Ontario, Canada on October 10th.