The Oppenheimer Group

Mayor Oppenheimer's Legacy Lives on in Restoration Gift

Like so many in the Vancouver area, the employees of The Oppenheimer Group, and the descendants of Vancouver's second mayor, David Oppenheimer, were heartsick to see the damage the December 15 storm wrought upon Stanley Park in 2006.

The park holds a very special place in their hearts -- not only because it was home to happy times spent among its trees and on its beaches over the years -- but also because the park and the company share a meaningful heritage.

It was the organization's founder, David Oppenheimer, who opened the park in 1888 when he was serving as the city's mayor.

In a tribute to the mayor, the park, and the Vancouver community which the company has called home for nearly a century and a half, The Oppenheimer Group joined with the mayor's descendants, Marti Oppenheimer, Janet and Ernie Hammond and their children, Trevor and David Hammond and Heidi Cyr, to support the restoration fund with a combined donation of $30,000.

"We know Mayor Oppenheimer treasured Stanley Park and worked hard to assure the land would be set aside for the enjoyment of the people of Vancouver," said John Anderson, The Oppenheimer Group's chairman, president and CEO, who has lived in Vancouver all his life. "He would have wanted the park to continue to thrive and to be accessible to everyone. We hope our gift will help accomplish this."

On July 12, 2008, Mayor Sam Sullivan proclaimed "David Oppenheimer Day" in the city of Vancouver, to honour this innovative founding father who built much of the city"s infrastructure more than 120 years ago. At a ceremony in Stanley Park, Mayor Oppenheimer"s life was remembered during speeches by city officials, local historians, members of his family, and John Anderson.

With his three brothers, David Oppenheimer established the original Oppenheimer Brothers & Co. as a wholesale provisioners store in Victoria in 1858, providing food and supplies to fortune-seekers during the gold rush. They opened their first Vancouver warehouse in 1887. Soon afterward, the Oppenheimer brothers formed a friendship with the growers of Japanese mandarin oranges, and became the first to import and sell the fruit commercially in Canada. The Oppenheimer Group continues to bring these sentimental favorites to homes across Canada every winter.

Over the years, the company grew to specialize in fresh produce marketing, introducing New Zealand kiwifruit, as well as Granny Smith, Braeburn, Royal Gala and ENZA Jazz apples to this country.

The Oppenheimer Group now delivers fruits and vegetables grown in Canada, as well as more than 30 other nations, throughout North America and beyond. The Oppenheimer Group brings such local favorites as greenhouse-grown tomatoes, peppers and cucumbers, as well as gold pineapple, apples and blueberries, to the market.

To learn more about The Oppenheimer Group, recognized by the Vancouver Historical Society as the province's oldest, continuously operating company in British Columbia, visit www.oppyproduce.com .

The Park Board is grateful to the Oppenheimer Group and the Oppenheimer Family for their generous support of the Stanley Park Restoration.

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