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Calgary Herald

Parker: Brian Sidorsky's enterprising success inspired early by Junior Achievement

A large and lively party is being held tonight to celebrate Brian Sidorsky's 80 th birthday, and the 60th anniversary of his company, Lansdowne Equity Ventures. Article content Do the math and it means he's been running his own business since he was 20 years old, yet he was working way before then. Article content A Calgarian through and through, Sidorsky's grandfather left Lithuania to sail to Canada from Liverpool on the same day the Titanic left on her ill-fated voyage across the Atlantic. Article content Article content That meant Sidorsky had five exciting years in the Junior Achievement (JA) program that he says changed the course of his life. Article content Sidorsky said he loved being involved in creating a business in each 16-week program, along with 15 or 20 other kids. He was named president of the JA company that had to come up with an idea, raise capital, manufacture a product, and market it. Article content One was a clip for an ironing board cord that was sold door-to-door and at the Woodward's Trade Fair. Article content Article content At the time, furniture was his passion and using all of the skills he acquired with JA, Sidorsky opened his own 2,000-square-foot store in 1965 on 16 th Avenue N.W. across from Balmoral High School. Article content Within three years he had outgrown the space and was lucky enough to be able to purchase a store on the corner of Centre Street and 16 th Avenue from a gentleman who was about to retire. Article content With no capital, but credit from his good suppliers, Sidorsky loved selling and soon trained another 25 people who were eager to welcome a huge volume of customers attracted by his heavy volume of advertising.