Journalist, businessman, author.
Born at Winnipeg on 24 April 1942, son of Richard Spink Bowles and Una Frances Arnett, he attended Kelvin High School where he met his future wife, Penelope Varley “Penny” Hutchison. Married on 1 June 1966, they would go on to have two children. At the University of Winnipeg, he served as newspaper editor. He was later a freelance journalist and broadcaster in the fields of business and finance, and Business Editor at the Winnipeg Free Press.
In 1970, he joined Royal Canadian Securities as Assistant to the President, Douglas Donald “Doug” Everett. The following year, he was promoted to Vice-President (Administration) and eventually became President of its subsidiary Domo Gasoline where he helped to grow the company into one of Canada's largest independent retail gasoline chains. As a co-author with Ken Blanchard, he wrote the business books Raving Fans! (1993), Big Bucks! (2000), High Five! (2001), and Gung Ho! (2004). With Richard Silvano and Susan Silvano, he co-wrote Kingdomality: An Ingenious New Way to Triumph in Management (2005). In 2007, he received an honorary doctorate from the University of Alberta.
He died at Winnipeg on 5 April 2026.
See also:
Manitoba Business: Domo Gasoline Corporation
“Engagement announcements,” Winnipeg Free Press, 23 April 1966, page 20.
“The Royal Canadian Securities Co. Ltd.,” Winnipeg Free Press, 20 February 1971, page 29.
Obituary, Winnipeg Free Press, 18 April 2026.
We thank James Arnett for providing additional information used here.
This page was prepared by Gordon Goldsborough.
Page revised: 19 April 2026
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