Who is Brett Wilson?

The Nashville Predators ownership group yesterday announced that Brett Wilson had purchased 5% of the team. This is a great move for the Predators, and given his musical background with the Beach Boys, he should fit in well in Nashville...

Wait... What?

Brian Wilson?

Uh...

Seriously, the addition of Wilson is a plus for the Predators organization. They have added a very astute and successful businessman to the ownership group, a businessman that has a track record of successfully creating companies and weallth from his home base in Calgary. Currently, Wilson is Chairman of Canoe Financial, a $2 billion private investment management firm.

I would invite anyone to take a look at his website here for a unique look at this most interesting gentleman.

Outside of the business world, Wilson has made a name for himself as a philanthropist involved in raising large sums of money for various charitable causes in the provinces of Calgary and Saskatchewan. In 2007, he joined with several leading businessmen in Calgary to raise over $3 million for prostate cancer awareness and research. Later that same year, he raised a similar sum for financial assistance for families of children awaiting organ transplants.. He also established the Wilson Centre for Domestic Abuse Studies at the Calgary Counseling Center and the Wilson Centre for Entrepreneurial Excellence at his alma mater, the University of Saskatchewan.

Bringing a successful and community minded individual like Brett Wilson into the ownership group was not just a a happenstance. Wilson is friends with one of the members of the Predators ownership group, David Freeman. Freeman is co-owner of the the Jackson Generals, a AA baseball team in Jackson, Tn, with Wilson. Freeman had introduced Wilson to the ownership group several years ago, and it was announced that he would be making an investment into the Predators at that time.

Wilson owns a condo in downtown Nashville and has for several years. Having the financial strength of this new owner as well as his community oriented focus is good for the Predators and is especially timely as the team continues to negotiate to sign both Ryan Suter and Shea Weber to new contracts.

Brett (not Brian), welcome to Nashville. I think you will fit in well with the Predator faithful and with our community at large.