He was president from 1969 to 1989, leading the company through some of its greatest growth and diversification, out of cattle and hog slaughter and into emphasis on further processing.He faced many challenges, including coping with an aging main plant on Courtland Avenue in Kitchener. He invested in many upgrades and expansions, but finally decided to exit slaughter and bacon processing.
He shunned the spotlight, leaving roles in industry organizations to staff members such as Ken Murray and Harold Dodds who took over as chief executive officer in 1989 when Schneider moved up to chairman of the board.
I recall how hurt he and the company were when I wrote about problems with meat inspectors, including a time when the veterinarian in charge locked his door, leaving the staff without effective enforcement powers so they sat in the lunch room munching on marijuana-laced cake. He took a full-page ad in the newspaper where I worked, The Record, to complain that the company's proud reputation for quality had been "besmirched".
He was passionate about conservation and planted thousands of trees on his hilly property northwest of Waterloo; he always left the big hill open to sledders and skiers and hikers. He was honoured many times with awards for conservation and environmental projects, including the Grand River Conservation Authority.
He also liked classical music and was a stalwart supporter of the K-W Symphony Orchestra.
In 1998, the grandchildren of J.M. Schneider sold the company to Smithfield Foods of Virginia, rejecting a higher bid from Maple Leaf Foods. Fred could not stomach the thought that long-term rival, Canada Packers, would win.
Smithfield proved to be a poor choice, riddled with controversy for water pollution and anti-union strong-arm tactics. Smithfield also betrayed the Schneider family, selling to Maple Leaf in 2004 in a deal that made economic sense because it combined the business into one more able to stand up to competition from U.S. giants and able to meet the volume demands of national supermarket chains, such as Loblaws.
Throughout the contoversies and successes, Frederick P. Schneider remained in the background, quietly exerting determined leadership.
