What an NCAA rule change might mean for junior hockey in Sask.
18h ago
Previously, WHL players were declared ineligible to play NCAA hockey in the U.S.
Since 1971, Cosmo Industries has been providing support and opportunities for people with intellectual disabilities.
This year, one of its founding members, Al Anderson was honoured with the 2022 Howard Stensrud Spirit of Cosmo Award, which is named after the other founding partner.
Many know and recognize Anderson’s name as a fixture in the Saskatoon sports community, to which he has provided equipment and uniforms for decades.
But Howard Stensrud’s son Michael, who has known Anderson since for years, says Anderson has done so much more for the community outside of that.
“Al was a major part of the creation of the services that we now take for granted across the world,” Stensrud said.
He adds the models they developed have been emulated for years.
“This is a Saskatoon success story that was copied around the world,” he said.
The Anderson and Stensrud families met in the ’60s when each had a child with a disability. They wanted to make sure the children had the proper services and support.
Anderson said he and Howard Stensrud were two very different people, but the goal of beginning Cosmo Industries was to give people a break and provide them with something that didn’t exist.
He says the centre is able to make sure people are given an opportunity.
“They brought together this mix of people that came from all walks of life and they bought into the idea that everybody should have a chance,” Anderson added.
He says they had to fight for years in order to get support from the government, but they wouldn’t stop.
“Howard and I would visit them every other month for a few years, (until) they eventually gave in,” Anderson said.
But the two knew they needed to put in the work in order to make sure the services were sustainable.
“They started to think about, ‘What would life be like for their son or daughter in 25 years?’ They really had started off with a blank slate because there was no services and they began to craft what they thought might be the best service for their son or daughter,” Michael Stensrud said.
The two became leaders and a voice for parents even though it wasn’t their main intention. That’s similar to how Anderson’s sports store began too.
Anderson said when he returned from his honeymoon, the company he worked for went out of business, so his love of sports led him on another unexpected trail.
Anderson loved playing and coaching basketball, but found one issue: He couldn’t find or buy Converse shoes, the brand every player wanted 50 years ago.
So he called the company trying to find a pair because people couldn’t buy the shoes in Canada.
“I phoned them and told them who I was and where I was from, and after they had a few laughs, we got talking and I said, ‘Well, you can’t buy Converse shoes in Canada and I’m in the sports business now and I’m trying to find a way to buy them,’ ” Anderson said.
After a long conversation with the company president about how involved Anderson was with the sport and his coaching at the university, they worked out a deal.
“He said, ‘That’s good enough for me. You are our new Canadian distributor for Converse shoes,’ ” said Anderson, who noted things changed overnight.
The store has become a Saskatoon fixture for sports needs. Anderson enjoyed its success for around 40 years until it came under new ownership about 10 years ago, even though his name is still on the building.
He says he often gets asked why that happened.
“Business is not complicated. Business is doing what you say you’re going to do for your customer. Business is about making customers happy,” said Anderson, adding he has been happy with how the new ownership has run things.
But looking back at all of his successes, Anderson knows there are a lot of similarities between his work at Cosmo Industries and the sports store.
“Treating people like they’re the most important customer that they’ll ever be, it’s pretty simple,” said Anderson, who noted if people feel like they belong, you’ll never have a problem.
Anderson is also the founding member of Elmwood Residences and helped launch the RIKI Walkathon, a million-dollar legacy in support of Camp Easter Seal.