Ford Family Business Accused of ‘Mismanagement’

Doug Ford, brother of Toronto Mayor Rob Ford, defended his business record. He claimed that his family business was running profitably.

The mayoral candidate of Toronto, who is campaigning to replace his brother in the coming elections, defended his management record at the family business. He said that he was the best person to "manage the public purse" as he referred to his experience of being the president of "Deco Labels and Tags." However, the Globe and Mail reported that the business Doug was referring to had suffered financially as well as operationally since 2008. The financial documents revealed by the website revealed that the annual bonus of the shareholders fell by $685,000 during 2007 and 2010. Anonymous sources also revealed that the company had suffered from family infighting, delays and mismanagement.

National Post reported in June that Ford family business had become 'a nightmare' after Doug handed managerial control to Randy Ford. According to the former employees at the company that the website interviewed, the company was "well run" when Doug was in charge. However, the company apparently became "absolute chaos" after the 2010 election. Former Deco Vice President called Doug a "polished executive" who had been "articulate" and "well-dressed." He also said that Doug was "an excellent salesman." Randy, on the contrary, turned out to be nothing more than a "good manufacturing executive" as Rudner called him "not capable."

It was earlier reported that Doug, along with his brother Rob, had arranged meetings for a major Deco partner at city hall using their influence. While Rob dismissed the allegation, mayoral challengers did not waste time to criticise the report. However, it has remained relatively unknown for the last four years how the family business of the Ford family operates itself.

A couple of anonymous sources who used to work for the company questioned the purchase of New Jersey company, "Wise Tag and Label." According to them, the New Jersey company has had a negative effect on Deco. They also said that it showed how impulsive Doug was and that he was incapable of planning. Doug, on the other hand, boasted of his company being "self-financed." He said that the company had never taken any loan from the bank.

Contact the writer: s.mukhopadhyay@ibtimes.com.au