What does it actually take to build something that lasts nearly 50 years and then hand it off to the next generation without losing a single step?

Lyle Kurtz didn't set out to become one of the most quietly influential figures in Canadian rodeo history.

He was a Saskatchewan ranch kid who came to Alberta for the oil and gas industry, spotted an opportunity, and launched CVS Controls with his wife Marie on August 13, 1978, with no money, one handshake deal struck on a Mediterranean honeymoon, and an absolute refusal to quit.

In this episode, Dr. Chad Hewlett sits down with his friend and client Lyle Kurtz, founder of CVS Controls, to trace the remarkable arc of a man who built a multi-million-dollar industrial controls company and then turned that business success into something that transformed Canadian professional rodeo, fighting for nearly a decade to bring team roping into the CPRA at the professional level.

What Lyle built in the arena goes far beyond prize money: a legacy of loyalty, mentorship, and giving back to the cowboys who built this industry, one entry fee at a time.

Listen For:

:08 How do you build a company for 48 years and hand it off without losing what made it great?

3:13 What does a honeymoon cruise to Sicily have to do with founding a multi-million dollar company?

9:21 Why did the CPRA fight so hard to keep team roping out of Canadian professional rodeo?

14:32 What pushes someone to spend years lobbying for a sport they weren't being paid to fight for?

17:17 What does it really mean to sponsor a cowboy — and why does Lyle Kurtz still carry his CPRA card?

CONNECT WITH GUESTS: LYLE KURTZ FOUNDER, CVS CONTROLS LTD.

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CONNECT WITH CHAD HEWLETT, VETERINARIAN | OWNER OF ENERGY EQUINE

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