2026 GOLDEN PENCIL Honouree
Mike Lovsin
Chairman, Freson Market Ltd.
Born and raised in Alberta, Mike Lovsin is a second-generation business person, a dedicated food retail merchant, a lifelong advocate for the province's independent agricultural and retail sectors. Growing up immersed in the rural Northern Alberta community of Peace River— defined by its deep roots in farming, ranching, and lumber—Mike was instilled from a young age with the profound community values of rural Alberta. He currently serves as the Chairman of Freson Bros., one of the largest family-owned independent food retailers in Western Canada and as President of Altamart Investments (1993) Ltd. Through Altamart Investments (1993) Ltd., Mike actively scales the family’s commercial footprint while ensuring that capital investments and retail profits are retained within local communities.
Mike’s career is a direct extension of his commitment to a 71-year enterprise legacy that began in 1955 when his father, Frank Lovsin, opened a small, skid-mounted butcher shop in the resource community of Hinton, Alberta. Raised in the grocery business, Mike approaches his contribution as a true food retail merchant who views community development as the absolute foundation of community service. Over the ensuing decades, his steadfast dedication to his craft as a merchant and to Freson Bros. as an institution has been instrumental in scaling the enterprise spanning from Peace River and Manning in the north, to Drumheller in the south, and most recently urban stores in Edmonton. Today, the enterprise employs over 1,200 Albertans in seventeen stores in fourteen communities across Alberta.
Today, Freson Bros. operates with an unwavering dedication to "The Craft"—maintaining in-house real master butchers and an uncompromising structural commitment to local primary producers under the philosophy of "Alberta Grown. Alberta Owned." Through extensive procurement partnerships with local farmers, we have successfully created a premier retail platform that directly bridges Alberta’s rural agricultural output with urban consumers, enhancing domestic food security.
A passionate voice in national retail and agricultural policy, Mike has dedicated his efforts to advocating for the viability of independent businesses against market consolidation. He is a past Chair of the Canadian Federation of Independent Grocers (CFIG)—where he was honoured with the prestigious Life Member Award in 2015—and a past Chair of the Independent Retail Grocers of Alberta. He currently serves on the board of United Grocers Inc. (UGI), leveraging national procurement strategies to keep independent grocers competitive.
Beyond his corporate mandates, Mike is deeply committed to provincial welfare and social infrastructure. He served as the Board Chair of the Kids with Cancer Society, spearheading vital support services for children and families. Furthermore, our enterprise is a major supporter of youth in agriculture, annually purchasing livestock and sponsoring 4-H members across the province. Mike represents a unique synthesis of small-town values and an unwavering dedication to the success of his community, his company, and the Alberta agri-food supply chain.
Chairman, Freson Market Ltd.
Born and raised in Alberta, Mike Lovsin is a second-generation business person, a dedicated food retail merchant, a lifelong advocate for the province's independent agricultural and retail sectors. Growing up immersed in the rural Northern Alberta community of Peace River— defined by its deep roots in farming, ranching, and lumber—Mike was instilled from a young age with the profound community values of rural Alberta. He currently serves as the Chairman of Freson Bros., one of the largest family-owned independent food retailers in Western Canada and as President of Altamart Investments (1993) Ltd. Through Altamart Investments (1993) Ltd., Mike actively scales the family’s commercial footprint while ensuring that capital investments and retail profits are retained within local communities.
Mike’s career is a direct extension of his commitment to a 71-year enterprise legacy that began in 1955 when his father, Frank Lovsin, opened a small, skid-mounted butcher shop in the resource community of Hinton, Alberta. Raised in the grocery business, Mike approaches his contribution as a true food retail merchant who views community development as the absolute foundation of community service. Over the ensuing decades, his steadfast dedication to his craft as a merchant and to Freson Bros. as an institution has been instrumental in scaling the enterprise spanning from Peace River and Manning in the north, to Drumheller in the south, and most recently urban stores in Edmonton. Today, the enterprise employs over 1,200 Albertans in seventeen stores in fourteen communities across Alberta.
Today, Freson Bros. operates with an unwavering dedication to "The Craft"—maintaining in-house real master butchers and an uncompromising structural commitment to local primary producers under the philosophy of "Alberta Grown. Alberta Owned." Through extensive procurement partnerships with local farmers, we have successfully created a premier retail platform that directly bridges Alberta’s rural agricultural output with urban consumers, enhancing domestic food security.
A passionate voice in national retail and agricultural policy, Mike has dedicated his efforts to advocating for the viability of independent businesses against market consolidation. He is a past Chair of the Canadian Federation of Independent Grocers (CFIG)—where he was honoured with the prestigious Life Member Award in 2015—and a past Chair of the Independent Retail Grocers of Alberta. He currently serves on the board of United Grocers Inc. (UGI), leveraging national procurement strategies to keep independent grocers competitive.
Beyond his corporate mandates, Mike is deeply committed to provincial welfare and social infrastructure. He served as the Board Chair of the Kids with Cancer Society, spearheading vital support services for children and families. Furthermore, our enterprise is a major supporter of youth in agriculture, annually purchasing livestock and sponsoring 4-H members across the province. Mike represents a unique synthesis of small-town values and an unwavering dedication to the success of his community, his company, and the Alberta agri-food supply chain.
