Alumni Profile: Eric Jackson

by Colton Danneberg

Born in Regina and raised in Saskatoon, Eric Jackson began his university level hockey career at the University of Michigan, which he attended on scholarship.  Eric came back to study at the University of Saskatchewan and played for the Huskies for four years while earning a Bachelor of Science and Master of Business Administration. He also met his wife Susan during his time at school.

Eric was an all-round great athlete with an exceptionally quick wit, which always provided humor in the dressing room. He was also given the nickname “Fergie” after the legendary Montreal Canadiens’ ‘tough guy’ John Ferguson. Eric was very tough and never afraid to drop the gloves (as his 203 career PIMs would attest to). Beyond the fisticuffs, he was a smart player and scored an impressive 44 goals in 84 games with the Huskies.

After graduation, Eric went to work at Cargill in Winnipeg. He later transferred to Cargill’s headquarters in Minneapolis and subsequently to Cargill in New York City.  He then joined AMG, which is a company that specializes in critical materials, as President of U.S. operations in 1998 and later became Chief Operating Officer. The company went public in 2007 on Euronext Amsterdam as AMG Critical Materials N.V.  AMG is a leading global critical materials company with major production and operating facilities in the United States, UK, France, Germany, Brazil and China.

Eric has said playing with the Huskies had given him a lot of fond memories and lasting friendships, as well as lessons he took into his life and career. He believes that playing on the Huskies has given him the skills to “be a part of a team,” “develop leadership skills, and become goal oriented.” Eric is proud of the development of the Huskies team and program and encourages people to pursue sports because he believes it develops a “certain amount of initiative, accountability, leadership, and interpersonal skills” that help them in many aspects of life.

Eric and Susan have three married daughters and six grandchildren.  Two of his daughters are medical doctors (in Georgetown and Denver) and the third daughter (in New York) went into business and, with her husband, own a number of KOAs (Kampgrounds of America) across the United States.

Eric has run marathons in Winnipeg, Minneapolis, and New York City, and continues to stay active playing golf near their homes in Pennsylvania and Florida.

Eric and Susan live half of the year in Pennsylvania and half of the year in Florida, with their two golden retrievers.  Eric continues to work for AMG out of their offices in Palm Beach, Florida and Wayne, Pennsylvania. Eric and Susan continue to travel extensively and enjoy spending time with their extended family.

Eric, alongside Dave King, at the opening ceremonies of Merlis Belsher.