Ross Huntington McMaster

Ross Huntington McMaster

Ross Huntington McMaster, industrialist (b at Montréal 11 Oct 1880; d there 3 Jan 1962). For over 50 years, McMaster was a senior executive of the Steel Company of Canada (STELCO). He began his career with the Sherwin-Williams Paint Co. In 1903 he became general manager of Montreal Rolling Mills, where his father had worked. When the company was merged into Stelco in 1910, McMaster became Montréal manager of the new steel company, Canada's largest. He became Stelco president in 1926 and chairman in 1945, a post he held until 1960. Refusing to burden the company with undue debts, especially in the stagnant 1920s, McMaster insisted throughout his presidency on a strong profit margin. He introduced a "gaited" (cost plus profit) sales policy, replacing the old "Pittsburgh plus" pricing schedule. He introduced modern accounting practices to Stelco. A lifelong Montréal resident, he also took a business interest in the Montréal Gazette.