Cal Nichols

Cal Nichols CM
Cal Nichols at an Edmonton Oilers Community Appreciation event, 2006
Born	1941/1942 (age 75–76) Paradise Hill, Saskatchewan, Canada
Nationality	Canadian
Occupation	Businessman
Known for	Former chairman of the Edmonton Investors Group (EIG) that owned the Edmonton Oilers from 1998 to 2007

Cal Nichols CM (born c. 1942) is a Canadian businessman who spearheaded the group which would later become the Edmonton Investors Group (EIG) which owned the National Hockey League's Edmonton Oilers.

Born in Paradise Hill, Saskatchewan, Nichols started his business career in 1962 as a 19 year old when his father cosigned papers for him to take over a rundown St Walburg Esso station. His worked hard to win the custom of the local farmers and also became involved in the local community playing sport and being elected as a Councillor at 23. He married Edna a St Walburg girl and after 7 years in 1969, he and Edna moved to Edmonton.

Over the next thirteen years he pursued various business and career opportunities. He was the commission bulk agent for Esso in Edmonton from 1972 through 1981, and served as Chairman of the Esso Agents Prairie Region Advisory Board. During his tenure, this became the largest Esso Agency in Canada. In 1983, anticipating the de-regulation of the crude oil and natural gas markets, Nichols and two associates founded Northridge Canada Inc. which became Canada's largest privately held crude oil and natural gas trading company. Northridge was ultimately sold to TransCanada Pipelines. In 1985, he created Gasland Oil, with its head office in Edmonton. Gasland grew to have over 50 branded petroleum outlets in Western Canada, many with convenience stores and other customer facilities. He sold substantially all of Gasland's petroleum marketing business in 1996 to Husky Energy, but retained Gasland Properties Ltd., he has therefore shifted his focus to developing that company's various holdings.

In May 2002, he was inducted into the Alberta Business Hall of Fame. He was awarded the Queens Golden Julnilee Medal created in 2002 to commemorate the 50th anniversary to Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II to the throne and awarded to persons who had made outstanding contributions to both their own community and to Canada.

In 2014, he was named to the Order of Canada which was established in 1967 to acknowledge citizens who have "... outstanding achievement, dedication to the community and service to the nation." He was appointed a Member (C.M.)

Nicols summed up his own life view as reciprocity