I was born
November 5, 1936 Newmarket, Ontario, Canada. Son of a farmer who was killed in a farm accident on my fourth birthday.
My
uncle was an engineer at Canada's national newspaper "The Globe & Mail". It was always my dream growing up to work there.
I left school in 1953 and started work as an office boy at the Globe and Mail advancing to an apprenticeship as a Linotype Machinist.
We had 50 Linotype machines there.
I had just nicely finished my apprenticeship, was married with 2 little children and had purchased
our first house when we went on strike in 1964. This strike was never settled.
I started doing "freelance" work as well
as working for Regal Greetings & Stationery as a Machinist Operator and later for Cooper & Beatty (one of Canada's Largest
Type Houses) as a Linotype Machinist. Following this I went into a partnership in a typesetting business where we
had 2 Linotypes, Ludlow etc. etc., but I was still more interested in equipment than typesetting. I sold out to my partner
and went back to the equipment business full time.
We have been in the same location for over 30 years and now own 3 units of
2000 square feet each. This space is filled with all kinds of equipment specializing in Hot Metal, Letterpress, Bindery
and Foil Stamping equipment etc. We believe that we have the largest inventory of Linotype and Ludlow matrices in North
America (probably the world). We also have a very large inventory of new & used Handset type both Monotype and Foundry.
With
the coming of the Internet, a large percentage of our sales and purchases are out of the country. We export to the U.S., England,
France, Switzerland, Australia, etc. etc.
In over 50 years in the Printing business I have met and become friends with hundreds
of people. Now I am trying to slow down as old age creeps up. My wife and I purchased a winter home in Ruskin,
Florida in 1991 and we try to spend 3-4 months there very winter.
My son Criag, who has been with the business ever since he
left school, now runs the business with his wife Lynn. My wife and I try to help out as much as possible.
I would not have
wanted to have missed most of the things that I have experienced in the last 50 years. I have often thought of writing a book about
all the people, Companies and experiences that I have had, but up to now I haven't had time. Maybe sometime.
