1951    Perlmutter, Orenstein & Co., Chartered Accountants, as auditors.

 

1951    Phillip Glassman leaves the business and starts his own enterprise, Wash Rack Supply Co. Ltd.

 

1954    E. I. du Pont de Nemours and Company, through its Canadian subsidiary, Du Pont of Canada Limited, has operated a cellophane cellulose film plant in Quebec, originally built in 1932, to which was added a cellulose sponge plant.

 

The business enters into a strategic relationship with this sponge plant. Du Pont also operated a cellulose sponge plant in Columbia, Tenn., which was later sold in 1980 to a competitor.

 

That US plant closed in 2010 at which time the relationship ended between the business and the original du Pont assets.

              

1957    Perlmutter, Orenstein, Giddens, Newman & Co., Chartered Accountants, as auditors.

 

1957    The business is incorporated as Canada Sponge and Chamois Limited when its shareholding expands to include members of the Oelbaum family, Abraham R., Julius I., Charles, Sidney and J.C.

 

1962    Perlmutter, Orenstein, Giddens, Newman & Kofman, Chartered Accountants, as auditors.

 

1963    The Company enters into a supply agreement the result of which means that for the

next 30 years the Company is the largest importer of natural sea sponges in Canada.

  

1964    Alexander Gerolimatos acquires the shareholdings of the Molson and Oelbaum families.

 

The business relocates its operation from the Molson property on Eighth Street in New Toronto (Etobicoke). The site is now a public park amidst the once industrial area that housed Anaconda Brass and the massive Goodyear Tire plant.

 

1965    The [name of bank deleted] became the business’s bank and 45 years later [at the time of this writing], it remains the company’s bank.

 

1967    Paul Roth of Winston & Roth, Chartered Accountants, as auditor.

 

1968    The Company acquires a competitor, Mediterranean Sponge Company of Canada, one of the then few remaining competitors in the natural sea sponge business.

 

1973    Steven Taylor of Taylor & Gold, Chartered Accountants, as auditor for the next 18 years.             

 

1978    Steven Taylor of Taylor & Stulberg, Chartered Accountants, as auditor.

 

1983    The Company commences supply of Jack Austin Drugs, the then premiere drug store chain in Canada, under the sales leadership of Fred Lythgoe, cementing the Company's position in the health, bath and beauty aids category.

 

1986    Alexander Gerolimatos retires from the business after 40 years as President.

 

1986    E. Bruce Solomon as solicitor [at the time of this writing] for the next 24 years.              

 

1986      The Company buys assets of Natural Sponge Company, a long time competitor,

operated by the Warren Brothers, two fine and long established gentlemen in the business. 

 

1989    After 38 years, Phillip Glassman, friend and former associate of Alexander Gerolimatos and then competitor, disposes of his competing sponge business, and subsequently retires from the business after several years.

 

1990    At this juncture, The Body Shop (Canada), has become the largest customer of the Company.

 

1991    D.R. Lawrence, Chartered Accountant, as auditor for the next 18 years until his retirement in 2009.

 

1992    The business amalgamates elements of its Hub Production Model to new premises at      524 Evans Avenue in Toronto. All administrative, management and laboratory functions, together with fabrication and packaging are relocated to the new site. Now (in 2010) the location is a factory outlet for wood flooring (not associated with the Company) which change is a reflection of the changing streetscape of ‘Downtown Toronto West’.

 

1994    The business commences its supply of Wal-Mart Canada, initially focused in Automotive (under the aggresive leadership of Category Manager, Steve Dera) and later expanding into Paint/Decor and Household Cleaning.

 

The business commences supply of the companies which become Home Depot Canada and Reno-Depot focused in the Cleaning category. It introduces a new product, The Reusable Paper Towels, which grows into 39% of the category sales.

 

1995    The business returns to its previous production model, re-locating specific production components to individual property sites.

 

2000    After the year 2000, the business commences a decade of being the largest sponge converter and private label sponge supplier in Canada.

 

2001    Doug Brown, formerly VP and General Manager of Wash Rack Supply Co. Ltd. (Phil Glassman's old company) for several years, joins the Company as Vice President of Sales, focusing on the enrichment of sales into the paint/decor and household cleaning categories. After a number of years, Doug leaves the Company to take a senior management position with a Canadian grocery retailer which envisages his move to new environs.  

 

March 2007    Pierre Comtois joins the Company as Vice President and General Manager after 6 years as VP and General Manager of the Company's competitor and after 20 years in the business at large.

 

He oversees the doubling of the overwrap capacity, installation of a new lamination line increasing the Company's capacity 3 times, a new horizontal cutting line, a new corrugated and labelling line, and the revitalization of the gangcutting line, which had been originalling developed in the 1950s and discontinued in the 1970s.

 

In the mist of this innovation, Pierre leaves the Company suddenly for personal reasons, returning to his home Province of Quebec with the good wishes of his colleagues to him and his family.      

 

Endnote   As a consequence of the vendor/confidentiality agreements required to be signed by major retailers such as Wal-Mart Canada, Loblaw and Canadian Tire, the corporate history has been redacted where applicable.

 

Dated at Toronto, Ontario, Canada, in 2010.