Frank Hasenfratz

Frank Hasenfratz CM (1935 – January 8, 2022) was a Hungarian-born Canadian billionaire businessman, the founder and owner of Linamar, Canada's second largest auto parts manufacturer, with 26,000 employees at the time of his death.

Frank Hasenfratz
Born1935
Szár, Hungary
DiedJanuary 8, 2022(2022-01-08) (aged 86–87)
Guelph, Ontario, Canada
NationalityCanadian
OccupationBusinessman
Notable work(2015)[1]
TitleChairman of Linamar
SpouseMargaret (deceased)
ChildrenLinda Hasenfratz
Nancy Hasenfratz

Early life

Hasenfratz was an ethnic German, born in 1935 in Szár, Hungary.[2] He left Hungary in May 1957, Canada, fleeing the failed Hungarian Revolution of 1956, first to Austria, then Italy and France.[3][4] He joined the French Foreign Legion, immediately realized he had made a mistake, and deserted, boarding a freighter bound for Canada.[4]

Career

He settled in Guelph, Ontario. He went to work in a machine shop supplying fuel pumps to Ford Motor Company, but a sizable percentage of them were defective, so he quit to produce higher-quality pumps himself.[5] He started a one-man machine shop in his basement in 1964, and then incorporated in 1966 under the name Linamar, named after his two daughters, Linda (current Linamar CEO) and Nancy, and his wife Margaret.[1]

At the time of his death, the company employed 26,000 people in 17 countries.[5] Hasenfratz's 23.6% stake in the company, plus share sales, dividends, and other asset groupings gave him a net worth of approximately $1 billion.[1]

Honours

In 2014, he was made a Member of the Order of Canada "for his contributions to Canada’s manufacturing industry and for his philanthropic initiatives".[6] He was also inducted into the Canadian Manufacturing Hall of Fame and Canadian Business Hall of Fame.[5]

Personal life

Hasenfratz was predeceased by his wife Margaret.[1] He has two daughters, Linda and Nancy, and lived in Guelph.[1]

He died in Guelph on January 8, 2022, at the age of 86.[7]

References
  1. "Forbes profile: Frank Hasenfratz". Forbes. Retrieved 5 September 2018.
  2. András Baráth - Linamar – ismerd meg a Magyarországon is aktív multinacionális vállalat magyar alapítójának történetét
  3. Hugo Miller (21 May 2014). "Hungarian Refugee Becomes Car Parts Billionaire in Canada". Bloomberg LP. Retrieved 5 September 2018.
  4. O'Connor, Joe (January 11, 2022). "'Look for the sunshine:' Linamar founder Frank Hasenfratz was the ultimate optimist". Financial Post.
  5. Deschamps, Tara (January 10, 2022). "Frank Hasenfratz, founder and executive chairman of Linamar, dead at 86". Toronto Star.
  6. General, The Office of the Secretary to the Governor (11 June 2018). "The Governor General of Canada". gg.ca. Retrieved 5 September 2018.
  7. Linamar & the Hasenfratz Family Announce the Passing of Founder Frank Hasenfratz
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