From a Tiny Seedling, Grows the Mighty Tree : A Concise History of GWV and the People Who Built it.

Isidor Elefant [1905 - 1992]
Founder and President: 1939 - 1965
Chairman: 1965 - 1992

"I do not cut down trees, sir! I make of God's gift the beauty for which they were intended, and like all men should, I return that gift twice again."

Isidor Elefant, when challenged by a forestry student. 1963

Isidor Elefant - Born at Nyirgelse, Hungary in 1905, Isidor Elefant arrived in Canada in the early spring of 1939.

Elefant initially began his business in Paris, France; the world-wide centre for face-veneer manufacturing at the time. However, in the early months of 1939, he made the decision to move the new business to North America.

There, Isidor Elefant initially established a modest lumber-trading operation in the outskirts of Montréal, Canada. Naming it "Trans-Continental Lumber Exporters Limited", Elefant marketed logs and lumber which were produced by the numerous, small mills operating in the Northern wilderness of Québec, Canada. At the same time Elefant also went forward with plans to establish a custom veneer- cutting business in the United States.

In 1946, a powerful, new market created a great demand for logs, lumber and veneer wood products.

Quick to realise the enormous potential, Isidor Elefant purchased a facility in Longueuil, Québec; a southern-side suburb of Montréal. He equipped the plant with a used band-saw and a Johnson City slicer, and began business in the production of hardwood veneers. It became the first such company to produce sliced veneers in Canada. It represented the beginning of what is today one of the most respected hardwoods manufacturing companies in the world...The GWV Group. For the next few years, the business would thrive and expand, until by 1968, the Longueuil facility was operating with high-volume, modern technologies such as a Capital Slicer and staylog lathe and a Merritt staylog lathe.

A major acquisition took place in 1963 when Elefant negotiated the purchase of a logging and veneer company established by Clarence Swords in Illinois in 1931. Shortening the name of the company, which had undergone several partnerships during its history, Isidor re-opened the company as Swords Veneer & Lumber Co. The facility underwent a complete updating of technology and production management. After the modernisation, General Woods & Veneers Ltd. began to emerge as a substantial North American presence.

Today the achievements of Isidor Elefant have come to represent a sterling example of the ingenuity and achievements of Canada's growing population; significantly contributing to the country's economy and employment.

By the age of 55, his accomplishments were known throughout the industry. He had built a strong and thriving enterprise from a handful of workers and a dream.