History & Founders

In 1983, a group of family business owners formed a network of fellow owners/participants to help one another meet the special challenges faced by family enterprise, through the exchange of present knowledge and past experience. The Canadian Association of Family Enterprise was formally constituted on December 12, 1983, as a federally chartered, not-for-profit association with 15 founding directors. Thanks to the dream, wisdom and commitment of our founders, CAFE has grown to consist of 12 Chapters stretching from the coast to coast.

These are the 15 founding Directors of the Canadian Association of Family Enterprise whose vision helped propel CAFE to what it is today:

• Mr. Gordon R. Sharwood, President, Sharwood & Company
• Mr. Ernest L. G. Smith, E.D. Smith & Sons Ltd.
• Mr. John C. Gray, Chairman, ST. Lawrence Starch Co. Ltd.
• Mr. Donald M. Green, President, Tridon Ltd.
• Mr. Peter G. White, Criff Corporation
• Mr. Gary E. Lewis, Lewiscraft
• Mr. Charles C. Holton, President, National Paper Goods Ltd.
• Mr. Rein Peterson, Professor & Director Entrepreneurial Program, York University
• Mr. Murray E. Hogarth, President & C.E.O., The Pioneer Group Inc.
• Mr. Donald E. O'Born, The Printing House
• Mr. Barrie D. Rose, Chairman, Androcan Inc.
• Mr. Irving Granovsky, President, Atlantic Packaging Products Ltd.
• Mr. D. Miller Alloway, Cairn Capital Inc.
• Mr. Fred J. Francis
• Mr. David I. Gallagher, President, Gallagher & Associates