History - The Legacy

From Small Acorns Do Mighty Oaks Grow

The closure of Toronto Type Foundry in 1967 ended a chapter in Canadian graphic arts community, while at the same time opening up a fresh new page. Having lost his job at TTF, Bill Howard knew that there was a place for his expertise, being a skilled pressman by trade and furthering his skills selling a host of new machinery - some for the first time imported into Canada. The list included Hans Muller, Krause Wohlenberg, Waite & Saville, Planeta, Kolbus, Heidelberg and Miehle Roland.

Bill decided that he would start his own business and bought a Webendorfer 20 offset press. The legacy that was to become Howard Graphic Equipment had begun. Just like any new business, the beginnings were humble. But, as he used to say, "from little acorns do mighty oaks grow" and little by little, working all day every day, Bill found a way to succeed.

In order to prosper one needs the support of the clients they serve. Bill plants the seed in all of us to always be fair and straight with the customer. Remember to build upon the reputation not take from it. To this day, the HGE group continues the tradition and ethics that Bill embodied.

Today, under the direction of Nick Howard, HGE is a leading supplier of pre-owned and reconditioned printing machinery in the world. To date, HGE has supplied over 2500 press units to 51 countries.

HGE has also developed protocols and equipment in order to equal or better competitive companies at home and abroad. HGE believes in providing our industry the best equipment at the best value, not something that fits a budget but in the long run could prove to be a disaster for the customer.

As we close in on 40 years of uninterrupted business, you can be assured that those values instilled in HGE will remain today and into tomorrow.