Carl Arthur Pollock, OC (1903 – August 16, 1978) was a

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businessman. Born in Kitchener,

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, graduated from the

University of Toronto The University of Toronto (UToronto or U of T) is a public research university in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, located on the grounds that surround Queen's Park. It was founded by royal charter in 1827 as King's College, the first institution ...

electrical engineering Electrical engineering is an engineering discipline concerned with the study, design, and application of equipment, devices, and systems which use electricity, electronics, and electromagnetism. It emerged as an identifiable occupation in the l ...

. A scholarship from the

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financed two years at

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. At university he showed exceptional talent in track and rowing. He taught for a short time at the University of Toronto, but his father's illness led him to choose a career in business and industry at the Kitchener electronics firm his father founded in 1907,

Electrohome Founded in 1907, Electrohome was Canada's largest manufacturer of television sets (TVs) from 1949 to 1987. The company was also involved in television broadcasting, and was a leader in data, video, graphics displays and projectors. From 1984 to 1 ...

. Pollock joined the firm in 1930, was president from 1951 to 1972, and oversaw the most successful years of Electrohome's history. During the decades to follow, Electrohome produced many different consumer products, including furniture, electric motors, small appliances, and most importantly, radios and televisions. By 1965, Electrohome products were being sold in 23 countries. Total sales in 1968 were $44.5 million. By end of the decade, Electrohome was the second largest employer in the Kitchener-Waterloo area, and colour television was the company's largest single product line. In fact, Electrohome engineered, designed, and manufactured the only Canadian colour television receiver. He was also the founder of several media outlets in Kitchener, including CKKW, CFCA and CKCO. Pollock was a member of the National Design Council and in 1963 he became president of the

Canadian Manufacturers' Association Canadian Manufacturers and Exporters (formerly known as the Canadian Manufacturers' Association) is a Canadian trade association which represents manufacturers and exporters. It was established by an act of Parliament in 1871. Its head office is in ...

. He was convinced that Canadian technology and industry would take no second place. His own firm led in introducing several firsts in the electronics field. In 1975, he was made an Officer of the

Order of Canada The Order of Canada (french: Ordre du Canada; abbreviated as OC) is a Canadian state order and the second-highest honour for merit in the system of orders, decorations, and medals of Canada, after the Order of Merit. To coincide with the ...

"for his many services to industry, particularly in the field of electronics and for a variety of community activities." He was a founder of the

University of Waterloo The University of Waterloo (UWaterloo, UW, or Waterloo) is a public research university with a main campus in Waterloo, Ontario Waterloo is a city in the Canadian province of Ontario. It is one of three cities in the Regional Municipality ...

, chairperson of the board of governors for eleven years and chancellor from 1975 to 1978. He was a founder of the

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and supported musical groups, including the Kitchener-Waterloo Symphony Orchestra. His son John A. Pollock took over the role of 3rd generation president of

in 1972, and led the company into a number of different electronics businesses, primarily industrial. The most successful products during this period was a line of data, video, and graphics projectors. Electrohome eventually was dissolved in an orderly wind down in late 2008. At University of Waterloo, the engineering building CPH (Carl Pollock Hall) is named after him.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Pollock, Carl 1903 births 1978 deaths Businesspeople from Kitchener, Ontario Chancellors of the University of Waterloo Canadian radio executives Canadian television executives Officers of the Order of Canada University of Toronto alumni

See also

References