The family-owned and –operated com-
pany dates back to 1955 when Phil Wall-
bank started a spring-making business in
the basement of his rented farmhouse us-
ing a machine he made from sewing and
washing machine parts. He had appren-
ticed in England, his native country, as a
springmaker after graduating from Grade
8, said Ted Wallbank, Phil’s grandson. A
spring company just a short distance away
in Ayr, Ontario had sponsored Phil to come
to Canada but laid him off after six months
of work, forcing Phil to choose between
returning to England or starting his own
business in Canada. When a large spring
company went on strike, it was the perfect
opportunity for Phil to pick up his first cus-
tomer and Wallbank Manufacturing was
born.
FROM FARMHOUSE
TO FACTORY
Today, the business is a far cry from the
days of the rented farmhouse. The current
factory, built in 1968, has had two addi-
tions over the past few decades and now
spans 55,000 square feet. Like his father
and uncles before him, Ted grew up in the
4
business elite canada
H
JULY 2015
