SEPT/OCT 2014
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business elite canada 101
tempts to speak French daily “but I’ve never
quite mastered the language,” he admitted. “It
was quite an adventure to come to a foundry
in Canada being a U.S. citizen, and then come
into a French-speaking province. It was quite a
challenge.”
“I must admit it was an exciting challenge
and I had the opportunity to live in Québec
City and that makes it all worthwhile.”
The bulk of the scrap metal recycled by the
Québec foundries comes from automotive
parts. The scrap metal is melted down in ei-
ther a cupola or electric furnace and the mol-
ten iron is cast using a sand mold system or
a pipe spinner. Thanks to the foundry indus-
try, those junkyard heaps undergo a “green”
facelift, re-emerging as pipe, fittings, manhole
covers, and valve and hydrant parts distrib-
uted across Canada and the northeastern U.S.
That dedication to sustainability runs through-
out all of the McWane companies, which are
estimated to recycle more than 750,000 tons
of scrap iron each year, or the equivalent of
800,000 cars.
Leonard is proud of the achievements he’s
seen since he joined the Québec operation.
Today, the two foundries and two distribution
