Edward Reichmann

Edward Reichmann

Edward Reichmann ( _he. אדוארד רייכמן; 1925 - July, 2005) was the oldest of the five Reichmann brothers, famed for their global business empire.

Edward was born to Samuel Reichmann a wealthy Vienna merchant of Hungarian origin. The family was lucky to escape Austria before the Nazi invasion leaving the country on the morning of Anschluss to tend to Edward's grandfather David who had suffered a stroke. From Hungary the family made its way to Paris and then the neutral city of Tangier where Samuel established a successful business in currency trading.

Edward was the first of the Reichmann's to emigrate to Canada. He liked Canada, being attracted by Montreal's large Jewish community and favourable economic prospects. In Montreal, he joined with his brother Louis to found Olympia Floor and Tile, a company that imported tiles from overseas. The business was a success. When Edward's three younger brothers Paul, Albert, and Ralph moved to Canada, he convinced them to settle in Toronto and open a branch of the tile company there.

In Toronto, Edward's three brothers quickly moved into building and property development. Edward, seeing their success, also moved into this industry. Unlike his four other brothers, Edward was brash and outspoken and frequently courted the media. He also put much energy into building connections with the city's political elite, including becoming a close associate of mayor Jean Drapeau.

Despite a number of major projects, Edward Reichmann's construction ventures did not prosper. Nearing bankruptcy, the company only survived through a massive bailout by his Toronto based brothers. Edward felt embarrassed at having to be rescued by his younger brothers and left Canada for Israel. There, he again turned to property development, rising to become Israel's fifteenth richest man. These ventures were largely unaffected by the collapse of his brothers' Olympia and York company.


Wikimedia Foundation. 2010.

Игры ⚽ Нужен реферат?

Look at other dictionaries:

  • Reichmann — is a German surname and may refer to:* Reichmann family, a family best known for controlling the Olympia and York business empire ** Albert Reichmann (born 1929) ** Edward Reichmann (1925 2005) ** Paul Reichmann (born 1930) * Frieda Fromm… …   Wikipedia

  • Reichmann family — The Reichmann family is a family best known for controlling the Olympia and York business empire.The Reichmann s were originally from the small shtetl of Beled, Hungary but the ambitious Samuel Reichmann moved them to Vienna in 1928 where he… …   Wikipedia

  • REICHMANN — REICHMANN, family of international real estate developers, philanthropists. SAMUEL REICHMANN (1898–1975), a wealthy egg merchant from the small Hungarian town of Beled, and his wife, RENÉE (1898–1990), moved to Vienna in 1923. Deeply observant… …   Encyclopedia of Judaism

  • Paul Reichmann — ( he. פול רייכמן; born 1930) is a Canadian businessman best known for his leadership of the Olympia York property development company.Formative yearsReichmann was born in Vienna in 1930 to Samuel Reichmann, a wealthy egg merchant and his wife… …   Wikipedia

  • Wolfgang Reichmann — in einer Karikatur von Hans Pfannmüller, 1975 Wolfgang Reichmann (* 7. Januar 1932 in Beuthen, Oberschlesien; † 7. Mai 1991 in Waltalingen bei Zürich) war ein deutscher Schauspieler …   Deutsch Wikipedia

  • Tangier — Infobox Settlement official name = Tangier other name = native name = nickname = settlement type = motto = flag size = image seal size = image shield = shield size = image blank emblem = blank emblem type = blank emblem size = mapsize = map… …   Wikipedia

  • Olympia Flooring and Tile — Olympia Floor and Wall Tile is the largest tile wholesaler in Canada and is wholly owned by Ralph Reichmann. Based in Toronto, Canada it has branches in Vancouver, Calgary, Edmonton, Winnipeg, London, Hamilton, Toronto, Ottawa, Montreal and… …   Wikipedia

  • Olympia & York — Olympia and York First Canadian Place, Toronto …   Wikipédia en Français

  • Olympia and York — First Canadian Place, Toronto Le complexe du World Financia …   Wikipédia en Français

  • Liste der Biografien/Rei — Biografien: A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q …   Deutsch Wikipedia

Share the article and excerpts

Direct link
Do a right-click on the link above
and select “Copy Link”