Driven to Succeed: How Frank Hasenfratz Grew Linamar from Guelph to Global

by Rod McQueen, Susan M. Papp

Hungarian-born Frank Hasenfratz fled his native land in 1956 after the revolution to free his nation from Soviet domination failed. He eventually settled in Guelph, Ontario, where he founded Linamar, now the second-largest maker of auto parts in Canada. This is Frank's story as well as that of the company he created.

Genres: Biography, Business

468 pages, Kindle Edition

First published October 13, 2012

About the author

As a journalist for thirty years I've been lucky enough to live and work professionally in London, England, Washington, D.C., Florence, Italy, and Toronto, Canada, where I now live. During that time I've written for numerous magazines and newspapers, and have also done broadcast work. My major focus has been business, the economy, and international trade, but I've also written about politics and entertainment. As the author of more than a dozen books I won the National Business Book Award for Who Killed Confederation Life? and the Canadian Authors Association award in history for the #1 best-seller, The Eatons: The Rise and Fall of Canada's Royal Family.

(source: http://www.rodmcqueen.com/about)

Reviews

[Chuck Howitt · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was an exceptional book in many respects. The early chapters are the most interesting, telling the harrowing story of how Frank Hasenfratz and his family were forced from their middle-class home in Hungary by the Russians at the end of World War Two and had to rebuild in a rundown shack in the mountains. Equally fascinating is how Hasenfratz had to flee his native country in 1956 as the Soviets crushed the Hungarian uprising. Co-authors McQueen and Papp tell this story convincingly with vivid detail. The narrative of how Hasenfratz built Linamar into a global corporation is also compelling, but the book suffers in later chapters from a lack of objectivity. It appears that Hasenfratz was allowed to edit and approve the manuscript before it was published. No entrepreneur is that perfect. Still, an interesting read for anyone who is interested in the Linamar story.