Over 60 people were in attendance for the grand opening of Ingenia Polymers’ newly expanded facility in Brantford on Monday, January 20, 2025.
Founded in 1986 by John and Maria Lefas, Ingenia Polymers first began as a joint venture between Wedco Technologies and Polyvector Corp, and has since become a global leader in the polymer industry with eight manufacturing sites worldwide.
During the event, guests had the opportunity to mingle in the building’s new boardroom and explore the rest of the office space before heading into the new warehouse for speeches, a ribbon cutting and lunch.
Thanassi Lefas, John and Maria’s son and Ingenia Polymers’ CEO, took the opportunity to welcome attendees such as Larry Brock, MP for Brantford-Brant, City Councillor Mandy Samwell, the honourable Consul General of the Greek Consulate in Toronto, customers and many more, before inviting his parents up to speak.
John told the guests about how himself and his wife emigrated from Greece back in 1979 and how together they started the company from the ground up and overcame many obstacles along the way.
Maria spoke afterwards, thanking everyone who had contributed to their success and expansion throughout the years.
“Our dream was always to do something on our own. We both come from an entrepreneurial background and while John had a great job at Exxon Mobil, after that, we thought ‘we have to start something’. Having scouted around different areas here in Ontario, we came across Brantford and we came across this plant, our first plant. This plant became the foundation of our dream,” she said. “It’s not just a plant, it’s where everything came together for us, and this is where it all started. I want to thank you, all of you, all of our employees and everybody who supported us from the very beginning and up to where we are today.”
Following his parents’ speeches, Thanassi then shared what the future would look like for Ingenia.
“Today we’re not celebrating a new warehouse and some new offices, we’re really here to celebrate reinvestment in the engine that has driven Ingenia’s prodigious global growth over these last almost 40 years. …It’s two new world class commercial machines that will create another ten or 12 manufacturing jobs at the site here,” said Thanassi. “It’s also what we’ll refer to as phase two, which we can confirm today, will be the expansion and the significant improvement of the Plastics Technical Research Centre which will be a significant investment. It will include a world class scale-up piece of equipment that we can use to help co-develop the latest and greatest technologies for customers and partners. It will come with more roles for scientists and researchers and technical support people, and it will further cement the Branford site’s role as kind of the heart of Ingenia globally.”
Afterwards, Brock then stood to thank and congratulate the Lefas family before awarding them with a certificate of acknowledgement.
“It’s companies like this and the brand that you represent, the customer service and the loyalty of your employees that’s making a difference. … It is truly inspiring to see how far you’ve come since your humble beginnings three decades ago,” said Brock. “Your unwavering commitment to excellence, innovation and customer satisfaction has positioned Ingenia Polymers as one of the world’s most trusted thermoplastic providers. The growth you’ve experienced on a global scale is a testament to your strong business model, your capable and dedicated team, and the mutual trust you’ve built with suppliers and stakeholders, your focus on community involvement and social responsibility through initiatives that sport local causes are truly appreciated.”
The Lefas family, including John, Maria, Thanassi and Oresti, then cut the ceremonial ribbon before the event’s lunch was served to the guests.
Kimberly De Jong’s reporting is funded by the Canadian government through its Local Journalism Initiative.The funding allows her to report rural and agricultural stories from Blandford-Blenheim and Brant County. Reach her at kimberly.dejong@brantbeacon.ca.
