Happy Harry's is a six year old Winnipeg-based recycling company which is the market leader in the used building material trade. What started as a husband and wife operation in 1989, working out of an industrial trailer, has emerged into North America's largest recycler of used building materials. This is Happy Harry's Used Building Materials.

There are currently 14 stores in Canada from British Columbia to Nova Scotia, including one in Quebec. With 60 employees and $4,200,000 in sales last year, Harry Bohna, who had the brainchild behind the ideas, has plans for 10 more stores in Canada to be developed and operational by the end of 1996. The next expansion will be outlets in smaller population areas such as Thompson, Brandon, Thunder Bay, and Portage La Prairie.

In developing international markets, Happy Harry's has exported used windows, doors and other recyclables to places such as Ireland, Haiti and the Caribbean. Market opportunities are currently being pursued in Mexico and mainland China.

A strong proponent of recycling before recycling was popular, Harry's vision of the industry is one of vast opportunities. From computerized warehousing and a national recycling network, Happy Harry's is geared to enter the 21st century. With the advent of the environmental category on the Chicago Stock Exchange, Happy Harry's intends to be one of the first listed and publicly traded shares.

Clients include a number of the Fortune 500 Companies such as Eaton's, TD Bank, Royal Bank and Richardson's. These corporations like many others are concerned about our environment and are thankful for Happy Harry's organization in helping them dispose of their recyclables rather than filling landfills. Thankful also, are the many consumers who visit the retail outlets of Happy Harry's looking for and finding just the right piece of hardware or used lumber at a fraction of what new pieces would cost. Many unique items such as solid maple flooring, exposed cedar and fir beams, unconventional doors and stained glass windows are treasured by consumers and professional builders alike.

Happy Harry's Used Building Materials is a subsidiary of the newly founded Environmental Recycling Group Inc. This corporate arm is responsible for the promotion, marketing and planning of the company. With corporate offices located in Toronto, experts plan and strategize the expansion plans, and formalize the national salvage network and sourcing programs. While controlling the operations, they also look to and predict the future of the industry and envision how Happy Harry's will be an integral part in shaping and promoting the recycling industry, as well as protecting the environment.

By providing a service to the consumer, while helping to ensure our environment is cleaned up, Harry Bohna is an exceptional man. He is in demand as an environmental writer. His articles appear in various newspapers across the country, providing advice and hints on how to recycle everything from paper to lumber. Harry is a man with a vision for a cleaner planet.

The recycling industry is growing at 10% per year and is now the fifth largest sector of the economy, employing 150,000 people. Happy Harry's and the Environmental Recycling Group (ER Group) is working very closely with Environment Canada and Sustainable Development in forming legislation to ensure that items that are recyclable, are in fact recycled. As of September 1994, the Ontario government has required recycling audits prior to demolition permits being issued. This legislation ensures a minimum of 20% of these building materials are recycled. Happy Harry's has proposed that Manitoba and other provinces adopt similar legislation. The ER Group is building markets for recycled products.

Copyright 2006 Happy Harry's Used Building Materials. All rights reserved