He was chairman and chief executive officer of Peerless Clothing, a men's suit manufacturer.
His father had died when he was seven, and when he was fourteen his mother married Moe Segal and moved to Montreal.
He did not graduate from high school, as he failed in French, which was a compulsory subject in Montreal.
[4] At age 18 he started a job on the shop floor of the Peerless Clothing company.
In 2010, he was promoted to Officer of the Order of Canada for having "set an example of corporate philanthropy".