Frank Hasenfratz CM (1935 – January 8, 2022) was a Hungarian-born Canadian billionaire businessman, the founder and owner of Linamar, Canada's second largest auto parts manufacturer, with 26,000 employees at the time of his death.
[2] He left Hungary in May 1957, Canada, fleeing the failed Hungarian Revolution of 1956, first to Austria, then Italy and France.
[3][4] He joined the French Foreign Legion, immediately realized he had made a mistake, and deserted, boarding a freighter bound for Canada.
[5] He started a one-man machine shop in his basement in 1964, and then incorporated in 1966 under the name Linamar, named after his two daughters, Linda (current Linamar CEO) and Nancy, and his wife Margaret.
[5] Hasenfratz's 23.6% stake in the company, plus share sales, dividends, and other asset groupings gave him a net worth of approximately $1 billion.