R.W. Hamilton Ltd. was founded in May 1952 in St. Catharines, Ontario by Bob Hamilton. Bob had previously been working as an outside sales representative for the industrial products division of B. F. Goodrich and noticed the need to properly service contractors for the Niagara Falls mega hydro power project. This project included the construction of a tunnel under the City of Niagara Falls to carry water upstream from Niagara Falls to the Sir Adam Beck generating station in Queenston. Bob initially specialized in the distribution of industrial hose and power transmission products. Business continued to flourish in the Niagara Peninsula with the opening of the General Motors engine plant and foundry in St. Catharines in the mid 1950's and the introduction of hydraulic hose and fittings into the product mix in the late 1950's. In the early 1960's, Bob opened a branch operation in Hamilton to serve the rapidly expanding steel mills. The branch was relocated to Burlington in 1968 to provide a more central location to serve the combined Hamilton-Burlington-Oakville market. Also in the late 1960's, Bob purchased James-Dieppe Ltd., an industrial distributor specialing in cutting tools. James-Dieppe Ltd. and the cutting tool lines were integrated into R. W. Hamilton Ltd. in 1970. R. W. Hamilton Ltd. opened a third location in Mississauga in the early 1970's to serve the rapidly expanding industrial base in this area. In 1980, Bob's son, Bill, a professional engineer, joined the company. This has assured the continuation of family ownership into a second generation. Through the 1980's and 1990's, Bob and Bill worked together to dramatically increase market share in each of the company's locations. The emphasis has continued on marketing power transmission, industrial hose, hydraulic and cutting tool products. Additional lines have been added through the years in order to present a more complete package to customers. Technical products, such as AC inverters and indexable cutting tools, have also been added. In 1997, Bob retired, leaving Bill to run the company. Through the years, R. W. Hamilton Ltd. has concentrated on representing only manufacturers of quality products. These include T. B. Woods (mechanical and electrical power transmission products), Goodyear (industrial hose and power transmission belting),Dixon-Bayco (industrial hose fittings and accessories), Semperit-Kurt (hydraulic hose and couplings) and Mitsubishi (indexable cutting tools). Since the founding of the company in 1951, the business philosophy has been and continues to be TO SELL QUALITY PRODUCTS BY KNOWLEDGEABLE STAFF WITH AN EMPHASIS ON SERVICE. In addition, the company's philosophy for employees has been and continues to be TO PROVIDE JOB SECURITY AND WHENEVER POSSIBLE TO PROMOTE FROM WITHIN. It is easy to see why R. W. Hamilton Ltd. has been and remains one of the most respected industrial distributors in Southern Ontario.