The Hespeler Furniture Company was started in 1901 in Hespeler, Ontario (now a part of Cambridge) by Mr. George A. Gruetzner, who was originally from Buffalo, N.Y. He worked for The Simpson Co. of Berlin (now Kitchener), Ont., first as a salesman and then as the manager of its factory in Berlin. When this company merged with the Canada Furniture Syndicate, Gruetzner established his own factory in Hespeler in 1901.
George Greutzner was active in the community, serving on the Parks Board, and then on Town Council. He was elected mayor of Hespeler in 1925 and served for five years. He died in 1949. (Source Waterloo Historical Society 37 (1949): 45.)