FlashNews - General Founder Stevan Simon Passes

June 27, 2005

General Founder Stevan Simon Passes

Stevan Simon, a veteran of the industry for nearly 60 years, passed away on June 24, 2005. He was 92.

Simon and his wife, Marilyn, founded General Hotel & Restaurant Supply Corp. 50 years ago in Miami. As the company grew under Simon’s leadership, it acquired Louis Wohl & Sons of Tampa, Fla., in the 1970s and EH Thompson Co. of Jacksonville, Fla., in the 1980s. And in the early 1990s, General established Chef's Warehouse, servicing both the retail and commercial markets.

Upon immigrating to the United States from Germany in 1936 to escape persecution by the Nazi Party, Simon held a variety of jobs including unloading boxes of china on the New York City docks. This odd job became his foray into the equipment and supplies industry as it led to his accepting a position with Nathan Straus-Duparquet Inc., a leading foodservice distributor at the time. And in the early 1950s, he helped open a Florida branch for the distributor.

Today, Simon’s two sons, Walter and Jeffrey, are both involved in The General Cos., as are their spouses, Glenda and Carol, and several members of the family's third generation. "He was an intelligent, insightful and compassionate man, working five days a week until just a few weeks before his passing," shared one family member.

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