About us
Health to Home is a part of The Stevens Company
The Stevens Company has been a pillar in the Canadian healthcare community since 1874 and stands as one of the largest medical supply distributors in Canada today. Originally founded in 1830 in London, England, the company is still owned and operated by the Stevens family, now in their 6th generation. Over the decades, Stevens has continued to grow and today has six distribution centres across Canada in Toronto, Vancouver, Calgary, Winnipeg, Halifax and most recently, Montreal.
The Stevens Company is proud of the companies and products it represents, and it is committed to working closely with its valued suppliers to service the ever changing needs of its customer base. Stevens continues to sell surgical instruments; however, product offerings have expanded to include many other health-related items.
The company is committed to serving the evolving needs of its customer base with innovative programs designed to reduce costs, enhance service levels and further automate transactions through the use of E.D.I, bar coding, E.F.T and the Internet.
Stevens—where service is a commitment.
Our History
Building on the strength of over 180 years of experience, The Stevens Company Limited is the largest privately-owned Canadian distributor of hospital, physician and nursing home supplies. Service has been a ruling hallmark of the company throughout its long history as it has kept pace with the rapid changes and advances in the healthcare industry through responsive and flexible change, anticipating future needs while supplying products that meet its rigorous quality standards. Proffering in excess of 500,000 health and related medical products, The Stevens Company represents many hundreds of suppliers.
The company’s name reflects its founder and his legacy, as for the company’s ongoing success. James Stevens, the great-great-grandfather of the current President, diverged from the family cooperage to become an apprentice to a surgeon’s instrument maker at the young age of 13. After seven years of meticulous tutelage, he received his certificate in 1830 and began to manufacture and distribute surgical instruments under his own name in London, England.
Meeting with success, the company grew and the reigns of leadership were eventually passed to the founder’s son, Daniel. Under his able guidance, the company established a Canadian subsidiary in 1874 that would become a successful commercial enterprise in its own right, reaching from Ontario to British Columbia. Located on Wellington Street in downtown Toronto, an early payroll record indicates the total salary for the company’s three employees was $30.50 per week.
Stevens in Canada
The company opened its first office in Western Canada in 1889 in Vancouver under the direction of George Stevens, another son of the founder, and an office in Winnipeg was opened the following year. The Vancouver office was the 11th registered business in the Province. Expanding across the west, a Stevens’ office was opened in Calgary in 1919. In 2007, the company further expanded it’s coverage to include Atlantic Canada, with the acquisition of Pro-Medix Inc. in Dartmouth, Nova Scotia.
Although initially the Canadian based J. Stevens & Son Company, as it was first known, marketed products manufactured by its parent company in England, by the 1920s all ties were severed and the Canadian entity became fully independent, distributing products from Canadian and foreign manufacturers alike.
Daniel Stevens was succeeded at the helm by his son, Paul Stevens. A daughter, Dorothy Stevens, in addition to being involved with the company, also became a well-known artist closely associated with the Ontario College of Art and was a key player in the public drive to establish funding for women artists.
Peter Stevens, son of Paul Stevens, recalls his hands-on training at the company in various capacities before rising in the ranks to become Chairman and President. “I started in the warehouse earning $35.00 a week. It wasn’t easy but I learned many things and it ultimately served me very well.” The next generation of Stevens is represented by his sons, Jeff Stevens, and Jay Stevens. Jeff also worked his way up through the ranks and took over as the company’s President in 2006. Jay is currently the Brand Manager.
The Family
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