As a young man growing up in post-war Europe, my father, Lucien "Luke" Ypelaar had a vision to one day start his own business. In 1956 he immigrated to Canada from his native Netherlands hoping to achieve that vision. Arriving in Toronto, he found a region that was booming economically and welcomed anyone willing to work hard and accept their new country as their home, and he liked what he saw. In 1961 Luke married Toronto-born Sandra, and after a few more years, they decided the time was "now" to start into business on their own. By merging a mechanical aptitude with a discerning business background they founded Luke's Mower & Machine Ltd. in 1969 and purchased their first order of Lawn-Boy lawn mowers (then built by Outboard Marine in Peterborough, Ontario).