Background
Morley Cohen came from a poor immigrant family of eight, the son of Alexander and Rose (Diamond) Cohen.
Morley Cohen came from a poor immigrant family of eight, the son of Alexander and Rose (Diamond) Cohen.
He served with the Royal Canadian Air Force from 1940-1945. Morley"s five brothers, John, Albert Doctorate. Cohen, Harry B. Cohen, Samuel North. Cohen, and Joseph H. Cohen, set up a small retail store and, by 1939, the family had scraped together enough monies to create General Distributors Limited., a wholesale import firm. Sony and the Cohen Brothers
By 1950, General Distributors sales amounted to $1 million.
In the early Fifties, the company obtained exclusive Canadian rights for Paper Mate pens.
On the basis of a handshake deal, Albert cemented a partnership that would last for decades. The Cohen brothers scattered across Canada in order to manage the national business, each brother establishing himself in a major city: Morley (Montreal), John (Toronto), Joe (Vancouver), Harry (Calgary), and both Sam and Albert setting up headquarters (Winnipeg).
SAAN, Metropolitan, real estate, and the Cohen Brothers
The six brothers expanded into real estate and retailing. Over the years, they established several hundred SAAN Stores and Metropolitan junior department stores in all provinces of Canada.
The explosive growth of the SAAN Stores chain was guided by Samuel North. Cohen while Metropolitan"s expansion was overseen by Morley Cohen.
At one point, it is said the Cohen brothers owned downtown real estate in almost every major Canadian city. By 1983, the company was a diversified Canadian conglomerate, renamed Gendis. Oil & Gas, and the Cohen Brothers
Under the guidance of Albert Doctorate. Cohen, the six brothers participated in various joint ventures and/or owned several minority interests in oil & gas exploration, development, and distribution.
Morley Cohen was considered to be one of the major community builders/philanthropists in Montreal.
Former Director of the Montreal Board of Trade (1973-1975)
Former Chairman, Capital Fund Drive, Young Men’s Hebrew Association (1980)
Former Chairman, Arthritis Society (1980)
Former Director of Montreal General Hospital (1988)
Former Chairman, Capital Campaign, Montreal Museum of Fine Arts (1989)
Morley and Rita Cohen Foundation
Founded in 1990, the Morley and Rita Cohen Foundation was created for support and services within the charitable sector, hospitals, and universities/colleges.