A 74-year-old successful entrepreneur based in Canada for the past 47 years, his journey to the zenith of his career is awe-inspiring. He has built several businesses and brands from the ground up, including Northland Firelogs, Ross Adhesives, and LePage’s 2000 Inc.
Navin’s family started from humble beginnings – his parents moved to Nairobi, Kenya from Jamnagar, Gujarat, about 90 years ago for a better future. Though they were a Gujarati agriculture family, his father Velji Dharamshi started trading goods in Kenya. Velji’s generosity gradually earned him a reputation as ‘Kaka’. The much-loved Kaka passed away in 2011 after a courageous battle with cancer.
Early life and academic background
Born in Kenya on 29 September 1947, Navin was sent to India at 13 years of age to St. Xavier’s Boys School, a boarding school in Jamnagar. The idea was, in part, to ensure he experienced Indian traditions and culture firsthand. In 1965, he returned to Kenya and completed his education at the Oshwal Boys’ Secondary School. He then decided to pursue his university education in the UK and, in 1969, he began studying Marketing at the University of West London where he excelled in his studies prior to returning to Kenya in 1972.
Soon after, Navin and his brother, Ashok, started a chemical company, Orbit Chemical Industries Ltd., under the guidance of their father. However, the instability of Uganda shook all of East Africa. The flourishing business was affected and Navin was losing confidence in the political climate. It was Kaka’s constant encouragement and guidance that helped them survive this difficult period.
In 1975, as newlyweds, Navin and his wife, Sarla, immigrated to Toronto, Canada. “I wanted stability for my family. Canada was it for me – a country of opportunities.”
Thinking outside the box
The extremely low temperatures in Canada gave him the idea to venture into manufacturing artificial firelogs for obvious reasons. He started by acquiring Tobique Enterprise, a small firelog company out of New Brunswick, with his brothers in 1979. Initially, it was challenging for them to learn a completely new industry. Using modern manufacturing technology, they began producing artificial logs that would burn five times cleaner than wood, which they patented as Clean-Burn® Technology. Waste products were used in manufacturing to reduce environmental pollution. Gradually, the business expanded into the US market, eventually becoming the world’s largest producer of firelogs. In 2006, with 94% of the distribution of the Canadian market and 70% of the entire US market, they sold the company.
In 1985, to diversify the portfolio, Navin made the decision to buy Ross Adhesives, a company that manufactured glue sticks and was having challenges establishing itself in North America. It was merged with Consumer Chemical Corporation, and Conros Corporation was born. Using innovative solutions, Conros grew successfully in the North American marketplace, and he eventually sold the glue business in 2000 to one of their major competitors. At the time, they had grown to 85% share of the Canadian market and 45% of the US market.
In 2000, Navin acquired LePage’s Inc. and rebranded it as LePage’s 2000 Inc. LePage’s initially manufactured stationary and mailing tapes; however, as the family expanded the portfolio, they started distributing several complementary products including glues and mailing, shipping, and office supplies. Part of the reason behind this acquisition was to create a sandbox where Navin and his brothers could groom the next generation to lead the business in future. This would enable them to take a back seat, and as a result, he shifted his interests to support companies focused on technological advancements so that he could launch successful startups.
Throughout the many businesses and brands Navin has pioneered and built, there have been numerous obstacles and challenges along the way; it was not an easy road. “But I had the best team backing me up. They always were updated with the latest technologies. With our ideas and innovative approach towards new technologies, we were able to make our mark and, as I said, every gradual and steady path pursued with conviction can lead to victory,” he says.
Great are those who fight the hardest for their beliefs
Once Navin’s children were involved in the business, he was able to focus on helping others, particularly immigrants, establish and build businesses. He has always been an ardent believer in hard work. He believes nothing is impossible to achieve if one genuinely strives to achieve it.
Establishing himself in Canada and achieving immense success was incredibly challenging, but he did it well and is an inspiration for so many. Navin is passionate about giving back and is intentional with his investments and mentorship, especially for technology aspirants. All of what the Chandaria brothers have achieved was possible due to their efforts, a little bit of luck, and lots of hard work.
Navin was honoured with the Confederation Medal from the Governor-General of Canada in 1992 and he was a finalist for the EY Entrepreneur of the Year Award in 2007. He also received several prestigious awards for his many accomplishments, including both the Male Entrepreneur Award from the Indo-Canada Chamber of Commerce in 1995 and recognition as a Pioneer for Change in 2012, where Mars Horodyski directed a documentary that captured his life story, A Story of Connectedness.
He could have easily settled for golfing and leaving his empire in the hands of his children. However, a man like him never rests. He is presently doing what he always wanted to, for the greater good of all humans. He and his family engage in seeding startups in Canada, and, in doing so, he has been a magnet for aspiring technology entrepreneurs, which allows him to remain updated on the leaps that are regularly happening due to the sheer pace of innovation.
Navin has brilliantly involved himself in a variety of businesses. He has in-depth knowledge and expertise in innovation and marketing which he uses to give a new life to broken businesses. “I believe entrepreneurs should have a role in managing businesses but not multinational companies because the latter are laced with politics. They surely take businesses to heights but maintaining or improving it further generally calls for a different kind of insight.”
The magic mirrors: Family
Magic happens when you create a family – the magic where you see your past, present and future in the same set of people.
In 1974, Navin and Sarla were married. Sarla was born and brought up in Kenya and studied arts at Jai Hind College, Mumbai. They lived on the same street as teenagers and Sarla had often seen Navin from her window walking by. “We moved to Canada a year after our marriage. Those were the days when my focus was almost exclusively on establishing my business. I would be travelling out of the country, with no time to rest. Sarla was all alone here – we were expecting a child. Something went wrong, probably the lack of right care or the parental know-how of pregnancy, and we lost the child. My brave lady faced it all alone.”
Sarla and Navin now have a happy family. Their priority was to make sure that their three children, Shernee, Sunir and Sheena, received the best education. So, they sent them to the Toronto French School where they mastered French. They also learned to read and write in Gujarati and learned more about Indian culture at Gujarati school. For their post-secondary education, Shernee and Sheena went to McGill University, and Sunir went to Oxford University. Shernee studied Industrial Relations and is currently the President of Conros Corporation. Sunir studied Economics and Management and is the President of Chandaria Family Holdings, Inc. Sheena, the VP at Conros, studied International Developmental Studies.
Shernee is married to Jaymesh Khetia and they have three children: Nayali, Nevyan and Niyeva. Sunir is married to Charissa deKoninck and they also have three children: Nayden, Nahlen and Nylah. Sheena is married to Jay Vaghela and they have two daughters, Kiyana and Kaiya. They all live in Toronto and are presently involved in running the family’s businesses.
Navin and Sarla raised their children in a strong, joint family who very much value togetherness. “Ours is a very culture-oriented family. Sarla always ensured our kids would know and be proud of their roots and traditions. Our older grandchildren also attend Gujarati school and we try to speak in Gujarati at home,” shares Navin. While they were both born and brought up in Kenya, and their children in Canada, they all are close to India. “We might not be as Indian as many others, yet we are Indian on our own terms. We still love Indian cuisine, especially Gujarati food. We celebrate Indian and Canadian festivals with equal gusto,” Navin shares.
During Navin’s most recent family visit to India he went to Rishikesh to spread Kaka’s ashes in the Ganges River, and then took some time to travel the national parks on tiger safaris.