William did so well that by 1821 he had founded his own company: The William Price Company. The demand created by the Napoleonic wars and available investment capital in England were all that William needed. His shrewd business sense and his technical knowledge were important assets in the developing forestry markets. First, He reinvested his profits in sawmills along the St. Lawrence and then looked for new territories in which to expand.
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William wanted to expand his operations into the Saguenay Region. He was able to do this through a financial association with a group of investors from La Malbaie. This group called La Société des Pinières du Saguenay which was commonly referred to as La Société des Vingt-et-Un built sawmills along the Saguenay River as a first step towards the settlement and development of the Saguenay region. In 1842 Price became the sole owner of the Société des Vingt-et-Un and therefore was able to begin the development of this vast region of central Quebec. |
His sons, David Edward and William Evan Price were at a very young age, initiated into the family business by working in the different mills that the Family owned along the St.Lawrence and Saguenay rivers. A turning point in the family history was reached when William Price transferred his powers to his sons in 1855.This led to the creation of a new company The William Price and Sons Company.
The Sons
David Edward and William Evan were excellent administrators and also had a flair for politics. They were elected to seats in the House of Commons and to the National Assembly from Quebec. Evan John the last of Williams’ sons to have headed the company was eventually to become a Senator. Since none of Williams’ sons had children of their own, a problem of succession arose and was solved when Henry Ferrier Price of the Chilean branch of the family accepted the challenge of managing “The William Price and Sons Company. A few years later, the eldest son of Henry Ferrier, William Price III became the leader of the pulp and paper industry in the Saguenay-Lake-St. John region. |
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The Builder
At the dawn of the Twentieth century William Price III was able to see that the future of the forestry industry lay with the development of pulp mills to meet the rising demand for this product in the U.S.A. The new president and C.E.O of the Price Bros. and Company Ltd., later to become Sir William Price, decided to buy La Pulperie de Jonquière. So as to meet the rising demand for newsprint in the U.S. Sir William quickly converted his Jonquiere Mill to a Pulp and Paper Mill. Thus the Jonquiere mill became the first paper mill in the Saguenay-Lake St.John Region.
 
In thisway the Price company was able to gain an edge on its’ competitors and quickly moved to the forefront of the forestry industry in the Saguenay. In 1911 The Price Bros. Company began the Construction of Kenogami,the first company town in the Saguenay-Lake St.John and the Paper Mill which was to become a world leader in the Pulp and Paper industry. William Price III continued to expand the company by launching the construction of the Riverbend mill and Townsite in 1924. However, His untimely death in an accident did not permit him to see the results of his work.
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