Whitehots is an Ontario corporation owned by Russ and Sharon Culver. It was incorporated in August 1987. Whitehots is located in Aurora, Ontario.
Russ Culver has been involved in the publishing and library wholesaling industry for almost 40 years. His career began with Canadian Book Wholesale where he worked his way up to General Manager. When Canadian Book Wholesale was purchased by Baker & Taylor in the early seventies, Russ was appointed Executive Vice-President and was responsible for all aspects of the operation in Canada. After Canadian Book Wholesale was closed, Russ joined a small Canadian educational publisher, The Book Society of Canada Ltd. Book Society grew and expanded to become a general trade publisher and purchased Clarke Irwin. Russ was key in merging the two distinct companies to become Irwin Publishing. Russ became the General Manager of the new company and thrived in that position until 1987. It was during that time that Russ developed a keen interest in Canadian publishing and a broad knowledge and understanding of the industry. In 1987, Russ and Sharon bought the library division of John White’s Book Shop. John White had been operating a bookstore in Oakville, Ontario, and was requested by a number of libraries to provide a list of forthcoming “bestsellers”. This was the beginning of the “Whitehots” list. He provided some local libraries with deliveries of these bestsellers and built up a loyal following. Several of the original libraries are still with Whitehots today: Toronto, Mississauga, Hamilton, Brampton, Oakville and Burlington. For the last four years, Russ has been a member of TEC Canada, an international organization for business owners and entrepreneurs. Through this association, Russ has gained valuable knowledge about operating a successful business, acknowledging the integral relationship between customers, suppliers and staff.
Sharon Culver has been involved in the publishing and library wholesaling industry for almost 25 years. Sharon worked for Methuen Publishing and McClelland & Stewart Ltd., before joining with Russ to found Whitehots Inc. Sharon has been active in the Aurora community. She sits on the committee of the Hartwell Runner’s Challenge, which organizes a half-marathon race each April. This event has run successfully for six years and raised over $100,000 for a local charity. Sharon has sat on the Board of the Aurora Chamber of Commerce for the last five years. She is currently President for the year June 2007 to June 2008.
Over the years, Russ and Sharon have developed lasting relationships - and friendships - with many people in the publishing and library world. As well as being strong supporters of Canadian publishers and libraries, they firmly believe in providing a stable and rewarding environment for their employees. Whitehots’ employees enjoy above industry-average salaries and benefits and this has allowed the company to build a dedicated team.
