Learn a little
about us

The Hallmark Family Tree Has
Deep Canadian Roots

The Hallmark story begins in 1910, when 18-year-old Joyce Clyde Hall stepped off a train in Kansas City, Mo., with nothing but two shoeboxes of postcards under his arm. He had little money, but he had an entrepreneurial spirit and the determination of a pioneer. Hall quickly made a name for himself with the picture postcards he sold. Rollie Hall joined his brother in business, and the company was named Hall Brothers. On Jan. 11, 1915, a fire destroyed their office and inventory. Though $17,000 in debt, they decided to press onward.

Meanwhile in Canada in 1916, William E. (“Bill”) Coutts set off on a sales journey across the country with a portfolio of 50 card designs. With the help of friends and family, and backed by a company in Illinois, Bill had created a line of Christmas cards. This was the start of William E. Coutts Company, Limited and, as Bill recalled, this sales trip “really started the whole thing off and from then on for me, the business was greeting cards.”

William E Coutts visiting J C Hall in KC

Bill continued to grow his business in Canada with new everyday and seasonal lines, and his next goal was to expand into the American market. Through business circles, Bill had heard about a growing Kansas City stationery business – Hall Brothers – and admired their designs. In December 1931, Bill called Joyce Hall and told him of his interest in manufacturing their designs in Canada.

Mr. Hall was receptive and invited Bill to come to Kansas City. Mr. Hall entertained Bill at his home and that evening, a business deal was struck. As Bill Coutts recalled, “I was delighted. We shook hands and thus began an agreement which was to last for more than ten years before ever being put into a formal written contract.”

In 1948, Bill Coutts sold 40% interest in his company to the Hall Brothers. In 1958, Hallmark Cards, which was their new name, bought the balance of the company. As Bill Coutts said, “From that year on, our story is part of the Hallmark saga.”

Our vision

To be the company that creates a more emotionally connected world by making a genuine difference in every life, every day.

We Believe

Our products and services must enrich peoples’ lives.
Creativity and quality – in our products, services and all that we do – are essential to our success.
Innovation in all areas of our business is essential to attaining and sustaining leadership.
The people of Hallmark are our company’s most valuable resource.
Distinguished financial performance is imperative to accomplish our broader purpose.
Our private ownership must be preserved.

We Value

Excellence in all we do.
High standards of ethics and integrity.
Caring and responsible corporate citizenship for each community in which we operate.

These beliefs and values guide our business strategies, our corporate behaviour, and our relationships with business partners, suppliers, customers, communities and each other.

Innovation: 21st Century & Beyond

Now in the company’s second century of industry leadership, the Hallmark brand continues to evolve across its business portfolios. Quality programming started with the Hallmark Hall of Fame, and continues today with the Hallmark Channel and Hallmark Movies & Mysteries television and streaming entertainment networks, reaching millions of households across North America. The company’s Crayola subsidiary continues to inspire children’s creativity through crayons, markers and other innovative art tools, crafting activities and creative toys.

On the greeting card front, Hallmark continues to transform the industry with card lines and collections such as Hallmark Paper Wonder, Hallmark Signature and Just Because. Innovative products like Recordable Storybooks and itty bittys® plush characters create shared connections to treasure between grandparents, parents and children.

In 1973, Hallmark launched the first small collection of Keepsake Ornaments. What began as glass balls and yarn figurines has grown to more than 8,500 ornaments past and present, and a reputation for quality, innovation and, above all, a giving spirit. Keepsake Ornaments capture meaningful moments, honour special relationships, and help individuals express who they are as they relive timeless memories, year after year.

Magic is a key differentiator for the Keepsake brand. The company continues to lead the industry with cutting-edge innovation, including new story teller ornaments that bring stories such as Harry Potter to life on a tree. Whether customers are looking to capture the memory of an important life event or searching for an ornament people will say is “so you,” Hallmark has consistently provided the perfect way for people to keep sharing their stories and holiday traditions.

Hallmark Canada continues to sell products in more than 3,100 locations across Canada. From the company’s Hallmark Gold Crown® stores, a network of independently owned card and specialty stores; to its mass retail partners – Walmart, Rexall and Rexall Pharma Plus, Giant Tiger, McKesson, Costco and Hudson’s Bay Company – Hallmark brings the most extensive selection of products to communities across Canada.

Hallmark has come a long way from Bill Coutts’ cross-country journey over a century ago. But most importantly, the company has maintained the enduring beliefs and values that fill the basic human need to connect with others.

Our Location

Hallmark Canada Corporate Office 3762 14th Avenue, Markham, ON L3R 0G7
+1 800-268-3230 Directions ›

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Employee engagement

Hallmark believes in creating a climate where people are motivated to do their best to help the organization achieve its objectives. Greater things happen when people are engaged. Hallmark strives to create an engaged workforce that is energized, focused and aligned to the needs of the organization. Through clear communication, an understanding of the work to be done and a means to provide rewards and recognition, employees are encouraged to take personal responsibility for the success of the organization and go the extra mile.

Diversity and Inclusion

Hallmark's diversity and inclusion vision supports the company’s overall corporate beliefs.

Hallmark creates products that help people capture emotions and share them with one another. After a century, this is what the company does best. Diversity and inclusion do not stand alone, but are integrated into all areas of company culture. Hallmark offers a rich array of vivid and memorable ways to express feelings, and answer the needs of all types of people and their countless relationships, all over the world.

Within this diversity, Hallmark seeks to honour and serve what is universal in the human heart: the need to love and be loved, to be understood and to understand, to sustain hope, to celebrate, to laugh, and to heal. Hallmark is in a rare business: the company helps bring people together, make them happy, and give them ways to show how much they care. Very few corporations in the world can claim such a privilege.

"We help to bring people together, make them happy
and give them ways to show how much they care”

Sustainability

Hallmark has a rich history in developing environmentally responsible initiatives. From paper recycling programs beginning in the 1940s to today's zero-waste-to-landfill efforts, sustainable practices have been a longstanding tradition.

Hallmark's sustainability efforts are far-reaching. In the company’s most recent reporting, the portfolio of businesses has cut waste by 77%, greenhouse gas emissions by 50% and water use by 37%. Paper acquired from known, sustainable sources increased to 99% in 2018.

Looking ahead, Hallmark is progressing toward the 2020 goals to reduce the company’s environmental footprint with enterprise-wide programs and individual employee efforts.

Learn a littleabout us

The Hallmark Family Tree Has Deep Canadian Roots