In 1950, Györgyi Telbisz escaped Soviet occupied Hungary in the bowels of a coal barge plying the Danube. After living as a refugee in Austria for 2 years she crossed the Atlantic and landed in Montreal.

Her entrepreneurial spirit chafed under the corporate climate which preceded the women’s movement and she realised that she would have to start a business of her own. She first started importing various products from Europe until one day a friend recommended she look at some incredible sponges that were being made in Germany. After testing and trying the samples, she convinced her husband, Balthazaar (Bill) van Dierendonck, that they should import these as yet unknown sponges.

Their company, then Teldonck and Sons, started in the late 1950’s to import and distribute the first “SOAKER_®” sponges in North America. In 1962, came word that the factory in Europe was scheduled to close . Gyorgyi decided to start the manufacturing of the product in North Lancaster, Ontario – Canada. By 1970, Bill was no longer involved with the manufacturing so on her own Györgyi started Polyad Industries Ltd/Ltee. 

During the last three and a half decades Polyad Industries has worked diligently expanding the original “SOAKER _®” line. With speciality and general use sponges there are now over a dozen in the “SOAKER_® Seahorse ^™Collection”. We have now introduced the very successful O’Maré_® Seahorse ^™ Collection of facial and body sponges, and make private label sponges like Fox Run’s Equest_® Line line for a variety of firms in Canada, the United States and Europe. Under Györgyi tutelage and with Telbisz at her side the Twenty First Century was very well prepared for.

In 2002, Györgyi, at the age of 83, drew back from the day to day operations. Her son, G. Telbisz - van Dierendonck, who had worked alongside her since early childhood, took over the reigns. Today, his newest line is as popular with the DIY crowd as the O’Mare_® Seahorse^™ Collection is for those that bathe. The OTerra_® line sponges are not just popular; they are indispensable tools. Telbisz also has that entrepreneurial spirit and vision that has now foreseen the need to marry brick and mortar to the Internet age. This web site is just the courtship, the engagement is on the horizon and all of you who are reading this, we hope you will be our guests. The 21st Century demands not just environmental friendliness but environmental efficiency. We have always been ahead of the curve with 50 yrs. of experience to back us up; we will stay that way!

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