Wifi Hifi is saddened to learn of the passing of industry veteran Jim Harbec. Jim spent most of his career at Toshiba of Canada and more recently with Hisense Canada, where he remained until the time of his retirement in 2023, when he and his wife moved to Morrisburg, Ontario, half way between Kingston and Montreal on the St. Lawrence River.
While the Toshiba team of Patrick Costello, Gordon Wong, Lindsay Takashima, Cec Soucie, Robert Gumiela, Peter Miskulin and so many more has long since disbanded, all these colleagues stay in contact to this day. Sam Swartz was also a past alumna of Toshiba, and Sam shares memories of his life long friendship with Jim below…
Jim Harbec…a brother in arms…a colleague…most importantly a friend…RIP
On Saturday morning at 6:08 am, I received a LinkedIn message from one of my friends and former colleagues at Toshiba of Canada, Lindsay Takashima.
The news was devastating and jolted me to my core. A mutual colleague, brother-in-arms and good friend, James (Jim) Harbec, passed away on Thursday, June 19th, 2025.
For some of you reading this, Jim may have been someone you met during his tenure at Toshiba of Canada or Hisense. Jim was a true professional in every sense of the word. Jim oozed personality, and he drew you into his world easily and seamlessly.
My story about Jim goes waaaay back to about 1974 or 1975…well before I became the Toshiba Sales Representative for the West End of Montreal in 1980. In those days, I worked for Montreal Stereo, and I had convinced the owners of the company to sign up with Toshiba. One of my jobs (besides selling and installing equipment) was to pick up orders at the various suppliers. Both Jim and I were young kids when we first met, with Jim functioning in a variety of roles at Toshiba.
Jim worked in the warehouse for a time and filled the Toshiba orders that we sold at Montreal Stereo. Jim also worked in the parts department and came up with a truly unique way of filling parts orders…many years before that department became automated. To expedite the orders, Jim would put on his roller skates (yes, you heard that right) and would skate up and down the aisles, picking the parts required. Jim became so adept at doing this that I swear, he could have done it blindfolded!
In 1980, I was selected to represent Toshiba of Canada in the West End of Montreal, Quebec. By this time, Jim had moved to the order desk, so I got to enjoy speaking with him every day. During the summer, I would jump on my 10-speed, drive about 10-15 miles from where I lived, to play tennis for about four hours with Jim and another mutual Toshiba friend, John “Red” Balleny.
In 1987, I was approached by Toshiba to transfer to the Ottawa Valley/Western Quebec. After I accepted the transfer, I was asked who I thought would be the best candidate to replace me in my old territory. Without hesitation, I said Jim!
Jim was not crazy about being selected, and he called me to express his concerns. He was worried that he would not be able to fill my shoes or interact with the dealers as I had. I told him that if I had a doppelganger, it would be him. Jim took the position and never looked back! Over the years, our friendship grew as did that of our wives. Jim’s wife, Nancy, and my wife, Ellen, bonded almost immediately, and we all enjoyed lots of quality “friend” time on the many Toshiba dealer incentive trips we went on to beautiful resorts in Cuba, Mexico, the Cayman Islands and more.
You may ask why I have these pictures (actually, I have many more). As an amateur photographer (underline amateur), I was asked to be the designated photographer for many Toshiba events over the years. I have shared some in this story.
James…Jim…Jimmy…you were a brother-in-arms, a fellow road warrior, comrade and most importantly…my friend! May you forever rest in peace, and may your memory ease the pain of your loss to all who loved you and called you…FRIEND!
Your friend,
Sam Schwartz
Ebony Tristar