General Binding Corporation (GBC) was an American office products company that specialized in manufacturing office binding and laminating equipment and supplies. Founded in 1947 by William N. Lane II and Edgar Uihlein, who purchased a small trade bindery in Chicago, Illinois, the company started with first-year sales of $250,000. It quickly expanded, opening another domestic manufacturing plant in 1952 and establishing General Binding Corporation Canada, Ltd., marking its entry into international markets. Throughout the 1960s and 1970s, GBC experienced significant growth, with two-for-one stock splits in 1968 and 1971, declaring its first cash dividend in 1975, and achieving sales exceeding $50 million for the first time in 1973. That same year, it introduced Therm-A-Bind, a revolutionary heat-activated binding system. In 1977, GBC acquired U.S. RingBinder Corporation, strengthening its portfolio. In 2005, General Binding Corporation merged with ACCO World Corporation, the office products unit spun off from Fortune Brands, Inc., to form ACCO Brands Corporation. Edgar Uihlein, one of the co-founders, was the father of Richard Uihlein, a notable business figure.