When started up, it was a small, father-and son business that delivered glass to commercial clients using a second-hand crane truck.
But they delivered faster than anyone else, company operations manager Ryan Nielsen explained.
鈥淓veryone else, it was three days,鈥� Nielsen recalled. 鈥淚 said, I鈥檒l deliver it in one.鈥�
It became a guiding principle, 鈥渟ervice above and beyond鈥� and it fuelled their expansion from a small home office into bigger premises.
But what really kickstarted growth was a change a few decades ago that could have been a crisis, new building regulations that required more energy-efficient and safer glass.
That kind of technology was beyond the ability of the overseas glass manufacturers the Nielsens and other Canadian distributors dealt with.
READ ALSO: CAREER FAIR: 91原创 company keeps traffic moving
So they decided to start making their own.
鈥淲e had no choice,鈥� Nielsen said.
It was a reverse of the usual path that sees success obtained though importing product from other countries with lower production costs, and it paid off.
From a small home office with only eight employees, including Nielsen, his brother Steve and their dad, Ole, PFG has expanded into a 125,000 sq. ft factory in Glocester Industrial Estates with more than 100 workers.
鈥淎nd we鈥檙e bursting,鈥� Nielsen said.
They have grown to the point where they hired their first human resources manager, Kristine Fay, three years ago.
Fay said the company is looking for people with a good work ethic who can handle physically demanding work.
鈥淲e鈥檙e willing to train,鈥� Fay said.
PFG likes to promote from within, and with its rapid growth, there are lots of opportunities, she said.
鈥淲e like to be able to cross-train, so people don鈥檛 get stagnant,鈥� she said.
It鈥檚 latest upgrade will be an OSSE (Occupational Safety Standard of Excellence) certification, that company is expecting to achieve soon.
鈥淲e鈥檙e still learning,鈥� Ryan Nielsen said. 鈥淎lways figuring things out.鈥�
Since the shift into manufacturing, he and his brother have amended the company guiding principles to aim for 鈥渟ervice and quality above and beyond.鈥�
If that tag sounds a little like the battle cry of a certain animated hero, Ryan Nielsen said that may have something to do with the fact that he and his brother both had small children at the time and were watching a lot of cartoons, over and over.
PFG is just one of more than 60 businesses 鈥� such as EV Logistics in 91原创, Canopy Growth Corporation, Retirement Concepts, RCMP and Protech Traffic Control Ltd. 鈥� taking part in the Black Press Extreme Education & Career Fair.
The event, which runs from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Thursday, May 30, is being held at the Abbotsford Centre at 33800 King Rd. For more information, visit the .
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Email: dan.ferguson@langleyadvancetimes.com
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