50th

Anniversary

— Business & Trade Magazine® Special Supplement —

STRUCTURAL COMPOSITE TECHNOLOGIES LTD.

Steve Proskurniak, Brian Zadro, President John Zadro, Kim De Vloo and Rob Thordarson.

Structural Composite Technologies

Canada’s Longest Standing Corrosion
Fibreglass Manufacturer Celebrates
their 50th Anniversary in Winnipeg All photos courtesy of Structural Composite Technologies

By Gloria Taylor
President and Owner John Zadro has a lot to celebrate on this

I
n an old Dustin Hoffman film from 1967, a businessman important anniversary.
can be heard suggesting to the indecisive young Hoffman One of Canada’s top fibreglass fabricators, Structural
that he should consider a future in “plastics.” Composite Technologies makes a range of composite products
Decades later, it is the future of composite products that has in its state-of-the-art, 55,000-square-foot plant on the east side
Structural Composite Technologies Ltd. of Winnipeg celebrat- of Winnipeg. Industrial products, bathware, well casing and
ing its 50th anniversary in style. utility products are the main categories in today’s product line,
The company is riding a wave of growth and expansion that but heading into its next decade of service, the company is
is bound to continue given the growing presence of strong, making plans to add a line of OEM (original equipment manu-
lightweight fibreglass in a range of products and industries. facturing) parts using closed moulded technology.
Add to that skilled and loyal staff; ultra modern energy- Most of the products are marketed in Canada through dis-
efficient premises; a name change that more closely reflects tributors, but Structural has just received market certification
its mission, and expanding markets and product lines, and in the United States and will soon be sending its well casing
2
 With superior service and technical support.
With the world’s leading composites suppliers.
With a breadth of product options.
Your best connection to the products, processes and
Congratulation
s to technology you need to grow your business ...
posites
Structural Com
n their
Technologies o
ary.
50th annivers
for
We thank you
your business.

Formerly Ashland Distribution

Nexeo Solutions, LLC • 1.800.531.7106 • www.nexeosolutions.com

™Trademark, Nexeo Solutions, or its subsidiaries, registered in various countries *Trademark owned by a third party ©2011, Nexeo Solutions AD-0109

Composites bridge photo courtesy of Harbor Technologies

STRUCTURAL COMPOSITE TECHNOLOGIES LTD.

1961 Structural Composite 1970s Starts supplying pads

Technologies Ltd. starts as and plates for utilities in
Structural Glass Ltd. Company addition to Leocraft camper
manufactures septic tanks. and Deltacraft boat.

1964 Adds industrial product line for 1974 Monarch Industries

INCO in Thompson, Manitoba. purchases Structural Glass to
complement septic pumps
1967 Moves to Burnett Avenue. with fibreglass septic tanks.

Putting Relationships First.

Comprehensive support of clients is the common ground that

Structural Composite Technologies Ltd. and Ranger Insurance share.
Congratulations on 50 years of success!

Let us build a relationship with your business so together we can

help you enjoy many years of success as well.

rangerinsurance.ca 204.925.8550

south of the border in addition to the Canadian drilling com-

panies it supplies.
“This will be the year when we move our well casing down
south,” says Zadro.
Utility products on the other hand are sold directly to
power utilities across Canada. The company services multiple
sectors: mining, chemical, wind energy, transportation, utili-
ties and construction industries.
4
 STRUCTURAL COMPOSITE TECHNOLOGIES LTD.

2001 Sells off septic tank line

and acquires the Echo
1992 Current president, John line of bathware.
Zadro, joins Structural Glass
as a Structural Engineer. 2002 Purchases a winder, starts
manufacturing well casing.
1983 Structural changes 1995 John Zadro buys shares
ownership hands for a third from other owners to 2008 Company moves to Hoka
time to David Killam. become majority owner. Street into facility three times
the size of former plant,
1984 Begins manufacturing 1999 John Zadro becomes sole changes name to Structural
Venco bathware line. owner of Structural Glass Ltd. Composite Technologies Ltd.

5
STRUCTURAL COMPOSITE TECHNOLOGIES LTD.

“The team decided that in

order to grow, we needed
to do it through acquisition,
expansion or a move.”
– President and Owner John Zadro

The company’s involvement with cli- company can engineer a particular prod- co-ordinate and manufacture. It also pro-
ents however starts well before the shop uct or design an entire industrial system, vides consulting, assembly, installation,
floor where workers apply the resin and (thanks to two full-time engineers on-site and in-house repair and service,
glass to shapes created over moulds. The and other technical staff), which it can and training and inspection. Structural
has also developed a strategic alliance
with the Composite Innovation Centre

Congratulations
(CIC) of Winnipeg for detailed engi-
neering analysis on a number of large
industrial stacks, scrubbers and other

on 50 years! products in an effort to optimize material

placement and final product weight.
With large volume niche markets
and a solid foothold in the composites
industry that can only continue to grow
as fibreglass products gain acceptance,
Structural Composite Technologies Ltd.
is well positioned to take advantage of
www.aoc-resins.com the opportunities as they unfold over the
next decade.
There’s one tried and true formula
that it won’t change: “We design prod-
Jerald J. Brasko ucts for value and engineer them to last,”
President says Zadro, adding that customers have
Phone: 204-668-5612 come to rely on Structural Composite
tatra@mts.net Technologies’ quality work.
“Structural has made a name for itself
Manufacturers of miscellaneous metal by never giving an inferior product; our
products are going to stand up, and our
and structural steel for over 49 years customers know it.” Nevertheless, the
bottom line is also a consideration. “We
also have to make sure we design it for
We wish you continued success in the future! value, because customers need competi-
tive pricing for a product,” adds Zadro.
6
 STRUCTURAL COMPOSITE TECHNOLOGIES LTD.

Kim De Vloo Steve Proskurniak, EIT Rob Thordarson Brian Zadro

Administration Manager Production Manager Industrial Supervisor Sales Manager

“I’ve been here 23 years and my “Our company is really a one- “I have been here eight years and “I really enjoy the diversity
current position is Administration stop-shop for composite products. I have been production manager that my job provides me. You
Manager. Structural has given We can engineer products, do the for five. We’ve got some great are dealing with quotations
me the chance to develop my shop drawings, manufacture the people working here and my job one time, then client solutions
abilities and skills like no other products and send a field crew is exciting and challenging.” another time, then you find
employer has done before. The out to install them.” What does yourself on the road making
company invests in my training he most enjoy about his job? “The sales calls. There is no better
and constantly encourages me people. They are great.” feeling than offering ideas and
to broaden my knowledge and solutions to the customer to
surpass my own expectations. I’m give more options to consider
making great use of my talents, when they create their design.
and I’m constantly challenged.” John has surrounded himself
with intelligent, professional
people who are committed to
excellence. That is what makes
me proud to be part of the
Structural Composites team!”

The early days

The company was founded in 1961 under the name Structural
Glass Ltd. The first plant was located on Henry Avenue in down-
town Winnipeg and the employees made septic tanks.
In 1964, the fabricator also began doing some industrial work
for INCO, a nickel mining giant based in Thompson, Manitoba.
“INCO was the flagship customer for the industrial line that con-
tinued to increase from that time on,” says Zadro. “That growth
pushed us out of the Henry facility, then in 1966, we moved to
Burnett Avenue.”
In 1972, Monarch Industries bought Structural Glass, a sig-
nificant development that also grew the product line. “During the
Monarch days, the company grew the septic tank market and min-
imized the industrial work, then added Leocraft camper trailers

An industry leader helping another leader achieving the next level

Congratulations to Structural Composite Technologies on their 50th anniversary!

Phone: 204-786-7481
Fax: 204-772-8131
879 Wall Street Manitoba: 1-800-224-0377
Winnipeg, MB R3G 2T9 email: sales@adamssupply.com
7
STRUCTURAL COMPOSITE TECHNOLOGIES LTD.

and Delta Craft boats. Most of the manufacturing was being

done in Winnipeg, while campers were being made in Gimli
(Manitoba),” says Zadro, who joined the company almost
two decades later – in 1992 – when he bought shares in the
company.
The camper trailers didn’t last long however, and in 1983,
the company changed ownership for a third time and divested
itself of the camper and boat lines and focused on growing
its industrial work. That didn’t stop the product line from
expanding though. “In 1985, the company began doing its
bathware line under the names of Venco, later adding the Echo
line in 2011,” adds the president. Transformer pads were also
added, which the company marketed directly to power utili-
ties throughout Canada. before, so I went from being an engineer to being a business-
Because markets were changing and the market for fibre- man,” Zadro recalls. “Now, it was my team. I wasn’t relying on
glass septic tanks was reduced due to competing products and shareholders anymore. I was relying on my team for direction,
reduced demand, Structural sold its septic tanks business in and I had a great group of people with me.” Failure was not an
2001, but in 2002, it added to its product line once again by option, he adds. By this time, the company had significantly
manufacturing well casing. added to its product line so that it needed new digs. In June of
In 1995, a major milestone occurred for Zadro, which also 2008, Zadro moved his company to a spacious 55,000-square-
defined the company for years to come. He bought enough foot building on Hoka Street where it remains today but not
shares from his two partners to gain a controlling 51 per cent before extensively renovating the building.
interest in the company. He welcomed the opportunity to “We tripled in size and capacity and made a name change
become the president, but he was also cognizant of the respon- from Structural Glass to Structural Composite Technologies,”
sibility he had taken on. he says. “We were having an image problem,” he explains,
“The bank was my responsibility; the operating line was my referring to the name change.
responsibility; the bottom line and the top line were my concern. “It was perceived that we were a plate glass company, but
I was reporting information that I was not used to reporting our business is composites. We are not restricted to one indus-
try or one niche market, so we wanted a name that better
reflected what we do,” he says. “The common thread that ties
it all together is that we manufacture composite products.”

Defining moment
We would like to Whether you call them meetings or strategy sessions, every
50-year-old business has discussions that define the future
congratulate our friends of the company. In 2007, an important retreat was held in
Kenora, Ontario that set the groundwork for major changes.
and business associates “The team decided that in order to grow, we needed to do
it through acquisition, expansion or a move,” comments the
at Structural Composite president. That internal look sparked the move to the new
Technologies Ltd. on premises on Hoka Street, but not before Structural undertook
significant major renovations that turned the new plant into a
your 50th Anniversary state-of-the-art green fibreglass shop.
It would require a large investment by the company, but
Zadro was confident in the future of the business and the fibre-
glass industry.
“We supply the industrial sector and its needs, and they
were starting to use more fibreglass products. Fibreglass was
becoming more mainstream.” That’s not to say that everyone
was prepared to replace their steel, wood or concrete products
with fibreglass alternatives, but Zadro, who is well aware of
the industry’s fibreglass research and what products compa-
nies were using, could see growth, and he was optimistic.
Progress Plastics The analysis was bang on, and business grew.
“Since 2008 when we moved into the new facility, our
90 Hoka St., Winnipeg, MB R2C 3N2 industrial arm has grown four-fold, and that’s just been in
Phone: 204-668-4900 three years.” At first, business increased modestly, because of
the global recession that hit companies around the globe, but
8
 STRUCTURAL COMPOSITE TECHNOLOGIES LTD.

Professional Affiliations
• Canadian Manufacturers & Exporters (CME)
• American Composite Manufacturers Association (ACMA)
• Composites Innovation Centre (CIC)
• The American Society of Mechanical
Engineers RTP-1 (ASME)
• National Association of Corrosion Engineers (NACE)
• Winnipeg Construction Association
Zadro considered any growth under those trying economic • Association of Professional Engineers & Geoscientists
conditions to be an achievement. of the Province of Manitoba (APEGM)
“The only commitment I wanted from my team is that we • Professional Engineers Ontario (PEO)
weren’t going to slip back,” he remarks. • Association of Professional Engineers &
Staff delivered on that commitment, and business has Geoscientists of Saskatchewan (APEGS)
increased steadily over the past few years. All in all, under • Canadian Federation of Independent Business (CFIB)
Zadro’s leadership since 1992, sales have increased by more • ISNetworld (ISN)
than eight times. “Some years have been dramatically bigger • National Sanitation Foundation (NSF)
than others, but we continued to grow,” he points out. • Canadian Standards Association (CSA)

Going green
John Zadro calls it “going the extra green mile.” While it was Structural Composite
necessary to renovate the Hoka Street building for compli-
ance to worker safety standards, the president decided not Technologies’ product line:
only to meet code requirements for the safety of workers in Industrial
the building, but he committed to working with Manitoba • Tanks • Electrolytic cells
Hydro to retrofit the building to top green building standards
• Coolers • Fans
for manufacturing.
• Process equipment • Blowers
Manitoba Hydro Power Smart programs identified energy
• Pipes • Electrical components
saving opportunities and advised the company on best
equipment choices for energy efficient lighting, compressed • Ducting • Architectural structures
air and heat recovery ventilation systems. It also provided a • Scrubbers • Grating
grant to help finance the sweeping renovations.
Frees (USA) worked closely with Structural to design and Bathware
install a state-of-the-art heat recovery ventilation system that Tubs and showers under the manufacturers’ names
captures the discharged shop air and recovers 73 per cent of Venco and Echo sold through distributors
of the discharged heat back into the fresh air supply. “This
alone has reduced our gas consumption to less than one-
third of what it would have been without the heat recovery Well casing
system in place,” says Zadro. “This, coupled with a fully A large diameter pipe that lines and
protects the integrity of a well
computer controlled ventilation system allows Structural to
strategically move large volumes of fresh air when required
and where required. This keeps work areas to levels well Utility Products
within regulated guidelines, all while keeping energy costs FRP products sold directly to power companies across Canada
to a minimum.”
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STRUCTURAL COMPOSITE TECHNOLOGIES LTD.

The result?
“Upgrades have resulted in energy
savings in excess of $100,000 per year
while providing superior space tempera-
ture control, which has led to worker
comfort and improved production pro-
cesses,” comments Zadro. Significantly,
payback time is expected to be less than
four years.
“We also have a gas bill that is only
slightly higher than our former plant
which was one-third the size of our cur-
rent plant,” says the president.
“We can proudly lay claim to having
the best energy conservation system

Congratulations
in the composite industry throughout
North America,” he adds. “These initia-

Structural Composite tives have allowed us to minimize our

footprint on the environment. It has also
Technologies Ltd. helped us to better control our produc-
tion processes and create a healthier,
on your 50th Anniversary more comfortable working environment,
and that’s good for business.”
Brian Zadro, industrial marketing
Perry Kuhl manager, said work comes to the com-
Phone: 204-669-9860 pany in a variety of ways. “Some business
Email: azsales@shaw.ca is repeat business like our bathware
line, but the custom design part is very
important,” he points out. This is par-
ticularly true in the composites industry
where many of the large tanks, covers
Congratulations Structural Composite and stacks are unique, designed specifi-

Technologies Ltd. on your 50th Anniversary. cally for the job they are required to do.
Brian Zadro, who joined Structural
in 1995, said the company already has
We wish you continued growth and success. a track record with some of the clients,
which can offer certain advantages.
“Some companies have faith in us,
and will get us to do a design for them,
then quote on the job. That doesn’t guar-
Design Builders (Commercial) Inc. Tel: 204-594-9010 antee that Structural will get the job, but
www.kdrdesignbuilders.com there is no question that it gives you an
advantage. The companies will recognize
that you helped them with that.”
As in other business sectors, profes-
♦ ♥ sional relationships are highly important

ACE
♠ ♥ ♣ Congratulations and may be key to winning some work.
to Structural “The limitation is your imagina-
tion because we’re very creative when
♣ Composite it comes to designing and building. We
♠ ♥ can find some efficiency in design that
Technologies

DISPOSAL
a lot of people can’t.” The sales manager
on your 50th is very confident with the company’s
design capabilities. As for the future, ask
A DIV. OF N.C.R. Anniversary! the president what’s in store for the com-

231-2290
pany, and he says Structural Composite

♠ ♣ Technologies is well positioned to take

advantage of continued growth because
10
 STRUCTURAL COMPOSITE TECHNOLOGIES LTD.

of industries’ increasing use of strong

and lightweight fibreglass products.
“There will continue to be growth
opportunities coming up in the future,
and even I don’t know where they are
going to come from,” he says. “It’s kind
Ashland Performance Materials
of like the field of dreams. You build it congratulates
and they will come.”
Quite simply, Zadro believes in the
Structural Composites Technologies
exceptional properties of fibreglass. on their 50th anniversary
“I refer to the strength to weight
ratio. If you can have a plate that
AD-11179
weighs a fraction of steel and you can
form that composite to whatever cur-
vature you want, it’s valuable. You can’t
wrap steel around a mould with the
same curvature and flexibility as fibre- “John and team, we were pleased to be part of your
glass. And now, you’ve got a product growth strategy with your acquisition of 100 Hoka Street
that weighs a fraction of a similar steel
product. And, as a result, the item can and wish SCT continued growth and prosperity!”
provide light weight installation, non-
corrosive, better fuel economy and Don White, CFA, CGA
increase your load carrying weight Executive Vice President
– whether it’s a car, bus, plane or a Winnipeg Investment Services
bridge. That’s where composites con- D: 204.926.3843
sistently have the appeal.” C: 204.227.8898
The president is also a strong sup-
E: dwhite@colliers.mb.ca
porter of people: namely his staff, whom
he gives high praise, and the greater com-
munity in which they work. There are
some longtime workers he’s convinced
o n g ra tulations Mike’s
are among the best in the composites
C Fiberglass
Structural
industry.
“Structural has made a name for itself repair and
Fabrication
Composite
by always manufacturing well built qual-
ity products that meet or exceed their

s
Technologie rs
customer’s requirements. Our products • Specializes in Tub/Shower
are going to stand up and our customers repairs – Gelcoat or Acrylic
know it. We owe a lot of that to our staff.”
yea
• PVC window/door jambs and
Giving back to the community has al-
Lt d. on 5 0 all around Fiberglass needs

of success!
ways been important too, and Structural 288 Knowles Ave., Winnipeg, MB R2G 1E2
Composite Technologies Ltd. is pleased Phone: 204-663-5118 | Fax: 204-667-5651
Email: mikesfiberglass@mymts.net
to support a number of worthy organi-
zations through donations, products or
labour. Habitat for Humanity, the en-
gineering faculty at the University of
Manitoba, the Misericordia Hospital
Foundation and St. Paul’s High School Congratulations to our friends and business
top the list.
As for Structural Composite Technol-
associates at Structural Composite
ogies, he is optimistic about the path the Technologies Ltd. on your 50th Anniversary
company has charted.
“We have our head above water and we
have kept it out of the sand,” he sums up.
“The future is looking bright and to
paraphrase Dustin Hoffman – we have Toll free: 1.866.943.0723
considered our future in – ‘composites!’ ”  Website: www.granitefg.ca

11
 50th
Anniversary
Our product line includes:
tankage of all descriptions,
pipe, fittings, duct work, stacks,
scrubber systems, cooling
towers, process equipment,
covers, electrolytic cells,
fans, blowers, transformer
pads, vehicle components,
electrical components,
architectural structures,
shower stalls, and bathtubs.

Our services include:

consulting, engineering,
design, custom fabrication,
assembly, installation, on-site
and in-house repair & service,
training, and inspection.

Unit 200 – 100 Hoka St., Winnipeg, MB R2C 3N2

Toll Free: 1-888-668-9320 Phone: 204-668-9320 Fax: 204-663-9115 www.structural-composite.com