FABCO - Celebrating 60 years

60 YEARS

Photo by Rebecca Lippiatt.

Fabco Plastics: Your One Stop “Buy Direct” Wholesaler

By Nerissa McNaughton

FABCO PLASTICS

CELEBRATING 60 YEARS

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n 1962, Meinhard “Mickey” Kehren started a business called Fabricated Plastics Limited in his garage. Today, the family business, now run by the second generation, is best known for its PVC pipes and fittings. The original location has grown to an 80,000-square-foot, world-renowned facility with five Canadian branches. The PVC pipes and fittings are a core part of the company’s identity and are its most in-demand products. And what further defines the brand is its inventory, people and customer service.

As the largest wholesaler of industrial and commercial plastics in Canada, Fabco Plastics provides, in addition to PVC pipes and fittings, pure water, institutional and lab piping; valves and automation; plastic sheets and rods; liquid monitoring; pumps and filtration; tanks and accessories; flexible tube, hosing and fittings; ventilation; fibre reinforced plastic (FRP); and a variety of tools. Recently the company formed multiple partnerships with local machine shops in various cities to offer custom CNC solutions.

Thanks to fully stocked locations and a very reliable supply chain, shipping is typically same or next-day. All this makes Fabco Plastics the one-stop shop for the home repair guy looking for a few select fittings, the large mechanical contractor ordering by truckload volume, and everyone in between.

M

einhard “Mickey” Kehren was born in Langenfeld, Germany in 1932. His humble beginnings were marked by devastating loss during the destruction of WWII. In 1955, with just $43 in his pocket and a resolve of steel, Mickey immigrated to Canada. He was 23 years old. In 1962 Mickey opened Fabricated Plastics Limited in his garage. The rest, as they say, is history.

“My father always had the philosophy of owning his own buildings and having the companies he built in those buildings,” his son, Bill Kehren, President, says. It’s a practice the family business still continues today.

Tyler Reil, Branch Manager, and Mark Strauss, Sales Manager, operate the Fabco Plastics Western Limited location, a new 30,000-square-foot facility with three acres of paved pipe yard in Acheson, Parkland County.

This Edmonton-based team’s combined experience spans over 100 years.

“When my father was ready to retire, he got out of the fabrication business and gave an opportunity to some of the key team members to become owners. He allowed them to buy shares so they would have some skin in the game. They were good employees that had grown the business with my father.”

In the early 2000s Mickey retired completely and sold the Maple location to Bill, while putting the Alberta and British Columbia locations in a trust for his sons with 50/50 ownership.

Tyler Reil, Branch Manager, and Mark Strauss, Sales Manager, operate the Fabco Plastics Western Limited location, a new 30,000-squarefoot facility with three acres of paved pipe yard in Acheson, Parkland County. This Edmonton-based team’s combined experience spans over 100 years.

Strauss, Reil and their team are proud to be a part of an ever-growing list of projects in the province.

FABCO PLASTICS

Remembering Mickey Kehren: September 4, 1932 - Sept 8, 2020

“My father was a pioneer in plastic technology and brought specialized plastic tech here from Germany. We were always considered leaders in plastic. We lead, we don’t follow. Dad was a tough cookie but received, and deserved, a lot of respect. He was the one that gave us the opportunities we all have today. Without the employees we have in all our locations, we wouldn’t be who we are today. Just as much as the team thinks I’m the leader… that is great; but I learned how to lead from my father.”

CELEBRATING 60 YEARS

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Strauss says, for example, “In 2021 Fabco Plastics was a key supplier for nearly 30 four-six storey wood frame concrete parkade multi-family walk-up buildings within Alberta and B.C. Our PVC/CPVC piping systems for potable water and drainage were utilized in place of traditional metallic piping systems for cost savings, ease of installation and longevity.

“Additionally our daily industrial and commercial business is very focused on being a one-stop-shop for our daily contractors whom rely on us for support on municipal water and waste water treatment projects, mining and process water treatments – everything from chemical piping systems, pumps, tanks, instrumentation, fibreglass grating, fans, ducting and custom fabricated products.”

Strauss and Reil are just as passionate about giving back to the local community as they are about suppling it with the best PVC pipes and fittings on the market. Last Christmas they worked collaboratively with the Acheson Business Association and others to raise about $18,000 and over 1,000 toys for families in need in the Parkland region.

“We are a family-focused business and we look forward to our continued involvement with local charities and organizations” says Reil.

The Edmonton location is the newest facility, but the company continues to grow. Plans are underway to open Fabco Plastics Maritimes Inc. within the next two years. This final location will provide Fabco’s signature service inventory, and PVC pipes and fittings coast to coast.

small contractor and DIY home enthusiast to the largest corporate contractors in Canada.

Wherever the journey takes the company, the team goes together, all with the same goal in mind – being a one-stop location for everyone, from the

FABCO PLASTICS

Strauss and Reil are just as passionate about giving back to the local community as they are about suppling it with the best PVC pipes and fittings on the market. Last Christmas they worked collaboratively with the Acheson Business Association and others to raise about $18,000 and over 1,000 toys for families in need in the Parkland region.

Reil speaks to how the team operates as a cohesive unit among the branches and to the continued

CELEBRATING 60 YEARS

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FABCO PLASTICS

CELEBRATING 60 YEARS

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CONGRATULATIONS Fabco Plastics on this milestone.

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expansion. “From our ownership group, senior leaders, management team and all of our staff, we share a common objective of immediate supply and next-level customer service. There is so much respect for the ownership team. We look to them for guidance, but they look to us to run the business. We are all very lucky to work for such an empowering owner.”

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Owner Bill Kehren feels the same and couldn’t be happier with the team, the leadership in each location and the enthusiasm for the shared goals.

Owner Bill Kehren feels the same and couldn’t be happier with the team, the leadership in each location and the enthusiasm for the shared goals.

“If we didn’t have people like Mark and Tyler, it would be a lot more difficult to run the business,” says Kehren. “We are lucky to have very loyal, dedicated key people that have been with us for a long time. That includes British Columbia’s Wes Stewart, Jeff Groot in Ontario, Martin Gjerek in Montreal, and Matthew Martin in Saskatchewan.

Here at the Maple location we have a solid team with Sean Yong as the National Sales and Business Manager.”

www.procoproducts.com

Ph: 209.943.6088 Toll-Free: 800.344.3246

FABCO PLASTICS

Kehren continues, “When Sean came in, he took a lot off my plate. He brought in new energy and new ideas while creating a great atmosphere for the teams at every location. He brought all the locations together and is instrumental in hiring and keeping people that are all focused and after the same objectives. I’m happy to have

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Photo by Rebecca Lippiatt.

Congratulations to Fabco Plastics on their 60th anniversary!

Precisioneering designs and manufactures corrosion resistant engineered proprietary fiberglass equipment. Our standard products include fiberglass tanks, brine makers, pollution control scrubber systems, fans, ducting, stacks, grating, platforms, walkways and ladders. Many custom fiberglass products are also available.

www.precisioneering.com FABCO PLASTICS

CELEBRATING 60 YEARS

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Congratulations to

for 60 Years in Business!

the support from management at each location, but it goes both ways. Without the key people we wouldn’t be where we are today. Without our people, we are nobody.”

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Congratulations

Fabco Plastics on your 60th Anniversary!

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FABCO PLASTICS

“The market is ever-changing.

We are ahead of the curve and will stay ahead of the curve,” says Strauss. “We have aligned ourselves with major manufactures that share our vision of service and growth, leaving us with industry-leading technology and the highest quality products available.

Diversity, dedication and partnership have always been pillars of our business.”

CELEBRATING 60 YEARS

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YOUR COMPOSITES MANUFACTURING LEADER SINCE 1980

CONGRATS Fabco Plastics!

60 Years is just the start.

Here’s to 60 more!

204.233.0671 carlsoncomposites.com

Over the past 60 years, Fabco has grown from a small startup in the garage of a man that had come from Germany in his 20s after suffering huge personal losses in WWII, to a thriving corporation servicing Canada with the best PVC pipes, fittings and more. Customers, from single buyers to national chains, rely on Fabco Plastic’s inventory, people and customer service. It has been six wonderful decades, but that was just the first chapter. The story continues and growth is on the horizon.

“The market is ever-changing. We are ahead of the curve and will stay ahead of the curve,” says Strauss. “We have aligned ourselves with major manufactures that share our vision of service and growth, leaving us with industry-leading technology and the highest quality products available. Diversity, dedication and partnership have always been pillars of our business.”

Drader Manufacturing is proud to partner with Fabco Plastics

Innovation and quality since 1947

“We are here for everyone, from the smallest to the largest OEM consumers. If it is engineered plastic, we have access to it,” Reil confirms. “We have the inventory, we have the supply lines, we have the right people in place and we continue to build relationships in the industry and in communities throughout Alberta. This is what truly sets us apart.”

FABCO PLASTICS

CONGRATULATIONS FABCO PLASTICS ON YOUR 60TH ANNIVERSARY

With plants in Edmonton, AB and Brampton, ON we manufacture a wide variety of plastic products

www.drader.com

CELEBRATING 60 YEARS

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Congratulation Fabco Plastics on 60 Years!

We wish you many more years of continued Success.

11721 Bevington Rd, Acheson, AB T7X 6C1 1 888-899-PIPE

One Source for Your Materials

Products Delivered PRODUCTS Quickly to DELIVERED Your Door: •QUICKLY AcrylicsTO YOUR DOOR •• Polycarbonates Acrylics • Graphics Materials • Polycarbonates • UHMW, LDPE, HDPE Graphics Materials •• Nylons •• Acetals UHMW, LDPE, HDPE • Nylons Fabrication For Your • Acetals Customization Needs: •• Cut-to-size Fiberglass reinforced • Drilling panels (FRP) • Heat Bending PVC wall and ceiling panels •• Routing •• Edge AlumFinishing Composite panels • Plastic Welding

935 28St NE Calgary ABWay T2C Unit 7X1104 4300 Chefs Louisville, KY 40218 800–667–9298

CONGRATULATIONS ON 60 YEARS

Laird Plastics® is a registered trademark owned by Laird Technologies, Inc. and is used herein pursuant to a license.

calgary@lairdplastics.com 866-491-1400 louisville@lairdplastics.com

Laird Plastics® is a registered trademark owned by Laird Technologies, Inc. and is used herein pursuant to a license.

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We supply you, our valued customer, with the highest quality products at the most competitive prices.

The first 60 years set the stage for a vibrant future.

Kehren concludes, “We have always been leaders in this industry, and that explains the past, present and the future of Fabco.”

CONGRATULATIONS

Fabco Plastics on 60 years!

MM

M M P L A S T I C ( M F G . ) C O M PA N Y I N C .

1301 Blundell Road, Mississauga, Ontario L4Y 1M6 Tel. (905) 277-5514 Fax: (905) 277-3060

www.mmplastics.com

Congratulations Fabco Plastics on 60 years of Business Excellence! www.norwescocanada.com FABCO PLASTICS

The first 60 years set the stage for a vibrant future. Kehren concludes, “We have always been leaders in this industry, and that explains the past, present and the future of Fabco.”

Get your PVC pipes, fittings and more from Fabco Plastics. If it is plastic, they have it or can access it. Your projects are our business and whatever you need is in stock right now.

Learn more on the company website, which is accessible at: www.fabcoplastics.com.

24790 - 117 Avenue, Acheson, AB (Edmonton) Edmonton, Alberta T7X 6C2, Canada Telephone: (780) 451-0238, (800) 661-7926 Email: edmonton@fabcoplastics.com

www.fabcoplastics.com CELEBRATING 60 YEARS

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