Pro Dealer Q4 2025

BIG BOXES & GSDS

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REACHING ROOFERS

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D R I V E-T H R O U G H S

PRO Dealer Q4 2025

THE ULTIMATE RESOURCE FOR LBM DEALERS, GSDS, & SPECIALTY DEALERS SERVING THE HOMEBUILDING & ICI INDUSTRIES

PRAIRIE STARS INTERVIEW

MARK KENNEDY AND KEN CROCKETT ON SEEING THE BIGGER PICTURE

Mark Kennedy

Ken Crockett

VICE-PRESIDENT STAR BUILDING MATERIALS Winnipeg, Manitoba

VICE-PRESIDENT STAR BUILDING MATERIALS Calgary, Alberta

Canadian Publications Mail Agreement # 42175020. POSTMASTER: Send address changes to Hardlines PRO Dealer, 8799 Highway 89, Alliston, ON L9R 1V1

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MASTHEAD

PRO Dealer EDITORIAL

FOURTH QUARTER/2025 // VOLUME 2, NO. 4 2060 Lakeshore Road, Suite 702, Burlington, ON L7R 0G2 • 905-330-3061 @Hardlinesnews • www.hardlines.ca

ADVERTISING/ADMINISTRATION

EDITORIAL ADVISORY BOARD

EDITOR-IN-CHIEF

VICE-PRESIDENT & PUBLISHER

Michelle Chouinard-Kenney

Steve Payne steve@hardlines.ca

David Chestnut david@hardlines.ca

GIBSON BUILDING SUPPLIES

FEATURES EDITOR

ACCOUNT MANAGER

Brian Lavigne

Geoff McLarney geoff @hardlines.ca

Shannon MacLeod shannon@hardlines.ca

EDDY GROUP TIMBER MART

CONTRIBUTING EDITORS

SENIOR MARKETING & EVENTS MANAGER

Luc Léger

Rebecca Dumais rebecca@hardlines.ca

Michelle Porter michelle@hardlines.ca

ELMWOOD GROUP HOME HARDWARE

Sarah McGoldrick sarah@hardlines.ca

CLIENT SERVICES MANAGER

Jill MacLeod jillian@hardlines.ca

CONTRIBUTOR

John Caulfield

ACCOUNTING

accounting@hardlines.ca ART DIRECTOR

Shawn Samson shawn@twocreative.ca PRESIDENT

Michael McLarney mike@hardlines.ca

Aurora, Ont.

Bathurst, N.B.

Moncton, N.B. Brent Perry ALF CURTIS HOME IMPROVEMENTS

Peterborough, Ont. Gary Sangha CROWN BUILDING SUPPLIES

SUBSCRIBER SERVICES ★ FREE TO HOME IMPROVEMENT DEALERS ★ To subscribe, renew your subscription, or change your address or contact information, please contact our Circulation Department at 866-764-0227; hhiq@mysubscription.ca.

NUMBER ONE IN THE HOME IMPROVEMENT INDUSTRY. ONLINE AND PRINT. Hardlines PRO Dealer is just one facet of the Hardlines Information Network. Since 1995, we’ve been delivering the most up-to-date information directly to you online, in print, and in person. Find out how you can get your message out with us. Contact:

Surrey, B.C.

Hardlines PRO Dealer is published four times a year by Hardlines Inc., 2060 Lakeshore Road, Suite 702, Burlington, ON L7R 0G2. $25 per issue or $90 per year for Canada.

Subscriptions to the Continental United States: $105 per year and $35 per issue.

All other countries: $130 per year.

(Air mail $60 per year additional.)

Canadian Publications Mail Agreement #42175020. POSTMASTER: Send address changes to Hardlines PRO Dealer, 8799 Highway 89, Alliston, ON L9R 1V1.

All editorial contents ©2025 by Hardlines Inc. No content may be reproduced without prior permission of the publisher.

Shannon MacLeod, Account Manager 905-691-2492 • shannon@hardlines.ca

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Hardlines.ca

2025-11-04 3:30 PM

MARCH 30-APRIL 2, 2026

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CONTENTS

PRO Dealer FOURTH QUARTER/2025 // VOLUME 2, NUMBER 4

10 THE SHOCK OF THE NEW EDITORIAL

PAGE 12

NEWS CIL PAINT BRAND GETS RELAUNCHED IN CANADA SPANCAN JOINS ARENA BUYING GROUP ONE YEAR IN BUSINESS FOR ATLAS MACHINERY’S SECOND FLAGSHIP STORE REMEMBERING PRO DEALER ALF CURTIS SAINT-GOBAIN OPENS ZEROCARBON GYPSUM PLANT ONE PRO DEALER’S REACTION TO THE BUILD CANADA HOMES PROGRAM

THE WAY 20 TRANSFORMING HOMES ARE BUILT THREE MINUTE READ

22 SKUS THAT WILL MAKE YOU MONEY PRODUCTS FOR PROS

56

PRO Dealer // Q4 2025

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IKO RAISES THE ROOF WITH PROS

64 SEE WHAT’S IN OUR NEXT ISSUE INDEX TO ADVERTISERS

66 6

VENDOR FORUM

THE CHALLENGE

LIFESAVING EQUIPMENT, DROPPED FROM THE SKY Hardlines.ca

2025-11-04 3:11 PM

LOOSEFILL INSULATION

FINISHING / CORNERS

SOUNDPROOFING PANEL

ROOFING SHINGLES

SHAKE SIDING

INSULATION

PVC WINDOWS & PATIO DOORS

GYPSUM

INTERIOR

RAINWARE SYSTEMS

VINYL & ALUMINUM GUTTER SYSTEMS

GLASROC® TILE BACKER

INSULATION PANEL

SIDING & TRIMS VINYL, ALUMINUM, ENGINEERED WOOD

HOUSEWRAP

GLASROC® SHEATHING

MD

CEILINGS/ GRID

MILLWORK MD

STONE VENEER

BASEMENT

MAKING THE WORLD A BETTER HOME

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CONTENTS

34

COVER STORY

PRAIRIE STARS

An interview with Mark Kennedy and Ken Crockett, VPs at Star Building Materials

28 46 MASS TIMBER SERVICES

The rise of a new Canadian glulam brand

GSDs

BIG BOXES TARGET GYPSUM The implications for Canada with Home Depot buying GMS and Lowe’s buying FBM

52

ENERGY EFFICIENCY

WHAT’S NEW IN INSULATION FOR 2026?

One of the fastest-growing

categories gets some new SKUs 8

PRO Dealer // Q4 2025

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58

DRIVE-THROUGHS

AN INTERVIEW WITH PAUL TAGARELLI A chat with the president of Auto-Stak Systems Canada

Hardlines.ca

2025-11-04 3:11 PM

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FROM THE EDITOR

THE SHOCK OF THE NEW

BY STEVE PAYNE Editor-in-Chief PRO DEALER steve@hardlines.ca

PRO Dealer is about innovation and talent, above all

This magazine, now in its fifth issue, was always going to be about two things: innovation and talent.

Last summer, when we drew up the game plan for Hardlines’ newest trade magazine, we already knew that telling PRO Dealer’s 7,000-strong subscriber base about what they already understand was not going to cut it.

Only true innovation, and how to develop talent, was going to appear in our pages.

We think we’ve kept our word. On page 16 of this issue we cover SaintGobain CertainTeed’s remade gypsum plant in the Greater Montreal Area.

It’s now the largest sustainable gypsum manufacturing facility in the world, powered by clean energy from Hydro Quebec.

On page 28, we talk about a different kind of innovation—mass timber. The term has been going around the industry for a while. Element5’s new glulam production facility in St. Thomas, Ont., is going to impact the lumberyard industry soon, via wholesalers, says the president of the firm, Chris Latour.

And on page 20, we talk about the imperative of developing talent. Ramtin

“

Telling our 7,000 subscribers what you already understand is not going to cut it.”

Attar is building complete houses with robotics in a Calgary factory. He makes the case for Canada not settling for being a producer of raw building materials, but going further with the value-added elements using AI. And on page 58, we have a case study of a company that has never been afraid to innovate—Auto-Stak Systems.

Let me know what kind of new thinking your own company is delivering.

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PRO Dealer // Q4 2025

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Hardlines.ca

2025-11-04 3:15 PM

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PRO Dealer

NEWS CIL PAINT BRAND GETS RELAUNCHED IN CANADA

WHAT’S HAPPENING IN THE PRO INDUSTRY Sign-up for Breaking News at Hardlines.ca

new business was subsequently named Pittsburgh Paints Company. The price was US$550 million. The U.S. and Canadian architectural coatings business was being sold so that PPG could “optimize its portfolio,” the company said in a press release at the time.

“It will result in increased capability to channel our growth resources to areas where we have the strongest right to win with our customers.” The division represented about US$2 billion out of PPG’s total global revenues of $15.8 billion sales last year.

PPG took over the CIL paint brand in 2014 when it acquired the North American architectural coatings division of AkzoNobel. CIL’s history dates back to 1910, when it was launched as an explosives company which later diversified into paints and var-

Brian Carson, president and CEO of Pittsburgh Paints Co., says that launching CIL as an independent Canadian company will allow it to move faster, serve customers better, and invest more intentionally in the Canadian market.

nishes. It was then renamed Canadian Industries Ltd. “Launching CIL as an independent Canadian company will allow us to move faster, serve customers better, and invest more intentionally in the Canadian market,” said Brian Carson, president and CEO of Pittsburgh Paints Co. “This is about growth and building on the strength of our Dulux, Sico,

One of Canada’s most historic paint brands, CIL,

and Betonel brands with a renewed focus on what

has been given new life by the Pittsburgh Paints

Canadian customers need most.”

Company. The Vaughan, Ont.-headquartered

12

company announced on Sept. 9 that its Canadian

more than three decades with the company. He had

paint business would be launched as a standalone

been PPG’s president in Canada. He is succeeded by

company.

Brendan Demler, president and general manager,

PPG sold its North American architectural coat-

commercial, and Tim Fisher, president and general

ings business to American Industrial Partners (AIP),

manager, retail, who will co-lead the company from

an industrials investor, on Dec. 2, 2024, and the

its Vaughan, Ont., headquarters.

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CIL also announced that Vince Rea will retire after

Hardlines.ca

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SPANCAN JOINS ARENA BUYING GROUP Spancan, the hardlines buying group, has joined the European buying organization A.R.E.N.A. The membership of Spancan includes the Independent Lumber Dealers Co-operative, Federated Co-operatives Ltd., and TIMBER MART. “Together with A.R.E.N.A., we are looking to dynamically grow our vendor partnerships to better our stores and customers. We are taking our Canadian buying group to a new global level,” said Doug Bitter, Spancan director of purchasing, in a release.

A.R.E.N.A. is an international alliance made up

Shown recently at a trade show in Lisbon, Portugal, (from left): Charles Grégoire-Béliveau (BMR), Michael McLarney (Hardlines), Alexandre Lefebvre (BMR), Alexandre Montegudet (ARENA), Bruno Ménage (ARENA).

of 10 retail home improvement groups around the

France (Groupement Mousquetaires); Hagebau in

world. Its focus is on sourcing, negotiation, and

Germany; JUMBO in Switzerland; Gruppo BRICOFER

quality control of hardware, lawn and garden, and

in Italy; Dedeman in Romania; Pevex in Croatia;

home improvement products. It has offices in Paris,

Brico, BricoPlanit and Praxis in Benelux (Maxeda

Shanghai, Ho Chi Minh City, Warsaw, and New Delhi.

DIY Group); and Woodie’s in Ireland.

The group claims to represent more than

However, in recent years, A.R.E.N.A. has been

20 billion euros (C$32.6 billion) of purchasing

adding members in Canada. In June 2023, BMR Group

power through the following banners in Europe:

joined up, becoming the first Canadian member. Kent

Bricomarché, Bricorama, and Brico Cash in

Building Supplies followed suit in February 2024.

ONE YEAR IN BUSINESS FOR ATLAS MACHINERY’S SECOND FLAGSHIP STORE

With 70 years of tool expertise, the fl agship store in

Just over one year ago, on the weekend of Oct. 18

“Our new Vaughan store will provide high-quality

Vaughan boasts stadium-sized screens, hands-on demo stations, one-of-a-kind brand displays, and a café named after the company’s founder, Joe Ederman.

and 19, a grand opening event for Atlas Tools &

tools, top notch service, and customer-centric

Machinery’s second store took place in Vaughan,

experiences, creating an engaging and interactive

Ont. The specialty retailer of power tools was set to

shopping environment where every visit inspires,”

“redefine the shopping experience for tools” with

said Shawn Ederman, president and CEO of Atlas.

the store. The new location just north of Toronto

“Coinciding with our 70th anniversary in business,

would deliver an unparalleled selection of tools,

we wanted our second store to provide an elevated

expert service, and in the words of Atlas, “an

tool experience that you can’t get anywhere else.

immersive shopping experience.”

From start to finish, our goal has been focused on

The store, located at 111 Creditview Road in

getting every little detail right, from curating new

Vaughan, spans over 35,000 square feet and will serve

brands to creating the ultimate jaw-drop when you

as destination for pros and those who shop like them.

step foot through the doors.”

Hardlines.ca

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Q4 2025

// PRO Dealer

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NEWS

REMEMBERING PRO DEALER ALF CURTIS

being “my mentor, my confidant, and someone I could always count on. People would say we were so much alike, and that we looked alike. I do know we thought the same way about the business, solving problems, and dreaming about the future.”

Alf Curtis’s father, a Pontypool, Ont., farmer, died when Alf was in grade six. Alf dropped out of school

Alfred “Alf” Curtis, founder of Alf Curtis Home

to work on the family farm. His missing years of

Improvements, a pro dealer in Southern Ontario,

formal education did not mask the fact that he was

died on Sept. 4 at 93 years of age. All three building

a wizard at numbers, which would help him later in

supply stores (Peterborough, Lindsay, Belleville,

his business career.

Ont.) of the Castle member were closed on Sept. 12 for the funeral in Peterborough.

At 15 years of age, Curtis started working for the Canadian Canoe Company. He became a lead hand,

Current president, and Curtis’s grandson, Brent

building cedar strip boats and canoes, until the

Perry delivered the eulogy. Perry spoke of Curtis

Peterborough company went bankrupt in the late 1960s. He then went into business with his brother, installing aluminum siding, soffit, fascia, and eavestroughs.

Curtis would make buying trips to Toronto—there wasn’t anywhere in Peterborough to buy the products he installed. He would load up his garage with inventory. Competing tradesmen would come around to buy products from Curtis—he was famous for helping anyone out. In a few years, Curtis and his wife opened up a “cash and carry” business called Alf Curtis Home Improvements in 1975.

Brent Perry became president of the business in 2011. Perry had started working full-time for his grandfather in 1990. Perry recalls Curtis’s “instant MBA” in lumber dealing, which kept the business out of cash fl ow problems consistently.

“Make sure your receivables and your inventory are larger than your payables and the money you owe to your bank,” Perry said “Alf taught me that and it has always served me well.”

Alf Curtis is survived by his wife of 73 years, June, who is 90.

Alfred “Alf” Curtis, founder of Alf Curtis Home Improvements, and current president, and Curtis’s grandson, Brent Perry.

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NEWS

SAINT-GOBAIN OPENS ZERO-CARBON GYPSUM PLANT Saint-Gobain Canada held a ribbon-cutting on

The move to carbon neutrality, Lapierre added,

Sept. 26 for its newly electrified CertainTeed

was part of an effort toward a “more durable, more

wallboard plant in Sainte-Catherine, Que., 25

responsible, healthier world.”

kilometres south of downtown Montreal. It’s not

Sainte-Catherine Mayor Jocelyne Bates said the

only the first zero-carbon (scope 1 and 2) gypsum

plant “places our city and region at the forefront of

wallboard plant in North America, but it’s also the

the industrial innovation.”

largest such plant in the world.

The launch followed two years of innovative and

Built in 1973, the plant alongside the St. Lawrence River was formerly powered by natural gas. Now

sustainable upgrades, undertaken in partnership

it relies entirely on renewable energy from Hydro-

with Hydro-Québec and the province’s environ-

Québec. The conversion to electricity is a big part of

ment ministry. A large grant from the latter’s

the company’s sustainability efforts.

EcoPerformance program of about $40 million,

Saint-Gobain Canada CEO Jean-Claude Lasserre

according to CertainTeed, was part of an overall

acknowledged that electrification was “a very key

investment of $91 million.

element” of the company’s green transition and paid

Among those in attendance for the ribbon-cutting was Marie Lapierre, French consul general to

tribute to Hydro-Québec’s involvement in the project.

Mark Rayfield, Saint-Gobain’s senior vice-president

Montreal. She told the gathering that the facility’s

and CEO for the North American region, called the

launch “represents more than a factory opening;

transition to zero emissions a “win-win,” underscor-

it represents the link between France and Canada,

ing the company’s commitment to achieving zero

between France and Quebec.”

carbon by 2050.

Saint-Gobain, a global leader in light construction, is headquartered in Courbevoie, France, a suburb of Paris.

“We can offer Canadian homebuilders a low-carbon option, and with more capacity, we get more board out.”

Saint-Gobain has increased its estimated Canadian sales from $750 million four years ago to a reported $2.3 billion today. It has done this by a sequence of acquisitions in recent years. For example, it bought Kaycan, a manufacturer of aluminum and PVC siding and PVC windows for homes, in 2022.

Roofing producer Building Products of Canada Corp. (BP Canada) followed in 2023. And a major player in metal framing for lightweight construction, The Bailey Group of Companies, followed in 2024.

Le Figaro, the French daily newspaper of record, estimated that Saint-Gobain has spent more than C$4 billion on these acquisitions.

Saint-Gobain Canada’s remade plant near Montreal.

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Hardlines.ca

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NEWS

ONE PRO DEALER’S REACTION TO THE BUILD CANADA HOMES PROGRAM In an effort to combat Canada’s housing shortage,

Turkstra Lumber, an I.L.D.C. member-dealer with

the federal government recently announced it is

11 locations in Southern Ontario. But he believes

spearheading the construction of affordable hous-

that the way Ottawa has laid out the project simply

ing at scale through the utilization of factory-built

won’t work.

and modular construction. The program is called

“With a decline of 80 to 90 percent of townhouse

Build Canada Homes and it was announced by

construction, caused by their own [government]

Ottawa on Sept. 14.

policies, many are still pointing fingers at develop-

The government touted the $13 billion project (the first phase of funding) as a way to help fight homelessness. It aims to build transitional and supportive

ers, which is grossly unfair. They cannot build what they cannot sell,” Turkstra said.

As it stands today, he noted, many trades are

housing through the initial construction of 4,000

already out of work or under-utilized, adding that

factory-built homes on six federal land sites, with

he expects unemployment levels to exceed 100,000

additional capacity of up to 45,000 units. However,

jobs. “From retailers to window plants and all

some within the industry are questioning whether

manufacturing related to new home construction,

the project will deliver any real financial benefit to

we are all down dramatically, and I expect to see a

the construction sector.

slew of bankruptcies in the coming year.”

The industry has no issue with an additional supply of subsidized housing, says Peter Turkstra, CEO of

He said the project is a refl ection of a bigger problem that exists within communities, noting that all materials and labour for a new home are, for the most part, Canadian.

“The cost per unit that they are publishing is staggeringly high. In the case of Ontario, these actions will not be enough to meet the housing needs of Canadians. If anything, some of the municipalities are focusing on sky-high-priced affordable and subsidized housing,” he said.

“What might help is changing the mindset of these charities and municipalities that will be awarded these ‘affordable’ housing projects. As it stands today, as sad as it is, most municipalities do not even support trades in their own community.”

Build Canada Homes was announced by Prime Minister Mark Carney on Sept. 14, 2025.

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Three Minute Read

Interview by Steve Payne

TRANSFORMING THE WAY HOMES ARE BUILT

An interview with RAMTIN ATTAR, founder and CEO of Promise Robotics, on the launch of their new automated homebuilding factory in Calgary On Oct. 15 you opened a homebuilding factory in

We’re a general AI automation company. We can

Calgary to build houses using advanced AI and

process a lot of different materials, including a lot of

robotics. How is Mattamy Homes, the largest

other forms of assemblies.

Canadian homebuilder, involved?

The factory is designed to build with almost any

We reported previously that Promise Robotics uses

partner, but Mattamy is one of our anchor partners

the same robots that are used in auto manufacturing.

that jumped into this in a bold way. But the

Robotic arms have been around for a very

factory is already producing not only for

long time. These are the same robotic

Mattamy, but other homebuilders as well.

arms that are used in automotive and traditional manufacturing. In automotive,

What is the biggest obstacle to innovation

where you have a very optimized plant,

in the Canadian homebuilding industry?

high volume, those robots’ costs come

It’s an industry that takes on a lot of risk

down to 30 cents an hour, which is incred-

and the folks that run those contracting

RAMTIN ATTAR

businesses are small

ible economics.

The breakthrough of Promise Robotics

businesses. You’ve got con-

is that we have developed a brain for that robot to

tractors with a pickup truck,

adjust to construction tools and be able to learn

and maybe a framer and some

what an industrial carpenter does. We are able to

subtrades. It’s not a struc-

assemble wall panels and fl oor cassettes with a

ture that really thinks about

degree of sophistication and much higher quality

what innovation means. Many

than what could have been done on-site.

companies that I meet, they’re happy to make 10 homes a

Auto plants assemble metal components, which is a

year. It’s very different from

very uniform material. How do you get the robots to

the automotive world, where

build with wood, which can vary from piece to piece?

you’ve got five companies

The sensing capabilities of these robots is almost the

doing 16 million cars a year.

same as a human. How do you know when something fits into something else? From a sense of touch. If

20

PRO Dealer // Q4 2025

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Promise Robotics bills

you watch our robots, you see them actually fitting

itself as a “Canadian AI and

the tongue into the groove by using a sense of per-

robotics company.” Not a

ception and touch. They essentially tell us, “This is

homebuilder, per se?

the most perfect fit that I’m able to produce.”

Hardlines.ca

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300

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100%

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Hardlines.ca

2025-11-04 3:32 PM

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PRODUCTS FOR PROS

DECKORATORS

Altitude Decking

Deckorators has introduced a fire-resistant composite decking line, Altitude Decking, that combines protection with lasting style and performance—delivering outdoor spaces that are as secure, inspiring, and enduring as they are beautiful.

Launching in select western markets in early 2026, Altitude features a fire-resistant core, has a Class B flame spread rating, and is ASTM E84 Standard Compliant. deckorators.com

LP

SmartSide ExpertFinish Naturals LP SmartSide ExpertFinish Naturals trim and siding is now available in the new LP Naturals Collection palette. Inspired by colour variations found in nature, this siding is available in six versatile colours with cedar texture and brushed smooth options. Ideal for wall applications or porch ceilings, it pairs beautifully with ExpertFinish core collection colours. taigabuilding.com

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PRODUCTS FOR PROS

MARWOOD

Cape Cod Engineered Custom Siding Cape Cod Engineered Custom Siding (ECS) is Eastern Canada’s first fully-serviced, custom-colour siding built on LP SmartSide. It combines style and durability to enhance homes’ curb appeal. ECS is available in a full selection of profiles, including lap siding, board and batten, panel, shake, and trims. For enhanced design versatility, ECS can be paired with the wood siding line to create striking, customized exteriors. marwood.com

GENTEK

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Mass Timber

By Steve Payne

ELEMENT5 MASS TIMBER EXPANDS ONTARIO PLANT Mass timber is likely to come to a lumberyard near you for three good reasons

Mass timber is coming to our industry.

very media-friendly. It locks in carbon emissions,

Reducing carbon emissions and the need for afford-

as natural wood has always done. A cubic metre of

able housing are driving it. And the trades shortage

mass timber can sequester up to a tonne of carbon—

is making its factory-built origin attractive.

which is why it’s purported to be a sustainable

On Sept. 17 there was a grand opening of the expanded mass timber manufacturing plant in

replacement for steel and concrete.

PRO Dealer recently interviewed Chris Latour,

St. Thomas, Ont., owned by Element5. The company

president of Element5, which is located in both

is a North American leader in the design, fabrica-

Toronto and St. Thomas, about his company’s $107

tion, and assembly of mass timber buildings.

million expansion. Hasslacher Group, a large timber

Mass timber is a class of engineered structural building materials, including cross-laminated

producer based in Sachsenburg, Austria, became the prime owner of Element5 at the beginning of 2024.

timber (CLT), laminated veneer lumber (LVL), and

The Ontario government provided $8 million

glue-laminated timber (glulam). All three are pro-

toward the plant’s expansion. Construction of the

duced by this plant.

137,000-square-foot plant was begun in 2019. That

The product category is a hot topic right now. It’s

facility largely produced CLT. The latest expansion of

a type of fabricated, high-precision lumber that is

the facility moves it up to 360,000 square feet, Latour says. A world-class glulam line has been added.

BUILDING CODE CHANGES A big boost was given to the mass timber industry when B.C. and Ontario’s building codes raised the maximum height for timber structures to 18 storeys.

Previously, a much lower height limit was permitted in those provinces. But Latour says it’s not so much regulatory changes as the experience of Europe that has made mass timber take off in North America.

Hasslacher Group, a large timber producer based in Sachsenburg, Austria, became the prime owner of Element5 in 2024.

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“Our business model still had huge growth potential,” Latour said. “We used Europe as a guiding expectation of the market because it started earlier Hardlines.ca

2025-11-04 1:12 PM

Element5’s newly-expanded plant in St. Thomas, Ont.

than us. And the two trajectories, although 20 years

not just analyzing mass timber, they’re analyzing

apart, do have similarities.”

the impacts on steel, brick, specialty products,

Mass timber is now enjoying a coast-to-coast

furniture, lights, etc.

market in Canada. And Element5 is shipping about

“There are so many great Canadian products

60 percent of its product south of the border, so

going across the border. They have to analyze all

far untroubled by the tariffs issue. After all, mass

those. But it’s also been made clear that we have to

timber is classified as a free trade product under the

continue to educate in the Canadian market and say

Canada-U.S.-Mexico (CUSMA) agreement. Which

that, regardless of what’s going on with the tariff

everyone knows is up for renegotiation.

structure down there, we need houses here and we

“We have been very open and talked to a number of our customers since the [trade war], about the

can supply those houses.”

potential that [CUSMA] could change. I would say

PERCEPTIONS OF HIGHER COST

it has never deterred anybody that we’ve seen from

But with everything sustainable, like electric vehi-

staying with mass timber, but it has affected the

cles, there is a perception that new green technolo-

timing of their project.

gies are prohibitively expensive.

“Our U.S. customers have in some cases needed

“That’s definitely something that we’re chal-

to go back to do their due diligence to make sure

lenged with,” Latour said. “We’ve spent a lot of time

that they can still have a positive business case.

with our partners showing the complete end-to-end

But in most cases, we are one of a number of

process and costs—and showing that we’re at least

products that’s impacted for them. And they’re

equal, if not better.”

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Mass Timber

“

We’ve spent a lot of time with our partners showing the complete end-to-end process and costs—and showing that mass timber is at least equal, if not better.”

The cost of construction is higher in a traditional

impact. Whereas with concrete and steel, you tear

trades world. The costs of putting up the building

that building down. The number of avenues is lim-

can arguably be lowered in a factory-built compon-

ited, and you’re releasing carbon as you’re tearing

ent environment. “People like to look at one very

the building down.”

small slice of the cost,” Latour said.

“Anytime you go off site, there’s less impact from weather. Whenever you do something on site, if it

So far, Element5 has counted on sustainability-oriented public sector projects to make up the lion’s share of its sales.

rains or there’s traffic issues, all these things lead to

One of the completed projects that Element5

delays on site. But the costs are still being incurred.

widely promotes is the YWCA Supportive Housing

Then on the sustainability side, wood has always

building in Kitchener, Ont. It’s a four-storey, 41-unit,

been a carbon sequestering material, and it’s very

multi-­residential unit that was built in record

efficiently grown, harvested, and logged.

“At the end of the life cycle of that mass timber building, the wood can be reclaimed with minimal Pictured from left at the Element5 plant expansion opening are: Hannes Hohmuller, Hasslacher Group; Chris Latour, Element5; Kevin Holland, Ontario associate minister of forest products; Christoph Kulterer, Hasslacher Group; Vic Fedeli, Ontario minister of economic development; Kevin Rocchi, Element5; Gunter Gigacher, Hasslacher Group; Khawar Nasim, Invest Ontario.

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Hardlines.ca

2025-11-04 1:12 PM

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2025-11-03 4:45 PM

Mass Timber

Element5 is in conversations with wholesalers about providing their mass timber products to lumberyards.

time—­and all out of mass timber. “It’s been heavily

glulam line. “We’ve already started with shipments

advertised by us, but we assembled the structure in

to some of these distributors,” Latour said. “We’ve

about 18 to 19 days, which is by far an industry best.

had a number of conversations on how we will con-

Element5 has completed 10 affordable housing pro-

tinue to support and grow that market. We think that

jects to date, with five more currently in construc-

it’s a very important part of our strategy in terms of

tion and six more in development.”

the efficiency of our production and also the effi-

MASS TIMBER IN OUR INDUSTRY

home builder try to come to us, we wouldn’t be able

The four big wholesalers in our industry (Taiga,

to support the number of requests or provide the

Doman/Canwel, Gillfor, and Goodfellow) have

training that would be needed.”

supplied engineered wood products to residential

Asked about the possibility of Element5 products

construction industry via lumberyards for a long

soon being available in a lumberyard near you,

time before mass timber became a buzzword. To the

Latour replies: “Absolutely.”

extent that companies like Element5 manufacture

“That’s been our largest focus with the launch of

ready-made CLT panels, they provide an alternate

our new line—having a substantial part of our glulam

method of construction to engineered i-joists and

business dedicated specifically to those groups.

plywood on site. And Latour acknowledges that at

With many of the groups we’ve been having conver-

less than three storeys, CLT is not as favourable

sations for upwards of a year. To make sure that they

from a price point of view.

can answer the questions, can train their clients,

“We do not operate in the residential market,”

and can sell their products efficiently.”

Latour explains. “It’s a big market, so we are using

Mass timber is going to be a term that lumber

distributors to take our product, which is standard-­

dealers hear more about. Along with Element5,

sized and standard engineering properties, to be

there are Canadian manufacturers such as Nordic

distributed out to the various builders.”

Structures (based in Montreal) and Kalesnikoff

This is all part of the launch of Element5’s new 32

ciency of our clients. If we were going to have every

PRO Dealer // Q4 2025

PD-Q4-25-Mass Timber.indd 32

(based in Castlegar, B.C.).

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Pro Dealer Profile

Interview by Steve Payne

PRAIRIE ST RS Photography by Jeremy Fox

David Friesen and his wife, Katherine, started building homes in Winnipeg in 1951. Since then, the company has grown into a vertically-integrated real estate company with multiple business units. Almost 75 years later, one of the units, Star Building Materials, is a powerful pro dealer in the western provinces. We interviewed Star vice-presidents MARK KENNEDY and KEN CROCKETT to learn what makes their businesses tick.

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QUALICO DEVELOPMENTS CANADA STAR BUILDING MATERIALS PRINCIPAL SHAREHOLDERS: Ruth and Brian Hastings PRESIDENT: Kevin Vann

Star Building Materials vice-presidents MARK KENNEDY (left) and KEN CROCKETT.

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STAR BUILDING MATERIALS VICE-PRESIDENTS: Ken Crockett (Calgary) Mark Kennedy (Winnipeg)

Q4 2025

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Pro Dealer Profile

STAR BUILDING MATERIALS is a part of

became evident. As a result, Star Building Materials

the home building and development company called Qualico Developments Canada Ltd.

was born in 1965.

Qualico is present in many provinces and the U.S.

a legend, commonly known as “Doc” within the

under various “verticals.” Under Qualico, there are

company.

land and commercial development divisions and

When David Friesen died in 2007, he had become

PRO Dealer sat down with Ken Crockett and Mark

property management companies, such as Rancho

Kennedy, Star Building Materials vice-presidents

Realty. And there are numerous home builders

in Calgary and Winnipeg, respectively, to talk about

doing business under names like Foxridge Homes,

what makes their firms so successful.

Kensington Homes, Pacesetter Homes, and Sterling with names like Star Plumbing & Mechanical, Star

Let’s start at the very beginning, with David and Katherine Friesen.

Mechanical Edmonton, Star Ready to Move Homes,

KC: The Doc was, indeed, a legend. And Katherine,

Building Products & Concrete Supply LP, Gypsum

too. She quickly found her way within Rancho Realty.

Drywall Interiors (GDI), and more.

She got her real estate licence and started to sell

Homes, among others. There are also verticals

It all started when David Friesen and his wife,

the houses that David built. That grew into what is a

Katherine, began building homes in the South River

huge arm of Qualico Developments now—a property

Heights neighbourhood of Winnipeg in 1951. As the

management and commercial real estate company.

company grew and more houses were being built,

We’ve got supply verticals beyond Star Building

the need to vertically integrate the supply chain

Materials throughout different provinces. We are a

Star Building Materials is just one of the verticals within Qualico Developments Canada.

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Pro Dealer Profile

“

And it’s our job to ask: how do we make it easier? How do we make it more affordable? How do we get it to a better quality?

—Ken Crockett

fairly significant leader within the building materi-

And it’s our job to ask: how do we make it easier?

als industry. Qualico is a customer of each of the

How do we make it more affordable? How do we get

supply chain companies, but they’re not our only

it to a better quality? All those things that go into

customer. It’s an advantage we have because we’re

the construction of a home or the design of a house

so integrated.

from start to finish.

Both Mark and I sit at the peer table of the land development and home building industry, right

MK: It gives us an advantage in the marketplace.

through to possession by the family that’s bought the

We don’t just sell lumber; we don’t just sell trusses.

house. We get an insider glimpse into the construc-

We sell complete homes! We really understand how

tion difficulties that come up from start to finish.

important the construction cycle is.

What separates Star from our competitors is the service levels that we can provide. And part of the inside track that we’ve got is we know what the builder wants—because we talk to them every day! We’re part of those companies. Being able to provide better services to our customers is based on the needs of the builder.

And we get very honest feedback. It’s like asking your bigger brother, ‘Can I borrow fi ve bucks from you?’ I mean, you know exactly where you stand right away. We don’t have to guess between the lines. Because we’re told pretty quick if we miss the mark and how we should adjust. As hard as it is sometimes to hear it, we love that feedback because it allows us to make immediate adjustments. Ultimately, this benefits not just us but our customers and the industry as a whole.

Can you explain the difference between the Alberta and Manitoba operations of Star Building Materials?

KC: We just recently integrated our operations in

Calgary to one full site, which opened in June of this

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Pro Dealer Profile

“

It gives us an advantage in the marketplace. We don’t just sell lumber; we don’t just sell trusses. We sell complete homes.

We really understand how important the construction cycle is.

—Mark Kennedy

year. We supply five distinct categories there: lum-

is more direct-to-contractor delivery. Alberta is

ber, prefabricated wall panels, trusses, and engin-

more of a distribution style whereas we have an

eered wood products including flooring and interior

actual retail footprint in Winnipeg. Opened in 2019,

finished products. In our Edmonton market, we

it’s a 20,000-square-foot store. Along with our full

recently expanded that facility as well. It supplies

e-­commerce strategy, it’s a bit more of a walk-up

lumber, trusses, and engineered wood products.

scenario.

We have about 428 employees in Alberta.

We also have the truss plant in Winnipeg, engineered wood products, and the floor systems. And

40

MK: Winnipeg is very similar to Calgary with a

in February we started a wall panel division. We do

couple of different nuances. The building materials

Ready to Move Homes here in Winnipeg. We don’t go

store, which is our primary business, is actually a

to Alberta so much with that business. We primarily

little bit more of a retail type of store where Ken

stick to the Manitoba and Saskatchewan markets.

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KC: The diff erence between the provinces is that

Mark distinguishes building materials, trusses, and ready-to-move homes independently. Whereas we have them under one banner in Alberta.

MK: That’s changing a little bit now. We are working

MK: We are probably about 70 percent contractors

to consolidate everything to be under Star Building

in Manitoba. And that’s primarily because of our

Materials with different services.

store and our e-commerce.

Do you have a different percentage of contractor customers in the two regions?

KC: With our expansion in Calgary we’ve moved

beyond a typical retail setup. You won’t find cashiers

KC: In Alberta it’s probably 99 percent contractors.

or boxes of product here. Instead, we’ve created

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Pro Dealer Profile

“

With our expansion, we’ve moved beyond a typical retail setup. You won’t find cashiers or boxes of product here in Calgary. Instead, we’ve created a collaborative, campus-like atmosphere, where everyone works together seamlessly.

—Ken Crockett

Let’s talk about your backgrounds. Each of you took a different route to Star.

KC: Yes, I worked for five years for Jim Thorogood

and ran a couple of his Totem stores. And when Jim sold to RONA in 2004, I was recruited by Star. Before Totem I worked at Home Hardware Building Centre in Kelowna, B.C., where I was the yard foreman and the contractor sales guy. I grew up in the industry from when I was about five years old. My dad was a lumberjack up in the forest. I remember sitting in a skidder, you know, in the fallen trees. Totem kind of launched my career in this industry. I always say I got my MBA by working for Jim Thorogood [general manager and son of the founder of Totem, Cliff Thorogood].

42

a collaborative, campus-like atmosphere, where

MK: I went to Beaver Lumber University, as it’s

everyone works together seamlessly. From any-

called. It was my first part-time job in high school.

where on site, you can see the entire operation. And

I stayed there through my university days. I joined

this transparency has strengthened collaboration

Star in 2015, after a stint at North American Lumber,

across all our divisions.

where I was VP. It was a small, rural, community-

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Pro Dealer Profile

based company, with a lot of smaller stores. I really

we run it better than each other. It is good to have a

got to learn the supply chain. And working from a

competitive spirit, right? It totally is!

distribution centre—and how to make it efficient.

Early in my career, I worked for Revy. And it was from there that I went to Sexton Group, where I was a business development manager.

The Canadian government has proclaimed that it’s trying to double the pace of home building.

That can’t happen without the skilled labour on site. What do you think of this dilemma?

You both have had a lot of autonomy at Star.

How does that work?

comes into play. Maybe you only need one or two

KC: The really interesting thing about working for a

journeymen on the job site and, instead, a bunch

Qualico company is that all the leaders are given an

of guys standing up walls. Instead of having Red

opportunity to somewhat autonomously run their

Seal carpenters trying to stick frame everything.

business units like we own them. It is very much an

So that’s obviously a part of the modular home

entrepreneurial spirit. We’re very fortunate to have

building strategy.

MK: That’s where the manufacturing process

the Qualico ownership group that capitalizes us well

44

and uses their profits to continue to invest within

KC: It’s hard to find skilled people. We have strat-

each business unit. We make decisions as an owner

egies in place to help highlight jobs in the industry—

would at the end of the day. And I think that’s where

and get people to enter our trade. Neither Mark nor I

the nuances allow us to be different but the same.

thought we’d be in this position when we started. But

We leverage the similarities between the two

we worked our way into VP roles of very success-

divisions in Alberta and Manitoba. It allows us to

ful businesses that are privately held. There are so

be our own business and do what is working in our

many opportunities in this industry for young people.

own markets. It’s not this canned approach where

This year in Alberta, we launched an intern-

you have to be a certain way. And yes, we both think

ship program with Supply-Build Canada, Careers

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“

Our job at Star Building Materials is to open some eyes to the different jobs that are within our industry.

—Mark Kennedy

Alberta, and Careers Canada. We’re trying to give people an opportunity to experience what working in supply chains is like. Because there are more Kens and Marks out there that are just waiting for a spot. They don’t need as much knowledge as they used to need in order to enter our workforce. And we can train them faster. In the last few months in Calgary, we hired 41 staff.

MK: You kind of fall into this industry, but then you

fall in love with the people and the opportunity. And I think Ken and I are prime examples of the opportunities available. It’s huge. Our job at Star Building Materials is to open eyes to various opportunities that are within our industry. On our truss side, it’s designers, it’s technical people. And on the creative side, it’s marketing people. It’s much more than driving a truck. Or out in the yard, hauling two-byfours. As vitally important as those jobs are.

And I think the more that we can educate people about the opportunities that are in our industry, the more we’re going to attract better people. We are trying to get that message out to the young generations coming forth.

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Big Boxes

By John Caulfield

BIG BOXES INVADE THE GYPSUM BUSINESS Home Depot and Lowe’s are now in the gypsum supply business thanks to acquisitions that cost the two companies US$14.3 billion

When long-time industry vet Doug Skrepnek opened his first two Encore Drywall

Inc. of Tucker, Ga., for US$5.5 billion. Lowe’s, just

Material Supplies locations in Ontario in the summer

before press time, closed the purchase of Foundation

of 2024, he thought his biggest competitive chal-

Building Materials (FBM) of Santa Ana, Calif., for

lenge would be offering consistent personalized

$8.8 billion.

service to pro customers.

A year later, that strategy remains intact. But what

GMS, which has a Canadian office in Vaughan, Ont., has more than 300 locations in North America

Skrepnek couldn’t have foreseen was that Encore,

doing $5.5 billion. Foundation Building Materials

as it expands, might also be vying for large pro cus-

has at least 370 branches that, in 2024, generated

tomers against North America’s two largest home

$6.5 billion in revenue.

improvement retailers, Home Depot and Lowe’s.

46

Home Depot has closed the acquisition of GMS

These deals give the big box retailers direct

The number one and number two big box retailers in

access to large interior professional contractors in

the world have recently entered the gypsum supply

Canada, a customer cohort Home Depot and Lowe’s

dealer (GSD) market.

have struggled to capture, at least in the numbers

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Hardlines.ca

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“

Two of the biggest GSDs in the world are no longer independent companies. Home Depot has purchased GMS Inc. and Lowe’s has bought out Foundation Building Materials.

distribution, and installation services for interior surface finishes, including flooring, cabinets and countertops, to national, regional, and local homebuilders and property managers.

INDEPENDENT MARKET SHARE Home Depot, Lowe’s, GMS Canada, and FBM either declined to make available their executives for interviews or did not return PRO Dealer’s requests for comment. In an e-mail statement, Home Depot said that the GMS acquisition “accelerates our strategy to better serve specialty trade pros.” Home Depot’s goal is to become the “preferred destination for pros.”

In a prepared release, meanwhile, Lowe’s president and CEO Marvin Ellison said the FBM deal “allows us to serve the large pro planned spend within a $250 billion addressable market and aligns perfectly with our Total Home strategy.”

To meet their objectives, Depot and Lowe’s will need to seize at least some of the market share now controlled by other GSDs and their buying groups in Canada. Outwardly, though, the retailers and market watchers we spoke with did not think these deals were cause for panic for their companies or dealer memberships.

“I don’t hear a lot of concern [among independents] out there. And I think that things will continue as is,” said Brian McCormick, president of Regina,

desired. (Lowe’s claims that its pro sales rose to 30

Sask.-based Kenroc Building Materials, with 14 GSD

percent of its total annual revenue in 2024, from 19

locations in Western Canada.

percent in 2019. Home Depot doesn’t break out its

Home Depot’s and Lowe’s expansions in Canada

sales to pros, but at least one estimate pegs that

“will ultimately be business as usual, but with dif-

number at close to half of Depot’s annual revenue.)

ferent names” for the companies they’ve acquired,

These deals also complement other recent pro-oriented acquisitions by the biggest big boxes in the world. In June 2024, Home Depot purchased

predicted Ken Jenkins, president of Castle Building Centres Group.

Castle is the buying group that the above-­mentioned

SRS Distribution, a supplier of roofing and other

Encore joined in August 2024. Jenkins pointed out

building materials, for a staggering $18.25 billion.

that during this recent spate of industry consolida-

SRS has over 800 locations in 48 U.S. states.

tion in Canada, Castle’s dealers have experienced

This past summer, Lowe’s purchased Artisan

“good growth.” He also noted, however, that what’s

Design Group (ADG) for $1.35 billion. ADG has at

happening in the GSD market now “compels groups

least 132 facilities in 18 states providing design,

like ours to support the channel.”

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Big Boxes

Encore Drywall Material Supplies was started last year by GSD veteran Douglas Skrepnek.

The rearranging of the upper echelon of GSD

in North America and are looking to tap other

dealers is likely to have an impact on competitors

market segments. Arenas where they aren’t as

and pro customers’ purchasing choices. While

dominant, including pro customers, are an obvious

there are still unanswered questions, one thing that

choice. Demographics might also be a factor,

everyone seems to agree on is that future GSD mar-

Jenkins said, as aging homeowners transition from

ket success will be linked to the consistent execu-

a Do-It-Yourself home-improvement mindset to

tion of personalized customer service.

Do-It-For-Me that calls upon pros to complete

WHY NOW?

The GSD acquisitions that Home Depot and Lowe’s

Last year, Home Depot opened only a dozen new

have made are tacit admissions that organic growth

stores in the U.S., and none in Canada. And Lowe’s

from their warehouse stores wasn’t working fast

added just two stores south of the border (it exited

enough, and the best way to increase their sales

Canada in 2023). Each retailer’s revenue and net

penetration with contractors was to purchase busi-

income through the first half of fiscal 2025 were

nesses with established footprints and customer

essentially flat, perpetuating the pattern of the

relationships.

previous few years.

48

projects.

FBM operates 27 locations in Ontario and

Jenkins thinks the big boxes may be reaching a

four western provinces, and GMS Canada, as of

saturation point for retail warehouse expansion

mid-September, had 45 outlets in five provinces.

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2025-11-03 4:49 PM

Big Boxes

GSD EXPERT WEIGHS IN

shock a few years earlier. He also was hearing anec-

“If you can’t beat ’em, buy ’em,” quipped Mitch Wile,

dotally from pros that the dealers they bought from

whose more than 30-year career has included

had become complacent about customer service.

management and consulting stints with the

Skrepnek is now planning for Encore to expand

Canadian GSDs Winroc and Kenroc. Wile saw the big

organically and through acquisition, first in Ontario

box acquisitions as part of a larger trend where “the

and then in other provinces. He doesn’t see the

big are getting bigger.” He pointed specifically to the

intrusion of Depot or Lowe’s into the GSD space

completion this September of the gypsum manu-

altering those plans beyond his company respond-

facturer giant CGC’s acquisition of Imperial Building

ing to the competitive pressure that was already

Products, a leading maker of steel frame compon-

being exerted by GMS and FBM in Canada.

ents, drywall trim, and related accessories.

Skrepnek himself helped cobble together the

BUILT BY ACQUISITION

GSD network known as WSB Titan, which formed

That pressure is partly the result of aggressive

in 2009 and grew to nearly $700 million in annual

expansion over the past several years. American

sales in 2018, when GMS Inc. acquired it for US$627

Securities, an investment firm that was FBM’s

million. Skrepnek stayed on for a while to run GMS

majority shareholder before Lowe’s, has said that

Canada, then detoured into other businesses before

from 2021 up to when it was bought, FBM com-

deciding last year to re-enter the gypsum business.

pleted over 20 acquisitions. During those four years,

He acquired a GSD location in Concord, Ont., from

FBM strengthened its e-commerce offering, opened

CSR Building Supplies, and developed a greenfield

more distribution centres, and added product cat-

outlet in Trenton, Ont.

egories such as commercial doors and hardware.

He told PRO Dealer that his decision was based on

The website Tracxn stated that from 2016 through

a number of variables: that owner-operators were

2024 GMS acquired 23 building supply and service

becoming scarcer in this retail sector; and that bar-

companies, the most recent being Yvon Insulation in

riers to entry—including capital, employees, materi-

Burlington, Ont.

als, equipment costs—were easing after the COVID

Home Depot and Lowe’s have shown a willingness to spend lavishly on assets they covet. Aggregately, they laid out just shy of US$34 billion to purchase GMS, FBM, ADG and SRS. And it stands to reason that their growth ambitions in Canada include considering other acquisitions.

The big boxes have stated that they are looking for companies that are “scalable,” meaning their operations are replicable for growth. A prime example has been SRS Distribution, which between 2008 and September 2025 added 225 branches and closed 107 acquisitions in North America. On its website, SRS says it is looking to

Lowe’s, just before press time, closed the purchase of Foundation Building Materials (FBM) of Santa Ana, California, for US$8.8 billion.

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add companies that have a consistent profitability, “clean” histories, and a “future vision.”

GSDs with regional networks in Canada, like Kenroc, which is owned by a private-equity firm; the eight-branch PacWest Systems Supply in British Columbia and Alberta; and six-branch Consolidated Gypsum in Alberta and Saskatchewan—are mentioned as possible future targets (even though none of these has indicated publicly that it’s for sale).

PacWest declined to comment and Consolidated didn’t respond to our request for an interview.

If Home Depot and Lowe’s were to go on buying sprees in Canada, independent GSDs will need to ask themselves what critical mass allows them to stay in the game. Wile said, too, that current market dynamics could compel dealers to focus more on product niches that don’t have as much competition, like insulation or stucco. Market conditions might also lead to consolidation of some buying groups to strengthen their hands when it comes to buying directly from manufacturers.

Delroc Industries, Canada’s largest buying group

Encore Drywall Material Supplies delivering to a jobsite in Southern Ontario.

in the GSD space with 33 members that operate 130 locations, did not respond to PRO Dealer’s request

made strides in improving their customer service

for comment from its general manager Derrick Gray.

offerings through the application of technology and

BRINGING DISCIPLINE

better equipment that facilitate smoother loading and logistics.

McCormick of Kenroc thought that it was too early

He conceded, though, that the presence of Depot

to speculate about how all this market commotion

and Lowe’s could usher in more “discipline” to the

will play out, especially when business conditions in

GSD market in terms of policies, pricing, credit, and

2026 are yet unknown. The sources we talked with

even operations.

thought that Home Depot and Lowe’s are likely to be

GSD best practices, said Skrepnek, must “under

cautious about expanding eastward in Canada into

promise and over-deliver.” He adds that pro cus-

markets that put their GSD locations in competition

tomers will favour GSDs that can quickly provide

with Kent Building Materials’ stores.

them with answers that help run their businesses.

Some sources also wonder what would happen if

And dealers need to “buy right” to offer the mix of

ABC Supply, the largest building materials dis-

products and prices their contractor customers

tributor in North America, decides to aggressively

need and demand.

expand in Canada, where ABC currently operates 24 branches in three provinces.

Whatever happens, McCormick said he believes that independent GSDs will be ready for it, having Hardlines.ca

PD-Q4-25-BigBoxesGSDs.indd 51

A consistent service experience that binds the pro customer to their stores will be the key to success for GSDs. “Anybody can buy assets, but business retention is the challenge,” said Jenkins.

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Insulation

By Geoff McLarney

WHAT’S NEW IN INSULATION FOR 2026?

Energy efficiency is one of the fastest-growing categories in any home improvement retailing store. Here’s what major insulation manufacturers are selling in 2026

Insulation is one of the fastest growing categories in any home improve-

that, in 1977. Now, governments are inexorably

ment store. There’s no secret why the category

climate change, not energy prices.

has been doing so well for decades. Energy costs

The largest component of the insulation market is

have become so high that Canadians have been

glass wool insulation. But the fastest-growing type

upgrading their insulation choices since the 1970s,

of insulation, multiple sources say, is spray-foam

when energy spiked upward in a response to the

and EPS, because of the ramping up of energy-

OPEC embargo in 1973. The first of the lucrative

efficiency building codes.

insulation subsidy programs, the Canadian Home Insulation Program (CHIP), was born shortly after

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driving us to build greener and tighter because of

Here’s what insulation manufacturers are pitching to retailers and buying groups in 2026.

Hardlines.ca

2025-11-04 3:24 PM

“

Canada improved energy efficiency by 13 percent between 2000 and 2021.

That saved us $27.2 billion in energy costs.

DAP WALL & CAVITY FOAM Billed as the first of its kind, DAP Wall & Cavity Foam is a wide spray applicator and pre-mixed formula that, like a two-component spray foam, air-seals and insulates with ultimate spray control. Homeowners can save up to 30 percent on energy costs by simply spraying a thin layout of this product before installing fibreglass insulation.

OWENS CORNING PINK NEXT GEN FIBERGLAS This fibreglass insulation is made with environmental sustainability in mind, Owens Corning says. It holds firm with no formaldehyde, maintains thermal control to meet codes and homeowners’ standards, and is made from 100 percent wind-powered electricity.

OWENS CORNING FOAMULAR NGX 250 EXTRUDED POLYSTYRENE RIGID FOAM This insulation is a closed cell, highly moistureresistant foam board insulation available in thickness ranging from 0.74 to 4 inches. It’s easy to cut, shape, and install for a precise fit.

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Insulation

JOHNS MANVILLE INSUL-SHIELD BLACK This product is a series of fl exible, semi-rigid or rigid thermal and acoustical fibreglass insulating boards for custom curtainwall applications. Insul-Shield is fire-resistant and non-combustible. Available faced and unfaced.

JOHNS MANVILLE AP FOIL25 POLYISO CONTINUOUS INSULATION With compressive strength of 25 psi, Johns Manville AP Foil25 Polyiso Continuous Insulation is a waterresistive barrier, vapour barrier, and air barrier all in one. It’s especially suited for commercial applications

“

where higher compressive strength boards are preferred for certain exterior cladding systems.

Energy efficiency is the practice of using less energy to perform the same task. The best way to get a house to increase its energy efficiency is to improve its insulation.

CERTAINTEED LANAÉ SUSTAINABLE INSULATION This new insulation is an easy-to-install, cost effective product to help save energy in residential and commercial new construction, as well as for renovating or retrofitting existing builds. It is made of glass fibre that consists of rapidly renewable content, a high percentage of recycled glass, and a plant-based binder.

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Hardlines.ca

2025-11-04 3:24 PM

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2025-11-03 4:50 PM

Vendor Interview

Interview by Geoff McLarney

IKO RAISES THE ROOF WITH PROS With its Roofpro program, IKO is keeping its trusted contractors loyal—and educated. Rob Davidson, vice-president for residential sales in Canada, breaks it down for PRO Dealer.

What is IKO doing to encourage roofers not to chop and change and pick IKO as their specific roofing supplier?

tractor advances to this level, we offer to put them

Contractors are a very important part of our

owners can learn about them and even ask for a

business. They are the people representing our

quote. When consumers are looking for a con-

products in the home with the consumer. We have

tractor, they want somebody that they can count on

a contractor loyalty program called Roofpro, and

and trust. And since we’re going to be promoting

in that program we have three levels. The first is

these contractors on our website, we put them

called Advantage level. There’s no cost to join, and

through testing and a background check to make

this allows contractors access to our program.

sure they meet the criteria.

The next level up is called Select. When a conon our website’s contractor finder, so that home-

The top level is called Craftsman Premier. These are guys that are extremely loyal. They do very large volumes of roofing. They’re going to be visible on the website as well. And on the website, we also allow them to have a contractor portal.

For example, if you’re a contractor and you’re listed on our website, the consumer can enter the contractor’s postal code and find their roofing business listed. They can click on it and open up another portal where contractors actually have the ability to put in information about their business and promote their business to that consumer.

What about financing?

Financing has become a very big part of our business. The economy is very tough. Not everybody has a lot of extra cash lying around. Often, a roof is

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“

Anywhere from 75 to 100 contractors show up at these Roofpro events.

The feedback has been very positive and we understand that the contractors get a lot of value out of it.

a surprise for people. You don’t necessarily plan on replacing your roof until one day somebody says, “Hey, you’ve got a problem.”

So having a finance option for our contractors is important because it gives them another alternative to the consumer instead of saying, “I need this big dollar amount right up front to be able to do your roof.”

They can do it on a payment plan for the consumer as well. And that’s all managed by a third party; we

What does IKO off er in terms of events, seminars, and the like for roofers throughout the year?

connect the contractor with the financing

On an annual basis, we normally have

organization. We’re using a company

two to three Roofpro seminars that we

called FinanceIt and they specialize in

put on for our Roofpro contractors. We

the construction business.

try to do these seminars in both the east and west in our various markets. We

Does the contractor get paid all at once or do they get paid month-bymonth as well?

When you do the financing, the financing

invite our contractors in for the day and we bring in special guest speakers to ROB DAVIDSON

present various topics.

We try to do these seminars in the

company picks up the cost of the roof and pays the

off-season for contractors—in a February or March

contractor outright. So now, the deal is between the

timeframe when we know they’re not actively out

finance company and the consumer. The roofer gets

there trying to close work. Anywhere from 75 to 100

paid, he gets his money, he goes on. And the finance

contractors show up at these events. The feedback

company, upon approval obviously, is dealing dir-

has been very positive and we understand that the

ectly with the consumer on the payment piece.

contractors get a lot of value out of it.

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Operations

REDEFINING YARD EFFICIENCY

By Rebecca Dumais

Auto-Stak Systems’ rack-supported drive-through model trims costs and shrinks footprints. It also reimagines what “convenience” means for dealers and contractors alike

When it comes to innovation in the

into a defining solution for the modern building

building supply sector, few ideas have reimagined

materials landscape.

yard efficiency like Auto-Stak’s drive-through concept. It was developed to help dealers maximize

A NEW KIND OF CONVENIENCE

space, reduce labour costs, and improve customer

“The drive-through started with a question,”

experience. The system has now evolved from a

Tagarelli recalls. “How can we make better use

simple efficiency upgrade into a transformative

of existing buildings and create something more

business model that changes how dealers build,

efficient for the customer?” Many of Auto-Stak’s

store, and sell.

clients faced the same challenge: sprawling yards,

PRO Dealer spoke with Paul Tagarelli, president of Auto-Stak Systems Inc., who explained how the idea grew from a practical response to dealer pain points

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PD-Q4-25-DriveThru.indd 58

constantly changing SKUs, and limited space to keep inventory dry and accessible.

Traditional lumberyards required vast open areas,

Hardlines.ca

2025-11-04 1:29 PM

“

The drive-through started as a question: how can we make better use of space?

Today, it’s reshaping how the industry thinks about building and selling.

Adams Building Supply in Woodstock, Ontario, uses Auto-Stak Systems’ drive-through model.

of often three or four acres, to handle volume. For

consumers can literally drive in, pick up what they

smaller independents or expanding chains, the

need, and load out under one roof.

math didn’t work anymore.

The drive-through reduces required yard space

“Customers were always struggling with inven-

to less than one-third of traditional footprints. “It’s

tory spread over large areas,” Tagarelli explains.

smaller yards, smaller staff requirements, smaller

“We thought, what if we could condense that?

equipment needs,” he says. “It’s more efficient from

What if we could keep building materials, racking

every angle.”

systems, and merchandising all in one drive-in environment?”

That question became the foundation for Auto-

SMART SPACE, SMARTER COSTS The compact design not only saves space, it trans-

Stak’s now-signature drive-through concept: a cov-

forms the economics of running a yard. “With a

ered, rack-supported warehouse where dealers or

smaller covered area, you pay less tax, you need

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Operations

Auto-Stak’s top racking system is in place at Woodstock, Ont.’s, brand-new Adams Building Supply.

fewer forklifts, and fewer people to manage stock,” Tagarelli notes. “You’re making the same amount of money, or more, while spending less to do it.”

Auto-Stak’s approach also challenges how dealers think about structures themselves. Many retailers assume a drive-through means building a full stick-frame or pre-engineered steel facility.

60

Not by Auto-Stak’s standards. “A lot of our projects

CHANGING THE YARD CULTURE

are rack-supported,” Tagarelli says. “That means

The drive-through concept has also changed how

the storage equipment itself becomes the support

teams operate. Old-school yards were sprawling,

structure. You eliminate the need for a separate

open-air lots where materials sat exposed to weather

building shell altogether.”

and workers spent half their day chasing inventory.

It’s a system that has caught the attention of

Today’s drive-through yards are organized, dry, and

buying groups and independent dealers alike,

customer-friendly. “Everything is under a roof, clean,

from Home Hardware Building Centres to TIM-

accessible, and safe,” Tagarelli explains.

BER MART, and others expanding into full-ser-

“Instead of walking through a gravel yard in the

vice operations. “It’s especially useful for dealers

snow amongst forklifts and other equipment, custom-

upgrading from hardware to full building centres,”

ers and contractors can pick what they need in one

Tagarelli adds. “They need efficiency, but they also

aisle.” The result is a more professional experience—

need scalability.”

both for DIY homeowners and for busy contractors.

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Hardlines.ca

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CEDAR IMPRESSIONS® Perfection Shingles Single 7” & Double 7’

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Operations

“Contractors especially love it,” Tagarelli says.

“They know where to find straight, dry lumber.

They’re in and out fast, and they can trust what they’re getting.”

EFFICIENCY AS A BUSINESS MODEL From the outside, Auto-Stak’s drive-through may look like a clever convenience. But at its core, it represents something bigger: an economic model for the building-supply industry. By shrinking footprint requirements, reducing labour, and cutting operating costs, dealers can now expand or upgrade without massive capital investments. “It’s really about helping the dealer make more with less,” he explains.

Leroy Merlin’s pro store in Lisbon, Portugal, has a winding drive-through that allows a car to move through the LBM area, pull over, and load materials as needed from the various bays.

“Less land, less labour, less maintenance—but more efficiency, more safety, more profitability.”

fast. Everyone wants to serve their customers

Auto-Stak’s systems are now found in yards

better.” That focus on service, both to the dealer

across Canada, from modest regional dealers to

and to the end consumer, remains at the heart of

major retail groups. As demand grows, Tagarelli

Auto-Stak’s philosophy.

says the company continues to refine its methods and offer customized packages.

“It took some education in the beginning,” he says. “But once people saw the benefits, it spread

A BETTER EXPERIENCE FOR EVERYONE “At the end of the day, it’s about creating a better experience for everyone,” Tagarelli says. “For the dealer who saves time and space, for the staff who work safer and cleaner, and for the customer who just wants to get what they need and get back to the job.”

With over three decades of innovation behind it, Auto-Stak continues to demonstrate how practical engineering can deliver real results. The drivethrough may have started as a simple convenience, but it has become a symbol of what modern building supply operations can achieve when they blend creativity with practicality.

“It’s not about building bigger,” Tagarelli concludes.

“It’s about building smarter.”

Auto-Stak racking system at Adams Building Supply

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Hardlines.ca

2025-11-04 1:29 PM

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2025-11-03 4:52 PM

AD INDEX

ADVERTISERS Q4/2025 Auto-Stak

27

Orgill

2, 3

BMR

21

+osb

67

Castle Building Centres Group

68

Owens-Corning

31

Diablo Tools

19

Regal ideas

37

Gentek

49

Saint-Gobain

7

GSW

55

Saint-Gobain CertainTeed

9

Saint-Gobain Kaycan

61 11

autostak.com bmr.ca/becomeadealer youarethebrand.ca diablotools.com gentek.ca gsw-wh.com

Hardlines Inc. hardlines.ca

63, 65

orgill.com osb.ca Owenscorning.com regalideas.com saint-gobain.com saint-gobain.com saint-gobain.com

Home Hardware Stores

17

Sexton Group

Marwood

25

Taiga Building Products

MAX USA

15

Vista Railing Systems

National Hardware Show

5

home-owner.ca

marwoodltd.com maxusacorp.com nationalhardwareshow.com

sextongroup.com

39, 43

taigabuilding.com

33

vistarailings.com

1ST QUARTER 2026

IN THE NEXT ISSUE: PRO Dealer PRO DEALER OF THE YEAR PLUS:

• Competitive Analysis • Taxation • Power Tools 64

PRO Dealer // Q4 2025

PD-Q4-25-AdIndex.indd 64

PUBLICATION DATE: February 18, 2026 AD RESERVATIONS: January 9, 2026 AD MATERIAL DUE: January 21, 2026 PUBLISHER David Chestnut david@hardlines.ca

ACCOUNT MANAGER Shannon MacLeod shannon@hardlines.ca

Hardlines.ca

2025-11-03 6:43 PM

Get a new perspective from industry leaders What’s in Store A free podcast series from Hardlines that features interviews with industry leaders from all parts of the home improvement industry. Listen while you are in the car, or from the comfort of your office.

You will be entertained, educated, and that much more connected to the industry!

RECENTLY ADDED PODCASTS

Nicole Gallucci, In Good Company

Rebecca Dumais, Hardlines editor, talks to Nicole Gallucci, HR expert and Hardlines Conference speaker. Gallucci notes that your most important hardware isn’t on your shelves and didn’t come with an instruction manual: It’s your people.

They’re the heart of your business and also the hardest part to manage. But there’s help available, starting with this podcast. You’ll learn practical tools to turn people challenges into people power.

Michael McLarney, Hardlines Annual Retail Report

In this episode, Hardlines’ own Michael McLarney talks about the Hardlines Annual Retail Report, the most comprehensive and trusted source of intelligence on Canada’s home improvement industry. Packed with proprietary year-end 2024 sales data, it’s the essential planning tool for sales directors and marketing managers. Michael talks about the size of the industry, and how Hardlines has been tracking its changes for some 30 years.

Jason Tasse, Lee Valley Tools

In this Hardlines podcast, editor Rebecca Dumais talks to Jason Tasse, the president and COO of Lee Valley Tools, one of the key players in the Canadian home improvement industry.

Lee Valley was formed in 1978 as a mail order company. Since then it has become a brand known for quality Canadian products that help woodworkers, gardeners, and cooks across the nation. Tasse talks about the latest news from Lee Valley.

Stephen Bailey, Fluevog Shoes

In this podcast, Rebecca Dumais talks to Stephen Bailey, the chief marketing officer of Fluevog Shoes. This podcast touches on some of the points from Bailey’s recent presentation at the Hardlines Conference in Banff, Alta. Bailey talks about how to improve audience reach as well as how to build brand loyalty by creating a retail experience based on excellence.

Plus many more podcasts to choose from!

Listen today for free at hardlinespodcast.ca The Hardlines Podcast Series has been made possible through the support of:

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2025-11-03 4:52 PM

THE CHALLENGE

LIFESAVING FROM THE SKY THE CHALLENGE Deliver lifesaving imaging equipment to healthcare facilities across Canada

THE COMPANY SDI is a leader in the installation of magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and biomedical equipment

“

How SDI Canada, a Montreal company that specializes in the installation of medical imaging equipment, delivers by crane to hospitals

By Sarah McGoldrick

CLAIM TO FAME SDI was founded in 2003 as the only Canadian-based MRI shielding vendor

THE JOBSITES Healthcare facilities and hospitals across Canada

We’re talking about transporting a fully-built and -furnished building that can weigh up to 110,000 pounds. So every detail must be carefully planned.

—ANTHONY SAOUD

Sales and marketing manager S DI C A N A D A Montreal, Quebec

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PRO Dealer // Q4 2025

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Hardlines.ca

2025-11-04 1:34 PM

Finally, a Bath Waste that won’t waste your time.

Introducing the 2-in-1 Total 1™ Bath Waste system with Offset & Direct waste configurations in one bag and no wasted parts!

Why carry two bath waste kits when one does it all? Our 2-in-1 design covers both key configurations, saving you space, time, and money.

One kit, every job, zero hassle.

and done.

Visit our YouTube Channel to watch the video

Visit our website to see the assortment

This product is Proudly Made in Canada.

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2025-09-02 AM 2025-11-03 11:07 4:53 PM

Castle Building Centres has worked alongside building professionals for over 60 years. Our 300+ locations across Canada represent a national network of retailers devoted to supporting the growth of their communities.

Together… We Build Communities

Visit Castle.ca to find a local Castle Building Centres location near you.

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2025-11-03 4:53 PM