says. “Building what we build is fairly challenging, and having success is very rewarding. If you go to work and make a con-tribution, every day, you’re going to go home a satisfied man.”

As we move from the oldest, smallest shop, known as Fab 1, and onto Fab 2 and Fab 3, which Taylor helped to design (I can hardly wait until they build a Fab 4), his youthful enthusiasm is almost eclipsed by an unmistakable sense of pride. “We’ve expanded our floor space three-fold since I’ve been here. That makes me pretty happy. We have lots of smart, hardworking people,” he says, indi-cating the engaged and focused men and women diligently work-ing all around us, “and we’ve developed all kinds of equipment to help them to do different things. Young welders like to be con-nected to a computer. They’re more inclined to use it and care for it. They have a computerized mindset.”

Lest you assume that this newest wave of recruits are forcing the seasoned Taylor to embrace new technologies, think again. A lot of the equipment they now use was his idea. “I take it to our people and they build or modify it,” he says. “We have manipulators and equipment other companies don’t have, and even we didn’t have just a few years ago.” Taylor points out that the greater production made possible by the design and imple-mentation of tip-of-the-torch technologies means, among other things, an increase in quality, and “if you’re building quality, it’s going to last.”

After we pass two gigantic furnaces large enough and power-ful enough to heat a small aircraft to 1,100 degrees (although their real purpose is to eliminate welding stresses in large ves-sels), we head back inside. Taylor wants to show me Cessco’s in-house training centre. “All the types of welding used here can be trained here,” he says. That’s everything from submerged

arc and flux-core to surface tension transfer (STT) and rapid arc, as well as training for standard shielded metal arc welding (SMAW). “And every welder we hire, we test.” Cessco employs a number of resident, government-certified welding examiners. “That means we can certify in-house.”

And with that, my time in the land of Very Big Things that is Cessco Fabrication and Engineering comes to an end. As fasci-nating as it was for me, it was clearly a blast for Taylor. “I love giving tours,” he explains, “because I was a part of all of it.”

As I reflect on the people I’ve met and the things I’ve learned about this great Edmonton-based company, I’m reminded of a comment Kachmar had made earlier, about there being some-thing else he and his colleagues build that’s as big and as strong as anything that comes out of Fab 1, Fab 2 or Fab 3: “We build bridges with our clients,” he said. “It’s about goodwill internally and externally, based on carrying out what we commit to. It’s all about bridge building.”

So maybe we should add another BIG to the list we started with, as important as all the others. This, clearly, is a company with a big heart.

So there you have it: Big, Solid, Committed, Loyal and In-novative. Not a bad combination. Here’s to the next 65 years.

www.cessco.ca | Page 4

Edmonton: 7310-99 Street Edmonton, AB T6E 3R8Toll Free: 1-800-272-9698 • Tel: (780) 433-9531 • Fax: (780) 432-7899

Calgary: Suite 101, 261200 Wagon Wheel Way, Rockyview, AB, T4A 0E3 Toll free: 1-800-272-9698 • sales@cessco.ca • cessco.field@cessco.net

Many of us have had this experience. Maybe when we were younger, visiting a friend’s house, or maybe as an adult, accepting a kind dinner invitation from a

hospitable stranger in a foreign land. We walked in and were met with warm smiles. Our hosts were honestly happy to wel-come us, to spend time with us, to get to know us. We felt like we’d found a second family. It’s a good feeling.

It’s like that when you walk through the doors of Mon-arch Floors (1953) Ltd. The folks here, from president Brian Kratzenberg to the admin staff to the installers, are honestly happy to welcome you, to spend time with you, and to get to know you. You’ll feel like you’ve found a second family, because you have.

“It really is a big family,” Brian says. “One that’s evolved over the years. This is a group of really great, dedicated people that have a common vision. Lots of people have been here a long time. When I bring someone on, I say to them, ‘We want to grow old with you,’ and I really mean it.”

If these values seem from another time, far from today’s infa-mous revolving doors of employment, maybe they are.

Monarch Floors was founded by Brian’s father, Werner, at a time when these values didn’t seem so foreign, especially to a hardworking family man from Germany. “My father immi-grated here in 1951 and started working right away as a brick layer’s helper,” Brian says. This couldn’t have been easy, as Werner didn’t speak the language, but his wife did. So right

One Big, Happy FamilyBy Mark Kandborg

Monarch Floors (1953) Ltd • 60 Years

Back Row (l to r): Sheri Robinson, Shawn Brown, Peter Scarrow, Jacquie Cormier, Brian Kratzenberg, Adam Lewandowski, Noori Oad, Keith Tilley, Doug Farquharson, Teri Beland, Suzanne Loney, Kim Tumak and Kasia Kabat. Front Row (l to r): Peter Johnston, Joe Beland, Sandra Quinn-Boyes, James Brown and Derik Whitfield.

from the start, cooperation and family was an integral part of his working life.

“I don’t really even know how, but somehow my dad started this company two years later,” Brian says. You may be wonder-ing where the name ‘Monarch’ came from. A fondness for but-terflies, perhaps? Not exactly.

“It was early days, and he went where the work was. Wherever it was,” Brian says. “He spent a lot of time up north.” Frobisher Bay in winter, no less. “He even did a job in ‘Akabah, on the Red Sea. I’m not sure why, to be honest, but he went there and installed flooring.” Wherever he went (except, one would assume, ‘Akabah), Werner could be seen in his trusty panel van. “He told me about one winter in Cold Lake where he had to crawl under it every morning with a Tiger torch to heat up the oil pan, but it always started.” What kind of van was it? Maybe you’ve guessed: a Mercury Monarch.

The spirit and the name of that loyal, dependable, hardwork-ing van are alive today, not just on the sign out front, but in Monarch’s culture. Why? Like father like son.

“I always saw myself working for my dad,” Brian says, but when he was handed the reins, “I was wide-eyed. I was a decent salesperson, but I’d never managed.” So when his first year call-ing the shots was a less than stellar one, “I went to my dad. I told him I didn’t want to lose his money.” Werner, a man Brian describes as “funny, bright and charismatic,” knew exactly what to say as both a father and a boss. “He said, ‘Don’t worry about it. I have faith in you’.”

Sure enough, the next year was better. And the one after that, better still. Now the company named after a little van that could is celebrating six decades of success.

“To run a business for 60 years is a great story,” says opera-tions manager Keith Tilley, who gave up a promising career fly-ing corporate jets because he “wanted another challenge.” His decision lead to an Executive MBA, but not directly to Mon-arch. “Brian and I were waterskiing buddies. He got me think-ing that maybe I was climbing the wrong ladder.”

Or, as Brian puts it, “I set the hook and pulled him into the vortex.”

Keith’s only been with the company since December, but he’s as assured in his earth-bound chair as he was in the sky. “Surround-ing yourself with good people,” he says, is key. “I’m not the best at everything, but I’m good at finding who is. We use the collective strengths of everybody.” Another key is accountability.

Brian agrees. “My dad used to say, ‘If you cut wood, you get saw-dust.’ Things happen. One of the people here might drop the ball, but I’ll pick it up. We’ve pulled our wallet out to make things right with a client. A lot of people make excuses. We get things done.”

Clearly, the folks at Monarch are determined to make it right; but as it happens, there is surprisingly little ‘sawdust’ to worry about, due in large part to the experience and dedication of each member of the Monarch Floors family, for which Brian couldn’t be more apprecia-tive. “I’m nothing without my people,” he says, “and they have noth-ing without our tradespeople, our contractors and suppliers.”

Monarch Floors (1953) Ltd • 60 Years • Page 2 Monarch Floors (1953) Ltd • 60 Years • Page 3

TRC Distribution Congratulates Monarch Floors on their 60th Anniversary!

www.trcflooring.com

Brian Kratzenberg, Sheri Robinson and Keith Tilley.

If it isn’t obvious by now, Brian Kratzenberg likes to give credit where it’s due. He’s a self-professed shy and humble guy. “I don’t like to talk about myself,” he says, and he means it. So he invited other members of the Monarch family to share their thoughts about the company.

Doug Farquharson, who worked in aviation with Keith for many years before joining him here, was happy to oblige. “I’m honoured to be part of this team, built on integrity. Part of what Brian built, and what his dad built. And what Keith will continue to build.”

Joe Beland is proud of the company’s long standing connec-tion with this city. “I lived and worked in Edmonton my whole life,” he says. “We really know this town.”

Adam Lewandowski, who always seems to have a big smile on his face, had this to say: “It’s great here. Hard work tempered with a little bit of humour makes this a great place to work. It’s a fun place. And the combined experience here is over a hundred years.”

It’s only right that the last word goes to the man who, as he says, will pick up the ball if ever it’s dropped. True to his humble nature, Brian’s last word is about his dad. “He was the kind of guy who was sitting at the table on Sunday night, going over blueprints. But he also liked to schmooze and entertain. The Governor of Nevada stayed at our house. Another time it was a yodeler from Germany. It was great. I think that being so good with people really helped him build the business.”

“In many ways my dad and I are very similar. I’m more shy than he was, of course, but I’m a good listener. I think we all are here. That’s really what I’d like people to take away from this,”

Brian says. “We’re the real deal. We want to serve the commu-nity, make a living and enjoy our time together. And we’ll listen to your needs.”

They’ll make you feel at home, too. Like I said, it’s a good feeling.

BUCKWOLD WESTERN AND

ARMSTRONG WOULD

LIKE TO CONGRATULATE

MONARCH FLOORS

ON 60 YEARS.

ARMSTRONG® HAND-SCRAPED HARDWOOD

Monarch Floors (1953) Ltd • 60 Years • Page 2 Monarch Floors (1953) Ltd • 60 Years • Page 3

Clearly, the folks at Monarch are determined to make it right; but as it happens, there is surprisingly little ‘sawdust’ to worry about, due in large part to the experience and dedication of each member of the Monarch Flooring family, for which Brian couldn’t be more appreciative.

14240 118 Ave NW Edmonton, AB T5L 2M5

(780) 454-0717monarchcarpetoneedmonton.com Superior Service

Since 1953

205-10441 178 StreetPhone: 780-487-7135 • Fax: 780-487-7197 • ccllp.cac

CONGRATULATIONS MONARCH FLOORS!

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2101 côte des Cascades Papineauville, Quebec, Canada J0V 1R0 • Toll Free: 1-877-427-5144

Congratulations Monarch Floors!We wish you many years of continued success!

Congratulations Monarch Floors!

Your 60 years in business means you’re doing things right too.

We’re proud to be one of your partners.

780.454.9363 edmonton@mhkinsurance.comwww.mhkinsurance.com

One broker. Immediate action. Done right.

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Congrats Monarch Floors on 60 years!

• Staff in all locations with the knowledge and ability to help you solve your flooring installation problems

• Daily delivery service to established flooring dealers in the five cities with shamrock branches

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• Alberta owned and operated

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Monarch Floors (1953) Ltd • 60 Years • Page 4

Christopher Carpets Ltd.

16312 111 Ave NWEdmonton, AB T5M 4G3

780-421-7773

Congratulations Monarch Floors on 60 years of success!

www.primco.ca

Congratulations and wishing you another

60 years of success!

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