President’s Message
The inscription “Through These Portals Pass the World’s Most Beautiful Grilles” first appeared above the shipping doors of our Winnipeg factory over 40 years ago.
Price employees are committed to serving the needs of our customers. Whether it is the manufacturing team who provide dependably short lead times and on-time delivery, the product development engineers and laboratory technicians who provide application engineering support and relentlessly develop new commodity and specialized niche products, or our software and multimedia developers who create unique Price software, it truly is “easy to do business” with Price.
Gerry Price, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer
Company History
The Price organization, incorporated in 1949, was first established as a sales company.
Our manufacturing endeavors arose from our belief that we could supply superior products and services at a competitive price. As a private company, continuity in management and ownership has greatly contributed to our excellent record. We have a history and reputation to be proud of. You can rely on Price – our products and services – with confidence.
The 1940s
- Ernest H. Price incorporated E.H. Price Limited in 1949.
- Originally conceived as a consulting/engineering firm, the Price organization started out as a sales company, distributing air distribution products.
- Price was the manufacturer’s agent for Hart & Cooley, Farr, and Maid-o-Mist, as well as its own line of fill & vent caps for oil furnaces.
The 1950s
- Price offices were established in Edmonton, Calgary, Vancouver and Regina.
- The first distribution warehouse was located in Edmonton, which served the western market.
- During this decade, Price continued to forge strategic relationships for Canadian distribution of U.S.-made air distribution products.
The 1960s
- In 1961, E.H. Price became the Canadian sales and manufacturing agent for Titus.
- The Winnipeg plant (20,400 square feet) was built in 1961. After 20 expansions, that same plant still operates today, now with over 250,000 square feet of production space.
- In 1966, a second plant was purchased in Montreal to produce Airolite Louvers and manufacture Buensod-Stacey Terminal Units.
- With the booming western Canadian sales activity, Price moved into the fiercely competitive eastern Canadian market. Offices were opened in Toronto (1961), Montreal (1962), Ottawa (1964) and London (1966).
The 1970s
- In 1970, a new 42,150 square foot facility – including the first Price development lab – was built in St. Jérôme, Quebec.
- In 1972, Price entered a strategic partnership with Alcan Aluminum, which later became APEL Extrusions.
- 1975 saw the launch of the Price Data Center, the first mainframe computer the company ever purchased, and the beginning of the conversion of all data processing to automated systems. The Dartmouth sales office was also added this year.
- In 1978, the Winnipeg head office was relocated to a new 22,400 square foot office building on the Raleigh Street site. The new head office included a sophisticated product development laboratory.
The 1980s
- In 1982, Price Asia Manufacturing Company was established in Singapore to manufacture Price products for Asia Pacific markets. A second plant was opened in Kuala Lumpur in 1986.
- Price purchased its first CNC turret press in Singapore in 1983. This was a major step toward automated manufacturing.
- Additional offices were added in Moncton (1984) and Hamilton (1986), followed by an expansion in Toronto to a new 21,000 square foot facility (1987). Montreal also moved to a new 10,500 square foot home in 1988.
- The company’s first CAD system was purchased in 1986, giving the Engineering group never-before-seen abilities in speed and accuracy.
The 1990s
- After 6 years in rented facilities in the US a decision was made in 1995 to construct Price’s new home just north of Atlanta, Georgia. This new 174,000 square foot state-of-the-art facility quickly began producing a vast majority of Price products.
- In 1998, Price launched its first Price Technical Center, to serve as a hands-on training facility for Price representatives. This facility, located adjacent to the Atlanta plant, is a virtual air distribution playground for engineers, sales reps and architects. It features nearly all of the Price family of products, including interactive flow visualization rooms.
The 2000s
- In 2000, a major expansion of the Winnipeg head office was concluded, adding significant office space as well as a Machine Development Center, Electronic Development Center and expansion to the Winnipeg lab.
- The third Price air distribution facility was established just outside of Phoenix, Arizona. This 130,000 square foot plant produces products that are sold primarily to the western U.S. market and houses the Price Technical Center West, which is a replica of the center in Atlanta. This allows the western U.S. market to access Price training resources much closer to home.
- The 4th plant built is located in Winder, Georgia. Measuring 120,000 square feet, the plant produces air moving products, noise control products, fan and blower coils and single duct terminals.
- With the addition of this facility, Price now operates a 4-Plant, 3 location distribution system (Atlanta, Phoenix and Winnipeg), and can access most cities in North America in one trucking day.
Our Corporate Vision
Our vision has remained the same for over 25 years: provide superior customer service.
The basis of our success lies in taking care of our customers and our people – everything we do is about service.
We pride ourselves on listening carefully, and looking at the world through our customers’ eyes.
Service Culture · Easy to do Business · Technical Support · People
· Delivery Excellence · Product Innovation · Custom Applications
Our Corporate Values
Our values guide and govern every decision we make.
Our values are a constant reminder of the business we started in 1949, the business
we have evolved into today, and the business we see for ourselves in the future.
The Golden Rule: Treat others as you would want to be treated.
Integrity · Trust · Respect · Fairness · Passion · Participative · Family
“The level of testing that is at PRCN is far greater than we’ve seen at other manufacturing companies.”
Frank Post, Post Air Systems
