By / Jessica Kirby
Piedmont Sheet Metal’s goal to be a leader in the sheet metal industry is fuelled by the latest technology, a good relationship with their local, and generations of hard work.
SMACNA-BC member Piedmont Sheet Metal is a family owned and operated contracting business out of Burnaby, specializing in HVAC design, fabrication, and installation.
The company was founded in 1997 by Toby Knowles, who was also a sheet metal worker as was his father before him.
Toby’s son, current general manager Tyler Knowles, says his grandfather founded Piedmont Sheet Metal Works in the 1970s, but passed away in the 80s. At the time, Toby was too young to take over, and despite other people’s efforts to manage it, Piedmont Sheet Metal Works eventually closed its doors.
But Toby stayed the course. He started working in a shop on clean up while he was in high school, completed an apprenticeship, and became a journey in his early 20s. At 28, he jumped on the chance to buy the sheet metal sector of an air-conditioning company, and started Piedmont Sheet Metal as it is known today.
“He is semi-retired, but still works here, attends our Wednesday meetings, and likes updates,” Tyler says. “He weighs in on higher level matters and overseeing the company’s operations, but stays out of the day-to-day.”
Tyler also did shop clean-up while in high school, then entered his apprenticeship after graduation. He was only a couple of years into his apprenticeship when the company needed a second estimator, so he was brought in to train in this field.
“A year later, that first estimator left and I was the only other person who knew how to estimate,” Knowles says. “But I was only 19 or 20 so it was a rough road. My dad stepped into the sales side and help out, and we would put his name on jobs I quoted because no one would take a young guy like me seriously.”
By the time he was 26, Knowles had fully taken over the sales division, and he eventually took over as general manger a few years later. Today, the company employs 80 people it its shop, field, and office.
Piedmont has an impressive list of past and current projects in the Greater Vancouver area. The company is just finishing up 400 W Georgia, landmark building in downtown Vancouver with immense aesthetic appeal and complex architecture.
“It is always nice to be a part of something that will be a recognized as a memorable feature in the downtown core for years to come,” Knowles says. “Our work has to accommodate architectural deviations and changes, but of course it isn’t a part of the project that people see. Our trade is largely functional to ensure the comfort of occupants at the end of day.”
Piedmont is nearing completion of Handsworth Secondary, a large secondary school project in North Vancouver, and is looking ahead to starting Burnaby North Secondary later in the year—both new builds. The company is also working on seismic upgrades and retrofits on other schools in the area. “We enjoy school projects,” Knowles says. “It is nice to see the investment into infrastructure projects and anything with benefits the community and kids.”
Piedmont is able to take on a breadth of large projects thanks to its fully-equipped 24,000 square foot shop and the skilled workforce at Local 280, with whom they’ve enjoyed a solid partnership since the beginning.
“This comes down to who is sitting on both sides of the table,” Knowles says. “We have been very fortunate because Local 280 members are reasonable and great to work with.”
From tablets in the field to new machinery in the shop, Piedmont relies on the latest technology to ensure the productivity and safety of its workforce, a tenet the Local has always supported.
“Over last few years, the Local has continued to be innovative and adapt with times,” Knowles says. “The Sheet Metal Workers’ Training Centre has invested in virtual reality and augmented reality training equipment, and its second facility opened June 15. They also did a great job of adapting schedules and curriculum layout to accommodate the COVID crisis.”
Technology has helped the workforce maximize efficiency, but it certainly has never replaced jobs or the need for humanpower at Piedmont.
“In fact, the opposite is true: it has allowed us to move faster and do more work, and the union understands that,” Tyler says. “There will always be a need for people to do sheet metal work, especially on the fabrication and installation sides. There are so many special fittings, and ducting is a large object with many components. It would not be an easy thing to automate.”
Besides providing training for its skilled workforce, Local 280 remains open to feedback around training requirements and adapting to meet market demand.
“We have good communication and our relationship has been great. When we noticed a need for blueprint reading courses, we called up the union and partnered with them to run blueprint and layout classes. One of our senior foremen went in and assisted with the field process for that.”
With a strong customer base in BC’s Lower Mainland, Piedmont is known for being service-oriented and going the extra mile with its long-standing customers.
“These valued clients have been working with us for a long time and have built lasting relationships with the company,” Knowles says. “Each year, we host exclusive events to show our appreciation.”
Past favourites include a yacht cruise, a hangar party with helicopter rides, and a lake event where guests were invited to try water sports and Jet Skis.
“Plenty of companies do lunches with their clients, but it is nice to do something they will remember forever,” Knowles says. “It’s nice for us to provide an unforgettable experience that ends up being the talk of the industry for weeks.”
Customers love these events, of course, but they are not the sum of the company’s success.
“That comes down to both sides,” Knowles says. “There is keeping the relationship on an almost personal level, but then it comes down to the work. You can be the nicest guy in the world and do any event you can imagine, but if the crew and team aren’t pulling together and performing the work we won’t be successful.”
And it is that great team that keeps the company moving forward. “We are lucky enough to have some of the best sheet metal workers in the province, with multiple apprentices winning apprenticeship competitions after being trained by our knowledgeable and seasoned foremen,” Knowles says.
Company success also means giving back, and Piedmont expresses this with active involvement in various charities, such as BC Children’s Hospital Foundation Burnaby School District.
“If you have the means to give back, you should,” Knowles says. “It is just the right thing to do.”
One of the most interesting ways Piedmont has given back was through donated time and materials for Project Emily, a collaboration with Ashton Mechanical and many other generous trades to build a wheelchair accessible home for Emily, a young girl who lost mobility in her legs after a failed procedure to correct a curve in her spine.
Whether they are busy giving back, hosting clients, or looking for new technology, Knowles says, “None of this would be possible without our Local 280 techs, our strong client relationships, and the hard work of our entire team.”
Learn more about Piedmont Sheet Metal at piedmontsheetmetal.ca. ■
