Harry Chupik

  Harry was a small town Saskatchewan farm boy when he first came to Calgary in 1972.  After several jobs in construction and manufacturing he realized that there was more opportunity and more of a career in the trades.  It was difficult to get into the trades but Harry’s perseverance paid off and he soon was working as an apprentice for a small residential plumbing shop.  Over the next few years Harry gained work experience and his certification as a Journeyman Plumber and Gasfitter.

 

 With Harry’s natural leadership skills and magnetic personality, he soon became a Field Manager for a larger plumbing company.  Soon he had convinced his brother Alex to join the trade as well.  The plumbing industry at the time was stagnant and Harry and Alex felt there was a real need for change, so in 1978 they started Canyon Plumbing & Heating Ltd.

 

 From the beginning of Canyon there was a real commitment to hire and properly train new apprentices. First off, programs were initiated to make sure an apprentice had equal training in the many different areas of the trade, including groundworks, rough in, waterlines, finishing, and service.  Company vehicles became the norm and hourly rates were raised and they were also graduated during the year as an apprentice progressed.  Harry made sure apprentices never missed their yearly schooling at SAIT regardless of whether the company was busy or not.  Knowing about new products and service issues were important too, so seminars were continuously run to ensure employees were up to date.

 

 Under Harry’s guidance there were a lot of firsts for the company.  Computerization of the estimating and management were developed as early as 1985 to gain efficiencies and to stabilize pricing for customers and builders.  An in-house showroom was established to streamline plumbing changes and to showcase new products that were available and affordable.  Maintaining relationships with builders, suppliers, and employees was a key goal with Harry, and he was great at it.

 

 A close working relationship with SAIT and the Alberta Apprenticeship Program was always a priority, and that included supporting the Trades and Technology Complex with donations. There is a ‘Canyon Lounge’ proudly displayed in the centre. Canyon also contributes to the Alberta Apprenticeship and Industry Training Scholarship which supports a promising young apprentice every year.

 

 Canyon is a family business.  Since day one Harry was a proponent of giving opportunity to anyone who wanted to work hard and learn the trade, family included.  Canyon grew over the years and at one time there was 255 people working there with 17 of them being family members. Harry and Alex felt that anyone that worked at Canyon was part of the family.  Loyalty was strongly encouraged and Canyon has many 20 to 40 year employees.

 

 Harry was strong on supporting industry organizations like BILD (CHBA), the MCA, and Canyon is also a member of CAFÉ (Canadian Association of Family Enterprise), now known as Family Enterprise Canada, which helped guide them in the transition of the business to the next generation.  Today we have Harry’s son Jason as President, Alex's son Mark as Vice-President, and Alex's daughter Sarah in Accounting.  In 2013 they were awarded the Calgary CAFÉ Family Enterprise of the Year Achievement Award and we are all very proud to be in the plumbing and heating trades.

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Harry's contributions to the trades industry in Calgary will be felt for many generations to come.