At the helm of P.H. Tech since 2015, Caroline Dallaire is proud to be taking over the family company founded by her father and uncle.

Raymond and Dominique are already in business when they found P.H. Tech in 1962. These general contractors in the Quebec City area build houses and are aware of how difficult it is to find quality doors and windows. Their clients often complain about that fact.

Ingenious and visionary, they then decide to take the initiative to create some themselves. By drawing up their plans for doors and windows, the two brothers pave the way for generations of products that have revolutionized the industry. Their passion and attention to quality open the doorsto success.

 That’s often how companies get started. People see a need and decide to address it because there is nothing on the market that they like. 

The production work begins!

After a year or two, Raymond and Dominique take over the manufacturing themselves and start extrusion work in Lévis, renting spaces that they use as workshops. When P.H. Tech becomes financially self-sufficient, the Dallaire brothers close their construction business. “They devoted themselves solely to making doors and windows.”

From the 1970s onwards, they have a factory built in Lévis, which undergoes successive expansions, the latest of which is completed in 2018.

Because the founders aim for the right target with quality products in a market they are familiar with, P.H. Tech grows fast. “They knew construction. They knew what contractors needed.”

Recipients of international awards, their innovative products are also being exported to the United States and even Europe.

From the moment she takes over as president, Caroline, surrounded and supported by an extraordinary team, learns to move at great speed. P.H. Tech is off to a flying start.

From 2015 to today, sales have more than doubled. “There were rumbles… It was demanding, but we really took off. The sales, the company… everything has really exploded. It’s fun! It’s good for the future!”

Creation

The housing crisis in recent years and the shortage of labour contribute to stimulate the construction market, here as well as South of the border.

There is a shortage of labour everywhere. We want more immigrants, but we have to house them! 

And with the pandemic, the renovation sector is also doing very well. “Confinement has increased the demand for renovation. Everyone used their money to invest in
their home.”

“These are really good years!”

P.H. Tech makes major gains in the American market, which lost ground during the recession of 2006 to 2008, when a number of American doors and windows companies went out of business. The Lévis-based company seizes this golden opportunity.

“Over the last few years, we have made inroads in the United States. We have really seen great growth over there.”

This vast market on the other side of the border is the reason for the opening of a second assembly plant in Swainsboro, Georgia, in 2021. The first plant had opened in Leetsdale, Pennsylvania, in 1982.

 The goal is to have a presence there so that American customers can buy from an American entity and feel at home with their suppliers. 

P.H. Tech also serves all the Canadian provinces. From coast to coast, the demand is there.

 We have loyal and successful business partners across Quebec and Canada. 

P.H. Tech works with all players in the industry to take up the great challenge of energy efficiency.

Every five years, Energy Star raises the bar by asking construction companies to improve their energy performances.

“There’s been a lot of changes over the
last 20 years. It’s major in the industry!
Of course, our products have to meet
these requirements.”

P.H. Tech is also preparing to launch a new window platform featuring thicker glass, allowing the integration of more insulating layers of air, for improved thermal performance.  “This requires us to review all of our products.”

Also, by 2030, the Government of Canada wants windows to perform significantly better in terms of energy efficiency.

From a technological perspective, the industry does not yet know how it will meet this requirement.

There is still some R&D to be done, but we’ll get there! 

All around the same table

Teamwork is the the key to achieving government targets. Caroline has been a member of the board of directors of the Association de vitrerie et fenestration du Québec (AVFQ) for a dozen years. This cooperation with other companies is essential.

We could be in competition, but we have common interests. 

When the government wants to set new standards, members of the association discuss them.

“We work together and keep the industry players involved. All these discussions are important.”

All players are interdependent and must make a concerted effort. For example, advances in the glass industry have a major impact on the results chain, as glass occupies the largest surface area of the product.

“There are laboratories that simulate energy performance. We work with them on designs. We send them products and they give
us feedback.”

 We need everyone to improve, otherwise we won’t be able to reach the targets. 

The essential ingredient for achieving such results: engaged employees who are happy to go to work…

The President is very proud to have the trust of some 325 workers across her four plants.

There are employes who have been here for 40 years. When they leave, I tell myself that we’ve managed to support these families for all this time. 

Whether new or experienced, all employees deserve to work in a healthy environment, where respect reigns at all time.

“Some people say that it’s obvious, but you have to put it into practice every day. It’s true in our interactions, in our communications, in everything we do.”

Management also makes a point of creating a pleasant work environment, while inspiring people to push back the limits. Designing products that look like ‘simple rectangles’ may seem trivial. But when the team’s energy and vision transform them into the doors and windows of the future, that is the P.H. Tech signature at work…

Comfort

 We make sustainable products, we make recyclable products that are energy efficient, we build comfort for users and we have fun doing it! 

You need to have fun to attract employees, especially when recruitment is the current challenge in a region like Chaudière-Appalaches, where the unemployment rate is virtually non-existent.

P.H. Tech is a good employer and I find that rewarding!

Workers

Welcome to P.H. Tech

In 2021, the company welcomes its first international workers to fill production positions.

“We have around 13 nationalities throughout the plant.”

Promoting teamwork, the employer goes to great lengths to train these new employees and imbue them with the colours of P.H. Tech. Caroline believes it is important for new employees, whatever their background, to become part of the family.

Alone, it goes fast, but not as far. With a team, you can go much further! 

As well as taking care of employees, customer service remains a priority.

“When you do something, you always have to ask yourself whether it’s in the customer’s interests. That’s important!”

Passionate about development

Caroline Dallaire
President of P.H. Tech 

Caroline Dallaire feels like a fish in water at P.H. Tech. When she joins the company founded by her father and uncle, toward the end of her university studies in industrial engineering, she is stimulated by the multitude of projects to be carried out, supported by an enthusiastic team.

Since 2015, she has assumed the role of president, a position in which she is responsible for the overall management of the company.

“My role is to ensure thar we’re heading in the right direction, that we have the right players and the right systems to get there.”

Passionate about product development, she continues to be involved in R&D and is always in contact with clients.

“This relationship remains important!”

Well surrounded for the next step

In the summer of 2022, P.H. Tech was bought out by management, with the backing of Banque Nationale Private investments and Desjardins Capital. Caroline Dallaire is delighted to count on a new management team that is now a shareholder.

The President now sits on the executive committee with her new shareholders: Director of Sales Stephen Bronson, Director of Canadian Operations Normand Roberge, Director of U.S. Operations Michael Andrade, and Director of Finance Claudia Lapointe.

 It a good mix of skills. It’s fun to have a management team that is committed and confident in the future. 

Because P.H. Tech has experienced very strong growth in recent years, management’s concern is to stabilize activities and establish a game plan based on the new objectives. 

“We are reviewing the organization to make sure we have the team to take the next step, that we have the tools we need and that we can continue our mission.”

Driven by the same passion and persistence that have brought them success, the new management team is preparing to open a window on a host of business opportunities.

“There are still several of things to put in place. The pandemic brought its share of challenges. We learned a lot and we need to strengthen our methods and systems.”

Future plans will certainly include recruiting and training new employees to increase production capacity and meet the explosion in demand, while continuing to take care of Canadian and American clients who are at the heart of the company.

Developing a new business contact can take two to three years before a contract is signed. Caroline is well aware of this and knows that patience pays off, since relationships last.

We don’t usually lose customers. Once they’re here, they don’t leave.  

At P.H. Tech, taking the time to do things the right way has always paid off in the end, and the pleasure of doing it wholeheartedly remains the greatest driving force of all. Such is the recipe for success at P.H. Tech, which has been going strong for 60 years…

You have to be very persistent. You have to be passionate. You have to believe it, to really believe it. You must surround yourself with
a good team. 

“To be successful, you need leaders in the right positions. And you have to have fun, I think. Without fun, it’s difficult because it’s a lot of work. You really have to enjoy it!”