Premier Industrial Heating Equipment & Supplies has been a trusted HVAC supplier for more than 60 years. Working with more than 90 top brands in the industry, Premier provides HVAC equipment and parts from a product range of 5,000+ items. In addition to serving Western Canada, Premier also focuses on businesses in the NWT and Yukon, providing heating solutions for oil and propane.
The reasons behind the success and longevity of the company are no secret. Every interaction customers have with Premier is backed by friendly service, knowledgeable staff, and active support. Each team member goes the extra mile to ensure each order and request is quickly and professionally addressed.
Premier Industrial was founded in 1947. In 1980 it was purchased by Vic and Iris Blasco. Vic previously was a sales representative for a major heavy equipment company and was looking for a change. The chance to help run a company of his own was ideal for him and his family. Today, the company is run and managed by Justin Blasco, President; Angela Doerksen, Manager; and Josh Walter, warehouse. Blasco took sole ownership of Premier Industrial in March 2021.
“We are a small family business but also an agile company with deep roots in the industry,” says Blasco. “We’ve built up our brand by focusing on niche areas and always giving our best support to our customers.”
It hasn’t always been smooth sailing. Just seven years after the Blasco family purchased the business, the company was attacked by arsonists. The fire destroyed a good portion of the stock on site in addition to damaging the building. The Blascos rebuilt the company and kept moving forward.
By 2018 Premier Industrial had completely outgrown its facility. The company moved to a 20,000 square foot warehouse/sales space on 155 St and 114 Ave, where they are still located today. Premier has continued to grow through the pandemic, using the global crisis as a flashpoint to launch their online service in the fall of 2021. Blasco, Doerksen and Walter credit Paul from YEG Digital for the expert creation of their new online retail space.
For Blasco, the shift online was a memorable occasion. “We choose to include online service to keep the company financially strong during the struggles of the COVID pandemic,” says Blasco. “Having an e-commerce website as part of our operations allows us to keep supporting our community – nationally and internationally – with the level of service and quality of products they need and deserve.”
He continues, “Since we are a smaller, family-owned company, we have the time and the ability to build relationships and get to truly know our customers, what they do, and what they need. We are not shy about stocking parts for any of our equipment lines, which is why we carry more than 5,000 products. What you need is here when you need it. We focus on a large variety of oil heating equipment and parts, from construction heater parts to paving machine burner parts to fuel oil tanks and furnaces. In addition to this we stock many specialized, hard-to-find service parts. We are pleased to be a company invested in serving our customers in Northern Canada, where it can be seen as a challenge to access some of the more remote parts of our country. We are happy to provide much needed products and services to the Northern region. For us it is not a challenge as much as it is a privilege to be of service where we are needed the most. We truly pride ourselves on being a close-knit company that is efficient and provides great service – we help out wherever we can and get parts that no one else can find. We are not afraid to source and find unique and difficult parts and equipment.”
With such a far reach across Western and Northern Canada and operating in such a niche space – along with the 50+ years of combined experience held between Blasco and Doerksen alone, it is hard to believe that many potential clients have not yet heard of Premier Industrial. This is due largely in part to the company and leadership’s humble nature. They don’t seek awards or recognition, instead they let the company grow organically by referrals and word-of-mouth.
“We know our customers on a more personal level. They are not just a number in the system,” Blasco further explains. “We communicate and help each other in the office to be more efficient in meeting our customers needs. It is important to us to supply parts quickly for customers as having equipment down costs them money. In some cases, customers have no heat in our cold winters, so being able to source a part for them quickly is an obvious advantage. For this, and other reasons, we support many Canadian brands in our inventory. Canadian manufacturers know and understand the challenges people and businesses face in Western and Northern Canada. However, no matter where our manufacturers and partners are located, we ensure the brand has a great support team because that empowers us to offer the best support to our customers as well.”
As an active community partner, Premier Industrial supports the local arts community and sponsors some live productions. The company also donates to charities that their customers and team members support, and are active in causes such as Canadian Cancer Society’s CIBC Run for the Cure.
Blasco concludes, “On behalf of the management and team, we say a big thank you to our customers for their support. Some of our customers have been with us since the early 80s and are still working with us. We thank them for their loyal patronage, and we would also like to thank our new customers that have come along. We’re also incredibly grateful to our long-time suppliers like R.W. Beckett (Nathan and Seth), Granby (Mario, Lloyd and Myles), Rinnai (Mike and Kerri), CB Supplies (Brian) and many more who have helped us over numerous years.”
What does the future look like for the company that has been providing outstanding service for more than half a century? Premier Industrial has their eye on the international market and growing their product lines ever larger to continue to meet and exceed customer’s needs and expectations.
Blasco concludes, “We hope to serve the community for years to come with the same great service.”
Learn more about everything Premier Industrial has to offer and be the first to know when new product lines are added by following them on Facebook or visiting premierindustrial.com.
15532 – 114 Avenue, Edmonton Alberta T5M 3S8
Main (780) 451-1065
Toll Free (800) 378-3203
Fax (780) 452-5466
infodesk@premierindustrial.com
premierindustrial.com