Small operation turns million dollar business
Originally published in the Airdrie Echo in June of 1988
9/25/2001

By Lisa Lewis (Echo Editor)

What started as a small operation in a potato storage barn has turned into a million dollar business for the owners of Airdrie's Double T Equipment.

'We started out really rough,' says company secretary/treasurer Christine Thomas referring to those early days in 1976 when during the winter months 'everything froze' in the potato storage barn.

But that was then.

Now Double T Equipment is well on its way to becoming internationally known as a manufacturer of quality, specialized equipment.

The company is owned and operated by Christine, her husband and company president Thomas, and vice-president Ron David.

The three Airdrie area residents have built Double T Equipment sales up to a high of $1.2 million which has included major contracts to build mushroom plant equipment, fertilizer blending equipment and other customized equipment.

Although Double T Equipment has already obtained contracts to manufacture customized equipment for U.S. and Canadian customers, the company has decided to ply its trade on the international market.

Since January, Double T has made full use of the expertise of international marketing manager Edwin Penman who has made contacts in Pakistan, Indonesia, Costa Rica, and Venezuela.

'We have had expressions of interest from Australia, Hong Kong, and Sweden,' Penman adds.

Double T's success in the U.S. and Canadian markets should bode well for the company's foray into international waters.

'We're competitive and we're good at it,' says Christine who notes the company makes a commitment to quality in the equipment it manufactures.

Double T specializes in manufacturing customized equipment to the customer's specifications - a service not offered on a wide-spread basis anywhere.

'Our major competition is in Europe - Germany and Holland,' explains Christine.

Double T was the first company to develop a full line of specialized mushroom growing equipment for tray and net mushroom farms.

Ironically that claim to fame came from the early years when Thomas built one piece of equipment for Great Plains Mushrooms - now Money's Mushrooms in Airdrie.

From there, Thomas worked closely with Great Plains and Money's to develop the specialized equipment needed in the mushroom growing industry.

That initial start has now grown and expanded into the manufacturing of a variety of customized equipment.

One major contract was the manufacturing of a $600,000 fertilizer off-load blending facility for CP rail. The blending facility was built at Double T's Airdrie plant and shipped to Elstow, Saskatchewan where it was installed under Double T's supervision.

Work currently in progress at Double T involves the manufacturing of a 'cutting line' for Bradford Enercon, an Australian-based company with a subsidiary in Grand Forks, British Columbia.

The $300,000 'cutting line', the first phase of the contract, will be used in Grand Forks in the manufacturing of Rockwool insulation.

But Double T isn't just a manufacturing operation. The company's strength lies in its staff engineering and design skills.

Christine describes company president Thomas as 'the design genius' behind Double T.

'We're constantly developing new product ideas,' says Christine. 'We're open to developing other people's ideas.'

'From concept through finished product,' is Double T's motto and the company's owners hope that motto will carry them through a planned expansion.

'Our goal, within two to three years, is to double our sales and this is where the push is... we think we've brought in the right people,' Christine explains.

Included in the company's roster of 15 employees is a full-time professional engineer and a domestic sales representative. Double T has also recently purchased a Computer Aided Design and Drafting (CADD) system.

But despite Double T's North American and International focus, the company hasn't forgotten their roots.

'Our very first job, we made some branding irons for a local fellow,' Christine says. And Double T still maintains that attention to the requirements of local residents.

click here to visit the Echo's website

 Back to Archive main page