Latest / Coffee In The Park with Jennifer and Cam / A Coffee with Tyler Reil from Fabco Plastics

Transcript

A Coffee with Tyler Reil from Fabco Plastics · Coffee In The Park with Jennifer and Cam

• 0:14
  Well, hello everybody, and welcome to another edition of the ABA Coffee In The Park.
• 0:19
  My name is Cam Milliken, and I am here with my co-host extraordinaire, Jennifer Herrick, the executive director of the Acheson Business Association.
• 0:28
  Hello, Jennifer.
• 0:30
  Hello, Cam, on this beautiful, chilly Tuesday morning here in Acheson.
• 0:35
  Minus 30.
• 0:36
  Feels like 152 minus degrees.
• 0:38
  I've never been in 152 minus, but I'm sure it feels like that.
• 0:42
  Yeah, so anyway, you're right.
• 0:43
  It is very cold here today, but it's sunny outside.
• 0:47
  And we can survive it if the sun's out.
• 0:50
  Yeah, that's kind of awesome.
• 0:51
  So this is your typical quintessential Alberta winter day.
• 0:55
  Sun is shining.
• 0:56
  We're inside.
• 0:57
  It's kind of cool.
• 0:58
  We've got one more day of cold weather.
• 0:59
  That's right.
• 1:00
  So they say.
• 1:00
  And then apparently it's going into the pluses.
• 1:03
  I know.
• 1:03
  That's kind of cool.
• 1:04
  Well.
• 1:04
  Well, maybe not.
• 1:05
  I don't know.
• 1:06
  Anyway.
• 1:06
  We'll see.
• 1:06
  You know what?
• 1:07
  A little warmth would be nice.
• 1:08
  Anyway, we want to let everybody know that, oh, before we do that, Jennifer, tell us about some very important people.
• 1:14
  Well, we'd like to thank our Gold Corporate sponsors, which include the Myshak group of companies, Genics, Parkland County and Bow Valley Credit Union.
• 1:21
  That's right.
• 1:21
  Without them, we would not be able to do what we are doing today.
• 1:25
  So thank you very much.
• 1:27
  And we want to let everybody know that we are coming to you from the Wall Coffee Roasters in the heart of beautiful Downtown Acheson.
• 1:37
  That's right.
• 1:38
  And so if you hear some noises in the background, people talking, machines whirring, kids screaming, it's because we are live right here at the Wall Coffee Roaster. Lets go! And that was Ben Loates.
• 1:50
  It was Ben Loates, everyone.
• 1:52
  So yeah, so thank you Wall Coffee Roasters.
• 1:54
  Hey, if you've never been to the Wall Coffee Roasters.
• 1:56
  It's a great day to come down on a chilly day.
• 1:59
  Get a cappuccino, a latte, an Americano.
• 2:03
  Some people are calling it a Canadiano.
• 2:04
  A Canadiano, that's right.
• 2:06
  In light of anyway, we won't get into that.
• 2:08
  But anyhow, come on down and check us out.
• 2:11
  So why don't we get into it, Jennifer?
• 2:14
  Cam, I'm really excited about our guest today.
• 2:16
  Me too.
• 2:17
  This particular individual was on the ABA Board of Directors for a number of years, was really involved, and we miss him.
• 2:26
  So we thought it's time to get him on the podcast because he's got a great story.
• 2:30
  I think he came on the same time I did.
• 2:33
  So we're like, yeah, we'll go way back.
• 2:35
  Exactly.
• 2:36
  Anyway, yeah.
• 2:37
  So our guest today is Tyler Reil, who's the branch manager of Fabco Plastics here in Acheson.
• 2:43
  Right on.
• 2:44
  Welcome, Tyler.
• 2:45
  Welcome, Tyler.
• 2:45
  Awesome.
• 2:45
  Thanks very much, guys.
• 2:46
  Good to have you.
• 2:47
  Yeah, really looking forward.
• 2:48
  Thanks for having me on the show.
• 2:49
  Yeah.
• 2:49
  Well, let's get right into it.
• 2:51
  Where did Tyler Reil start?
• 2:53
  Where did it all begin?
• 2:54
  Oh, man.
• 2:55
  It, you know, I grew up in a really small town, northeast of Vegreville, 350 people.
• 3:01
  350.
• 3:02
  Willingdon.
• 3:03
  Willingdon.
• 3:03
  Yeah.
• 3:04
  Willingdon.
• 3:04
  You better tell everybody where Willingdon is, because I grew up in Alberta.
• 3:09
  I have no idea.
• 3:10
  Never heard of Willingdon.
• 3:11
  So you know where the world's largest mallard duck is?
• 3:13
  Andrew, Alberta.
• 3:15
  And you know where the world's largest Kubasai is?
• 3:17
  Yes.
• 3:18
  Mundare.
• 3:19
  About 15, 20 minutes from there.
• 3:21
  Okay.
• 3:22
  All right.
• 3:23
  Now, I have a question.
• 3:25
  With 350 people, were there stop signs?
• 3:29
  There were.
• 3:30
  And there was even a paved street.
• 3:32
  Wow.
• 3:33
  But no traffic light?
• 3:34
  No, sir.
• 3:35
  Is there today?
• 3:36
  No.
• 3:37
  No way.
• 3:37
  Okay.
• 3:38
  I always thought I would move back there.
• 3:39
  As a child, I just had everything I wanted out there.
• 3:42
  Lots of freedom.
• 3:44
  And when we left, I was 14 years old, and I swore I would move back one day.
• 3:48
  Really?
• 3:49
  Today, I still love going back there, all the memories, but there's very little happening.
• 3:53
  Not much different than any other farming community in Alberta.
• 3:56
  Hospitals closed, school is closed, and if it wasn't for the old folks' home, I think it would have probably come off the map.
• 4:04
  It's kind of sad, you know, a little bit about those kinds of towns.
• 4:07
  Small towns in Alberta, Saskatchewan, wherever.
• 4:09
  Kind of sad.
• 4:10
  It is.
• 4:10
  Yeah, some are maybe thriving a little more than others, but nonetheless.
• 4:14
  So anyway, you moved from Willingdon to...
• 4:17
  St.
• 4:17
  Albert.
• 4:19
  Yeah, Dad spent his career working with the Alberta Liquor Control Board.
• 4:23
  Right.
• 4:24
  And so, you know, we moved there when I was 14.
• 4:28
  So obviously, junior high and high school in St.
• 4:31
  Albert, Lorne Aikens and Paul Kane.
• 4:34
  Was that a bit of a culture shock going from Willingdon to St.
• 4:36
  Albert?
• 4:37
  Yeah.
• 4:38
  And you were a teenager when you did that?
• 4:39
  Yeah, 14 years old.
• 4:42
  It was such a stark difference.
• 4:44
  It's hard to even describe.
• 4:45
  Well, what did you think of them city folk at 14?
• 4:48
  Them city folk in St.
• 4:49
  Albert?
• 4:51
  From St.
• 4:52
  Albert?
• 4:52
  It was a real adjustment.
• 4:54
  You know, there was a lot of peer pressure to be a specific person.
• 5:00
  Especially at 14.
• 5:02
  Yeah.
• 5:02
  And especially in St.
• 5:03
  Albert.
• 5:05
  I don't know why I said that, but anyway, that's it.
• 5:08
  We don't want hate mail from people in St.
• 5:10
  Albert.
• 5:10
  We love St.
• 5:11
  Albert.
• 5:12
  Anyways, yeah.
• 5:14
  That was, it was great.
• 5:15
  You know, it was certainly a bit of a culture shock, but learned a lot, you know, fairly quickly about what it took to really be successful in St.
• 5:25
  Albert.
• 5:27
  You know, my junior high and my high school years were really quite great, regardless of the peer pressure.
• 5:34
  Right.
• 5:34
  Just fantastic people around me.
• 5:36
  The school system there was really good, which I can imagine it still is.
• 5:40
  Yeah.
• 5:41
  Paul Kane.
• 5:41
  High.
• 5:41
  Paul Kane.
• 5:42
  Shout out to Paul Kane.
• 5:43
  All the Paul Kaneites.
• 5:44
  Yes, that's right.
• 5:45
  Cool.
• 5:46
  Perfect.
• 5:46
  Yeah.
• 5:47
  And you know, from there, I wanted to work at Riverside Yamaha.
• 5:51
  There was a motorcycle dealership in St.
• 5:52
  Albert.
• 5:53
  And that's all I wanted to do.
• 5:55
  I just set my sights on it.
• 5:56
  In fact, as a boy, young boy, my baby book says I wanted to be a Chips.
• 6:04
  Oh, remember that show?
• 6:05
  I love that show.
• 6:06
  That was the best.
• 6:08
  Yeah, absolutely.
• 6:11
  So for years, I wanted to be a police officer, a motorcycle riding police officer.
• 6:15
  So I got the motorcycle part down, and did that for 21 years, and it was a fantastic portion.
• 6:20
  So why or how did the fascination with motorcycles?
• 6:23
  What?
• 6:24
  You know, my dad had a motorcycle as a young boy, and I'm not too sure where the dirt bike side came from.
• 6:33
  But for a long time, it was what identified me.
• 6:37
  I worked on motorcycles during the day, I worked on my own personal motorcycles at night, and I raced my motorcycles on the weekend.
• 6:43
  So that's all I did for a number of years.
• 6:47
  So racing, tell us about that.
• 6:48
  Yeah, tell us about that.
• 6:49
  What was that? Track racing?
• 6:50
  You know, I started off racing in the bush.
• 6:55
  So these cross-country races really developed into some larger races, went to a big race in the United States.
• 7:02
  There was 500 motorcycles that entered into that race.
• 7:05
  It's, you can't even imagine it.
• 7:07
  Wow, did you have like a whole team, like a pit crew and all that kind of stuff?
• 7:11
  You know, there was only five of us that came down from Canada.
• 7:13
  Really?
• 7:13
  Yeah.
• 7:14
  So it was really an interesting experience.
• 7:17
  Yeah.
• 7:17
  You know, especially for a 19-year-old young guy.
• 7:20
  Yeah.
• 7:20
  You know.
• 7:21
  And how did you do?
• 7:23
  Not very good.
• 7:26
  But it's the experience that counts, right?
• 7:28
  Absolutely.
• 7:29
  It's the experience that counts.
• 7:30
  Yeah.
• 7:31
  Yeah.
• 7:31
  And so, you know, that was a large portion of my life was motorcycles and motorcycle related.
• 7:38
  So I was with the Riverside Yamaha Group for 21 years.
• 7:41
  That's a long time.
• 7:42
  That is.
• 7:43
  Yeah.
• 7:43
  Yeah.
• 7:45
  And you know, it just wore me out.
• 7:47
  So after a couple of back surgeries and a couple of knee surgeries, it was time to just kind of start branching out.
• 7:54
  So I went to, started going to school, just some night classes to get caught up.
• 7:59
  And then started my long career at NAIT for mechanical engineering.
• 8:05
  Oh, really?
• 8:06
  And so... I did not know that about you.
• 8:08
  Really?
• 8:09
  Yeah.
• 8:09
  As a 35 year old, going back to NAIT was a real challenge.
• 8:13
  A little different, right?
• 8:14
  Yeah.
• 8:14
  Yeah.
• 8:14
  There was a young guy in one of my math classes that was doodling.
• 8:17
  And I looked at him and said, do you understand what's happening here?
• 8:21
  He's like, oh yeah, we just did this last year.
• 8:26
  Honestly, shout out to people that go back to post-secondary later in life.
• 8:31
  I agree.
• 8:31
  Because it has got to be one of the hardest things to do.
• 8:34
  Yeah.
• 8:34
  I don't think I could actually.
• 8:36
  I think they kicked me out.
• 8:37
  I think because they did.
• 8:39
  Well, they kicked me out of college.
• 8:40
  Well, they didn't kick me out of college when I graduated, but they let me go because they figured you're useless.
• 8:45
  We're just going to graduate you.
• 8:47
  So yeah, going back later in life is tough.
• 8:49
  I can't imagine doing group work.
• 8:51
  Yeah.
• 8:52
  With kids that are like 19, 20 years old.
• 8:55
  How long did you go to NAIT?
• 8:57
  Oh man, I was there for about four years because there was so much upgrading that needed to be done.
• 9:05
  You know, just to get into the program.
• 9:08
  But you know, the kids that were there, they're all there for really the same purpose.
• 9:12
  Yeah.
• 9:12
  And they really wanted to learn, so they were all really motivated.
• 9:15
  Right.
• 9:15
  And it was great.
• 9:16
  I learned lots from those young guys.
• 9:17
  I bet.
• 9:17
  Did they feel sorry for you because you were the old guy?
• 9:19
  There might have been some of them there, for sure.
• 9:22
  I love that.
• 9:23
  Let's help the old guy out.
• 9:24
  He needs a little help.
• 9:28
  So it was really interesting.
• 9:29
  But you know, it didn't take long for me to say that that just wasn't the path that I really wanted.
• 9:34
  You know, sitting in a cubicle, designing pressure vessels for the rest of my days, it just didn't appeal to me.
• 9:38
  I can see that coming from racing motorcycles to sitting in the cubicle.
• 9:42
  I mean, that's that big gap in there.
• 9:45
  So yeah, so you know, after school, the opportunity came to join the team at Fabco Plastics here in Acheson.
• 9:52
  They were looking for a new branch manager.
• 9:55
  And although I'm not a plastics expert, we've got such an awesome team there.
• 10:00
  Okay, so before we go further with that, tell us who Fabco is and what Fabco does.
• 10:06
  Okay, so Fabco Plastics, we're the largest industrial plastics wholesaler in Canada.
• 10:11
  Okay.
• 10:12
  And so we really do pride ourselves on our customer service, our availability of product, and our competitive price.
• 10:19
  Okay.
• 10:21
  You know, one of the largest challenges is, of course, availability of material.
• 10:27
  Right.
• 10:27
  And so, you know, we've got the largest available inventory here, for sure, in Western Canada.
• 10:34
  And so with five branches across the country, Maple Ontario, Laval Quebec, Surrey BC, here in Acheson supports all of Alberta, and then Saskatoon Saskatchewan.
• 10:45
  All right.
• 10:46
  So do you also custom manufacture?
• 10:48
  We do no manufacturing.
• 10:50
  We've got relationships with every major manufacturer of material.
• 10:54
  And so we simply bring in the material, stock it, and then ship it out to whoever's requiring it.
• 11:01
  So some of our largest customers are general contractors, mechanical contractors, municipalities, and of course, there's a large section of retailers.
• 11:10
  Yeah.
• 11:10
  Wow.
• 11:11
  Yeah, that's incredible.
• 11:12
  So you started with them as...
• 11:13
  Yes, as the branch manager.
• 11:16
  Today, I've got like a rolodex of different cards.
• 11:19
  Yeah, yeah.
• 11:20
  Different hat.
• 11:22
  And so it works out really well.
• 11:24
  We've got such a fantastic team at Fabco Plastics.
• 11:28
  You know, and our largest go-to-market strategy is customer service.
• 11:35
  Right.
• 11:36
  Being a solution provider for those people that are looking for something that they just can't quite find.
• 11:40
  Right.
• 11:41
  Now, when we're talking about who's our competitors, everyone carries Schedule 40 Plastic PVC pipe.
• 11:46
  Canadian Tire carries it.
• 11:48
  Home Depot carries it.
• 11:49
  And the difference is Canadian Tire or Home Depot might have 100 feet of 2-inch Schedule 40.
• 11:55
  Or at Fabco Plastics, we've got 44,000 feet of 2-inch Schedule 40 pipe in stock.
• 12:00
  Okay.
• 12:01
  The fascinating part about this is I don't even know what Schedule 40 pipe is.
• 12:05
  But no, sorry.
• 12:06
  No, no, that's okay.
• 12:07
  But it's just that it's amazing because I didn't know Canadian Tire would even carry Schedule 40.
• 12:11
  For sure.
• 12:12
  But let's go back to the customer service piece for just a sec.
• 12:15
  Yeah.
• 12:15
  Because Tyler, I've known you now for a few years.
• 12:19
  We came on the ABA board, I think at the same time.
• 12:21
  Anyway, one thing that has always, has always impressed me about you is how great you are with people.
• 12:27
  And so, I can just see customer service exuding from you.
• 12:33
  Like you are just so good in that area.
• 12:36
  So how do you, how do you, how do you mentor and train and get your staff into that same mentality?
• 12:43
  You know, customer service is really, it's a learned skill and it's not something that everyone comes by naturally.
• 12:49
  No, you're right about that.
• 12:50
  Yeah.
• 12:51
  And so, we're really lucky at Fabco Plastics with such a great team.
• 12:56
  We're all on the same page.
• 12:57
  So as someone needs some support or some guidance, there's six other people that are surrounding them to help them in that, in that right direction.
• 13:04
  Right.
• 13:05
  Wow.
• 13:05
  And so continuing to focus on being a solution provider, that's really the very beginning of that customer service experience.
• 13:13
  Wow.
• 13:14
  So you started as branch manager.
• 13:16
  What are you now?
• 13:17
  Today, my business card still says branch manager.
• 13:20
  That's great.
• 13:20
  That's awesome.
• 13:21
  Yeah.
• 13:22
  We've grown a lot.
• 13:24
  And in the Western provinces, BC, Alberta, Saskatchewan, we've really started to develop what we're calling that Western Advantage.
• 13:31
  And that Western Advantage includes having centralized inventory here in Acheson.
• 13:36
  So we've got a three and a half acre pipe yard, a 33,000 square foot warehouse.
• 13:41
  In the warehouse, we're housing all the fittings.
• 13:43
  And of course, in the pipe yard is all of our pipe.
• 13:46
  Right.
• 13:46
  So it's really, it's alphabet soup, PVC, CPVC, HDPE, PP, PTFE, on and on.
• 13:55
  So anybody out there who needs any of this ABCDEF, if you need any of that plastic, call Tyler.
• 14:06
  That's all I'm saying.
• 14:07
  And we'll give you the contact info at the end.
• 14:09
  But yeah, so.
• 14:12
  So you're going along, and I know because I remember having these conversations with you.
• 14:18
  That staffing was always a challenge, especially, you know, coming out of COVID and other things.
• 14:26
  How are you finding staffing today?
• 14:27
  How are you find getting people?
• 14:29
  Is it easier?
• 14:29
  Is it still the grind?
• 14:31
  Yeah.
• 14:32
  Yeah.
• 14:32
  Finding the right people for the positions.
• 14:34
  It will continue to be every one of our largest challenges.
• 14:38
  Yeah.
• 14:39
  You know, certainly we all are going to come across challenges where availability of material is there.
• 14:46
  But availability of quality team members, we're not looking for staff, we're looking for team.
• 14:52
  And when you're building a team, it just makes it really tough to find those right pieces.
• 14:57
  I like that.
• 14:57
  Building a team, you're not just hiring the next warm body, right?
• 15:00
  It's different.
• 15:02
  And I imagine that takes a little longer.
• 15:04
  Because you're looking for the right person. The right fit.
• 15:06
  Yeah.
• 15:06
  For sure.
• 15:07
  Yeah.
• 15:08
  And so we work with a multitude of recruiting agencies that are really on the same path as us.
• 15:14
  They're really, really in tune with what it is we're looking for.
• 15:17
  And we realized some great success.
• 15:19
  That's a great shout out to the, we have a lot of recruiting.
• 15:22
  We do as members of the ABA.
• 15:23
  Yeah, as members of the ABA.
• 15:24
  So yeah, it gives them credit.
• 15:25
  I'm glad to hear that, that they work for you and they get what you need.
• 15:28
  So that's pretty cool.
• 15:29
  Yeah.
• 15:30
  That's awesome.
• 15:30
  So today we've got 14 team members right now.
• 15:36
  And oddly enough, six years ago, we had 14 team members.
• 15:40
  And so all through COVID, although there was some lean months in there where it was really hard to find that successful path, we maintain that same number of employees because we've built a team.
• 15:53
  We didn't turn our back on any one of our team members.
• 15:56
  That's great.
• 15:57
  That's phenomenal.
• 15:58
  I love those stories.
• 15:59
  As we all know, during that awful time, that was really hard for a lot of businesses and a lot of sleepless nights, we heard from people in charge of those businesses and those owners and those managers because you really feel they become part of your family, right?
• 16:14
  So you want to do what you can to keep them.
• 16:15
  Sure.
• 16:16
  And you didn't know what the future was going to be.
• 16:18
  So business really, yeah, like you say, it was tough.
• 16:20
  I'm glad to hear you guys were able to hang in there and keep it going.
• 16:24
  It was really, it was almost to our benefit that it slowed down a little bit.
• 16:28
  Right.
• 16:29
  It really allowed us some time to focus on what's going to happen here.
• 16:33
  What can we do differently?
• 16:34
  Yeah.
• 16:35
  What have we done to get here?
• 16:37
  And what can we do differently to see benefit and growth in the years coming?
• 16:40
  Right.
• 16:41
  And so it was a good time to strategize and really develop our next steps.
• 16:47
  Wow, that's fantastic.
• 16:48
  Using that time to, like you say, strategize.
• 16:50
  Fantastic.
• 16:51
  Yeah.
• 16:51
  Great business.
• 16:52
  Success is about 95% of strategy.
• 16:54
  Yeah, exactly.
• 16:55
  You know, so at 5% of that's got to be implementation.
• 16:58
  Yeah.
• 16:58
  And it takes the right team.
• 16:59
  And once you've got the right team, all of those strategies become so much easier.
• 17:03
  Absolutely.
• 17:05
  So your life is going along and business is good.
• 17:08
  Life is good.
• 17:10
  Always good.
• 17:10
  Always good.
• 17:11
  No bad weekends.
• 17:12
  No bad weekends.
• 17:13
  But there was a point where there was a bad weekend.
• 17:17
  Yeah.
• 17:17
  So I know this is a sensitive topic, Tyler, and we'll only ask you to share what you're comfortable sharing.
• 17:25
  But I know it greatly impacted your life and your significant other's life.
• 17:29
  Certainly.
• 17:31
  Just coming up to one year ago, on March 1st last year, we were driving back from Westlock.
• 17:41
  I play a lot of hockey.
• 17:43
  Like I play three, four nights a week, or at one point I did, racing back into the city to get to a hockey game on a two-lane highway just outside of Morinville.
• 17:55
  Right.
• 17:57
  Nine o'clock at night, right in there, so it was night time, perfectly crystal clear night, and an oncoming pickup truck just changed lanes and head on collision about 105 kilometers an hour.
• 18:11
  Like right in front of you.
• 18:13
  You had nowhere to go.
• 18:14
  No time to react.
• 18:15
  Nowhere to go.
• 18:15
  No.
• 18:17
  And how fast were you going?
• 18:18
  About 105 kilometers an hour.
• 18:20
  And how fast was he going?
• 18:21
  You think same or faster?
• 18:22
  So after the collision investigation, they figured that there was about a net 100 kilometer an hour impact.
• 18:29
  Wow.
• 18:30
  And so they figured that I had slammed on the brakes and slowed down to about that 80 kilometer range.
• 18:36
  And the oncoming vehicle had also slammed on their brakes and was doing about 40 kilometers an hour.
• 18:42
  So you hit each other, you collide.
• 18:45
  What happens to you and?
• 18:47
  So, you know, for me, the advantage was I don't remember anything.
• 18:51
  I was driving on the highway and I woke up in the ambulance.
• 18:55
  The downside for my significant other, she remembers the entire thing.
• 19:00
  Yeah.
• 19:01
  So she remembers, you don't.
• 19:02
  Yeah.
• 19:03
  And so the...
• 19:05
  But you both obviously ended up in the hospital.
• 19:07
  Absolutely.
• 19:07
  So I didn't get to see her for about six hours.
• 19:11
  And finally, I just was laying in my hospital bed, said, where is Dawn?
• 19:15
  Yeah.
• 19:16
  So they told me she was just in the room next to me, oddly enough.
• 19:19
  So mom and dad were there.
• 19:21
  I was able to get out of the bed and go and see Dawn.
• 19:25
  And I'll tell you, there's just nothing that I've been through that's been that emotional.
• 19:31
  Yeah.
• 19:33
  So...
• 19:33
  She was awake?
• 19:35
  Yeah, she's awake.
• 19:36
  Unfortunately, she'd broken her back in a couple of spots, broken hand and fingers and significant injuries, you know.
• 19:45
  And there's a lot of negative things that we can really focus on.
• 19:49
  But to Dawn's credit, she's such a positive influence.
• 19:52
  Right.
• 19:53
  And continued to focus on how lucky are we.
• 19:57
  And you know, that's the one thing that I truly love about Dawn is her positive outlook.
• 20:04
  Right.
• 20:05
  Just really kept us on the right track.
• 20:06
  Yeah.
• 20:06
  I can't imagine that six hours where you didn't see each other and wondering how is she, what's happened.
• 20:15
  And her the same for you.
• 20:17
  Oh, of course.
• 20:18
  And I just can't imagine that six hours.
• 20:20
  It must have been.
• 20:22
  Yeah.
• 20:23
  It was certainly, I wish it was a little bit different.
• 20:26
  Yeah.
• 20:27
  But the one thing I can tell you about that is there was a lot happening.
• 20:30
  I mean, the medical staff, we were at the, we were at the Royal Alex.
• 20:36
  Okay.
• 20:36
  Yeah.
• 20:37
  We were at the Royal Alex.
• 20:38
  God, I can't even remember where we were.
• 20:40
  Yeah.
• 20:41
  No, I'm sorry.
• 20:42
  We were at the University Hospital.
• 20:44
  And the University Hospital staff were so good.
• 20:47
  Right.
• 20:48
  It was just one test after another, and they were picking us up, moving us around.
• 20:52
  I mean, I know this now after talking to Dawn about her experience.
• 20:55
  For me, it was, they were just so focused on our recovery and making sure that we were okay.
• 21:01
  So, tell us, just for, and it will lead in to some other stuff, but tell us what happened.
• 21:07
  Like, what were the injuries?
• 21:09
  So, for me, I got really lucky, because the airbags were both on my side, so I was kind of surrounded.
• 21:15
  I had lost a bunch of skin on my forehead from those airbags.
• 21:19
  But luckily, I escaped with fairly minor injuries.
• 21:22
  I tore my PCL in my left knee, which, you know, the doctor said, hey, Connor McDavid tore his PCL and had surgery, so.
• 21:31
  Something common.
• 21:32
  Something common.
• 21:34
  And so, for me, it was a quite severe concussion.
• 21:36
  Of course, doing 100 kilometers an hour to zero is significant.
• 21:43
  But the majority of the injuries were to Dawn.
• 21:46
  And so, you know, she's still struggling today to realize recovery.
• 21:51
  Both avid golfers, both hockey players.
• 21:54
  And so, to this point, I'm not sure what the future holds for Dawn's sporting career.
• 22:01
  But with the amount of broken bones she's got in her hand, it'll be a bit of a long recovery.
• 22:06
  But the good news is, we're still here to talk about it today.
• 22:09
  Yeah.
• 22:10
  Fantastic.
• 22:11
  And so, you're back playing hockey.
• 22:14
  I'm back skating.
• 22:16
  You know, I call it playing hockey.
• 22:18
  People that watch it, I don't know what they call it.
• 22:20
  Doesn't matter.
• 22:20
  You're skating.
• 22:21
  That's all that matters is you're skating.
• 22:23
  For sure.
• 22:23
  Yeah.
• 22:24
  And then you told us today, you're playing pickleball.
• 22:27
  So just started.
• 22:28
  Contact sport right there.
• 22:29
  Yeah.
• 22:30
  So we just played, the second time I played was this weekend.
• 22:33
  Right.
• 22:33
  On Saturday night.
• 22:34
  Right.
• 22:35
  And you know, for a non-contact sport should be low impact.
• 22:39
  Yeah.
• 22:40
  at 49 years old.
• 22:40
  I really felt it.
• 22:41
  Yeah, for sure.
• 22:43
  So are you, and I know we've talked about this.
• 22:45
  I mean, after that, how do you, how did you continue on trying to work, being the branch manager, you know, everybody kind of looking to you, dealing with your own injuries, but then dealing with Dawn as well.
• 22:59
  Right.
• 23:00
  You know, we're really lucky with support of our families.
• 23:04
  Right.
• 23:04
  And so, you know, my mom and dad are there to help whenever needed.
• 23:09
  Dawn's mom is there.
• 23:10
  Her brothers are in St.
• 23:11
  Albert.
• 23:11
  So we're really my sister and her husband, John, we're surrounded by people that really are focused on our recovery and willing to help anywhere they can.
• 23:19
  And so, you know, that accident that we had was on Friday night, about nine o'clock at night and Monday morning, I was the first one at the branch to get to get the shop opened.
• 23:30
  And of course, no one knows what had happened over the weekend.
• 23:34
  So, you know, I had a few things I had to get done that morning.
• 23:38
  You had to get done.
• 23:40
  The guy is the guy who has a head on.
• 23:42
  I had to get done.
• 23:44
  That's amazing.
• 23:46
  Tyler, you amaze me.
• 23:47
  You're awesome.
• 23:49
  But I took the afternoon off.
• 23:51
  Yeah, I would hope so.
• 23:52
  Yeah, I would think.
• 23:53
  Yeah.
• 23:54
  Yeah.
• 23:54
  Yeah.
• 23:55
  So and, you know, really lucky.
• 23:57
  Fabco Plastics was really there to support me through that.
• 24:01
  So I did a lot of working from home.
• 24:03
  Zoom.
• 24:06
  Thankfully, we all learned how to zoom through the pandemic.
• 24:09
  So there was a lot of really good things.
• 24:12
  I can't say enough good things about Fabco Plastics and how they supported me through it.
• 24:16
  Yeah.
• 24:17
  But more importantly, my better half Dawn, my family, her family, all of our extended family, you know, everyone was really there to jump in wherever they could.
• 24:27
  That's incredible.
• 24:28
  Yeah.
• 24:29
  Yeah.
• 24:29
  Really lucky.
• 24:30
  It's almost unfathomable, right?
• 24:32
  So coming out of that, and this is what, again, I love about you and it amazes me is your positive outlook.
• 24:40
  I've never heard you be down or you just have a great positive outlook.
• 24:45
  So out of this, tell us, what is the greatest sort of, I'm not gonna say life lesson, but what's the thing you've taken away from this more than anything else?
• 24:55
  You know, positivity and just how critical being positive is and that positive outlook is to recovery.
• 25:01
  Yeah.
• 25:02
  I can tell you one other really great thing that came to this was, the year previous, I golfed about 70 rounds.
• 25:09
  So I golf an awful lot.
• 25:12
  And after the accident, of course, I couldn't golf.
• 25:15
  My second round that I went out just to test things out, I got a hole in one.
• 25:21
  Come on.
• 25:22
  I'll tell you, it was just the luckiest thing.
• 25:25
  And I couldn't believe it.
• 25:26
  I just put my palms to the sky and say, can you believe this?
• 25:30
  Can you believe how lucky I am?
• 25:32
  We survived the accident.
• 25:34
  And six, eight months later, there I am getting a hole in one.
• 25:38
  That's amazing.
• 25:39
  Truly amazing.
• 25:40
  A sign.
• 25:41
  Absolutely.
• 25:42
  And so I'm going to say this.
• 25:44
  Last year, you were at the ABA Golf Tournament, and Jennifer and I were motoring around, and we came around the corner to your hole.
• 25:53
  And I remember seeing you, and for a moment, there was just this.
• 25:58
  Just seeing you, and sorry, I know this again, but just seeing you, there was this moment of amazing thankfulness in my heart that my friend was standing there playing golf.
• 26:11
  It's amazing, isn't it?
• 26:12
  Because it could have been a very different story.
• 26:14
  Yeah.
• 26:15
  Yeah.
• 26:16
  Really appreciate that, Cam, you know, and that's really how most of my days went.
• 26:21
  Yeah.
• 26:22
  It seemed like everything that happened, I thought, how lucky am I?
• 26:25
  Yes.
• 26:25
  Yeah.
• 26:26
  Yeah.
• 26:26
  Wow.
• 26:27
  Well, time again has flown.
• 26:30
  We're almost done.
• 26:30
  We're almost done. No Way! I know.
• 26:32
  See, I told you.
• 26:33
  We're not quite done.
• 26:34
  One final question.
• 26:35
  Yeah.
• 26:37
  What is the best piece of advice you've been given, either personally or professionally, that you carry with you to this day?
• 26:44
  I'll tell it to you right now with no thought.
• 26:48
  At one point, I was just a bumpy patch.
• 26:52
  And I say this all the time, that the road to success is rarely smooth.
• 26:56
  Yeah.
• 26:57
  But the one saying that I cling to all the time, you cannot change the direction of the wind, but you can adjust your sails.
• 27:06
  Right.
• 27:07
  So no matter how bumpy the road is, what can you do differently?
• 27:11
  It always comes back to a choice.
• 27:13
  Yeah.
• 27:13
  Make a better choice, and it will impact your life positively.
• 27:17
  That's just fantastic.
• 27:19
  You know, I've never heard it put that way.
• 27:21
  And I don't ever want to forget that because that is absolutely fantastic.
• 27:26
  And I know there's people listening today that have gone through some pretty tough times.
• 27:32
  And I think that advice right there is extraordinary because whether we're business people, whatever we're doing, you don't know what the future holds.
• 27:42
  You don't know what life's going to bring.
• 27:43
  You don't know what life's going to bring.
• 27:45
  You don't know where it's going to take us.
• 27:47
  And yeah, so I think that's just incredible advice.
• 27:51
  And in business sometimes, business people, we tend to be a little tougher on the exterior.
• 27:56
  You know, we don't want to tell people we're going through a difficult time.
• 27:59
  And I think that's why I appreciate your willingness and vulnerability even to share the story of the accident and what you felt.
• 28:08
  And again, I don't think I've ever met a more positive person coming out of something like this.
• 28:14
  And that's an inspiration.
• 28:15
  Yeah, really appreciate that, Cam.
• 28:17
  You know, there is so much value in a positive outlook.
• 28:21
  And it just can't be overstated.
• 28:24
  No, yeah.
• 28:25
  So you need to tell us, Fabco, if people are interested about you and your product, where do they go?
• 28:32
  So Fabco Plastics, we are located here in Acheson.
• 28:36
  In Acheson, not far from beautiful downtown Acheson.
• 28:38
  a suburb, they are in a suburb of beautiful downtown Acheson.
• 28:43
  Yeah, so our website, www.fabcoplastics.com, we've just launched a new website, so lots of good information on there.
• 28:53
  We are really focused on water, wastewater treatment.
• 28:56
  So pipe fittings, valves, tanks, pumps, if you can get it in cast iron, we can get it in plastic.
• 29:04
  Wow.
• 29:05
  Okay.
• 29:05
  I didn't add another thing I did not know.
• 29:08
  So we're talking to people who need more than like six feet at the Canadian Tire.
• 29:13
  You head over to Fabco and get it there.
• 29:17
  So yeah, that's cool.
• 29:19
  Really awesome.
• 29:20
  Guys, I really do appreciate having me on the show today.
• 29:23
  It's been really interesting.
• 29:25
  My very first podcast.
• 29:27
  Oh, thanks for the introduction.
• 29:28
  Well, thanks for being a guest.
• 29:30
  Yeah, thanks for taking the time to do it.
• 29:31
  And sharing your story.
• 29:33
  Sharing your story.
• 29:33
  We really appreciate it.
• 29:34
  Thank you.
• 29:35
  Thanks, Tyler.
• 29:36
  he is always positive.
• 29:38
  I like being around Tyler.
• 29:39
  He always makes you feel good.
• 29:42
  And he's just a great guy.
• 29:43
  No matter what you're going through.
• 29:44
  Yeah, so that's cool.
• 29:45
  Hey, anything we need to announce that's happening?
• 29:47
  Anything special?
• 29:48
  Well, we've got a special edition, Coffee In The Park, coming up on Monday, February 24th, where we're talking all things tariff.
• 29:55
  That's right.
• 29:56
  Lots of news with the tariffs and the trade and all that kind of stuff.
• 30:00
  So we thought we'd bring in somebody to talk to businesses about tariff and trade.
• 30:04
  We also have our annual general meeting coming up.
• 30:06
  That's right, the AGM, which I'm really excited about.
• 30:09
  Stay tuned because we've got a really exciting keynote speaker.
• 30:13
  Oh man, I know we can't say it right now, but I am so excited about this one.
• 30:17
  Me too.
• 30:17
  It's awesome.
• 30:18
  So hey everybody, thanks for listening.
• 30:20
  Really appreciate it.
• 30:22
  Make sure you tell your friends, tell your neighbors, tell your business associates.
• 30:25
  If you don't have any friends, make one so you can tell them about ABA Coffee In The Park wherever you get your podcast or at www.Achesonbusiness.com.
• 30:36
  And we hope you like this edition and you should subscribe.
• 30:41
  I can't say subscribe.
• 30:43
  Subscribe because then you won't miss an episode.
• 30:46
  You'll just be notified.
• 30:47
  All you got to do is hit subscribe.
• 30:48
  It's really easy.
• 30:49
  And wherever you listen.
• 30:49
  It's free.
• 30:50
  And then you'll get the notification that the new one's there.
• 30:52
  That's right.
• 30:53
  Awesome.
• 30:53
  But thank you everybody for listening.
• 30:55
  Thanks everyone.
• 30:56
  See you next week.
• 30:56
  See you later.