New location links east and west in our coast-to-coast network
October 17 was a special day for AIL, as we celebrated the opening of our new Kenora facility with a Grand Opening Open House event set for 2:00pm.
A morning visit from Premier Ford and Minister Rickford
Our special day started early with a visit from Ontario Premier Doug Ford and Greg Rickford, Minister of Energy, Mines, Northern Development and Indigenous Affairs and MPP for Kenora – Rainy River.
Unable to attend the afternoon event, Minister Rickford and Premier Ford were treated to their own tour of the facility, led by AIL Group CEO, Mike Wilson, with assistance from Jason Sherwood and Riley Wilson, AIL’s VPs of Operations for Western and Eastern Canada.
Afternoon Open House event was a great success
Open House guests included Kenora Mayor Dan Reynard and members of the Kenora Economic Development team, the local business community and area media outlets.
MC Jason Sherwood welcomed our guests, made introductions and acknowledged the support of the Government of Ontario and the City of Kenora. He went on to thank our Kenora General Manager, Richard Fleming, and his staff for their pivotal roles in getting this plant up and running. AIL’s Technical Sales Representatives for Kenora’s service areas were also introduced — Jim Vezina (Northern Ontario) and Thomas Ritter (Manitoba and Saskatchewan).
Mike Wilson spoke next about AIL’s history and strategic growth over the last 50+ years. He highlighted the significance of the Kenora location in linking east and west in our coast-to-coast network and thanked the Kenora Economic Development team for making AIL feel so welcome. “I want to especially thank the Kenora folks for putting out the welcome mat and helping to convince us that this was the right place to set up shop to service the region. It is great to be part of your community.”
Mayor Reynard was invited to say a few words and expressed how much his team valued AIL’s decision to establish a manufacturing plant in Kenora. “The opening of the facility from a company this large is a huge win for the community; it signals to other companies that Kenora is open for business.”
Mayor Reynard joined the AIL team in cutting the ribbon to officially open the facility before guests experienced a guided tour of the operation.
Serving Northern Ontario, Manitoba and Saskatchewan better
Our new Kenora location helps us better serve the infrastructure needs of Northern Ontario, Manitoba and Saskatchewan. The 20,000 square foot plant and expansive storage yard offers these regions a more direct source for Corrugated Steel Pipe, Drainage Solutions and, with the support of other AIL Group locations, Structural Plate Bridges & Tunnels, Prefabricated Vehicular Bridges, Emergency/Detour Bridges, Retaining Walls, Sound Barrier Walls and Mine Site Infrastructure.
