To begin with all our custumers, past, present or to come remains the cornerstone , because nothing we achieved would have been possible without customer support over the years
^{- George Thériault}

About

In 1958, in Drummond N.-B., a farmer's son spent much of his time woodworking in his father's shed behind the family house. At the age of 13, George Thériault had learned enough to build a small rocking chair for a child. By that point, the young man was being pulled in two directions, the family farm and his passion for woodwork. When he wasn't helping his father in the fields, you could find him in the shed cutting, sawing, nailing and planing down wood. 

One day, at the age of 16, he found an old-style storm window. Some young people might have simply smashed the window with a rock and taken off running. But Thériault took the window home and proceeded to take it apart and put it back together again, just to see how it worked. Gifted and persevering, he came to know enough about this type of window to start making some himself. This turned out to be quite a discovery. Thériault was now recognized as a manufacturer and registered with the province for sales tax purposes which would allow him to deal directly with wholesalers. This signalled the start of the business. His first supplier for glass, door, putty, etc. was Thorne's Hardware, a company that, ironically, is still in business today. By 1969, his father's shed had become much too small for his business. The young entrepreneur needed manpower and lots of space. Aggressive and somewhat of a visionary, he knew McCain Foods would be setting up shop in Grand-Falls, a shopping mall was being built and residential construction would be booming. 

To better meet the increasing demand for Theriault windows and doors, he bought a building on Tobique road in Grand-Falls, hired three qualified employees and acquired more productive equipment. This dynamic woodworker watched the market fluctuations closely and decided to launch a new product: old-style wood windows with inner windows and sliding windows. This dynamic approach allowed him to become the major supplier of doors and windows in the Grand-Falls region. By 1980, G.R. Theriault Ltd had 20 employees manufacturing doors and windows. The building was expanded and storage areas were added in the back. Seeing there was room for quality improvement, he started finger jointing, a revolutionary process which maximizes use of materials and reduces wood waste, which is safer for the environment. 

...this company will establish itself whithin new markets without sacrificing what brought them prosperity: quality and customer service.

In 1984, still on the lookout for new technological developments, Thériault diversified by adding a new product: casement windows. This allowed him to maintain his share of an increasingly competitive windows and doors market and compete with other national manufacturers. 

In 1989, the PVC windows became very popular in the European and North American markets. Theriault decided to invest in new facilities in order to meet customer demand in this area, thereby maintaining and even increasing his share of the market. A few years later, history repeated itself as increasing demand for PVC products made it necessary to expand in order to increase production considerably. This proved to be most profitable when he subsequently cornered most of the Edmundston market. With the PVC window market on the rise, 1994 would be an exceptional year, and it would all be topped off with the Grand Falls Region Development Commission awarding him the Business Excellence Award. 

To stay on the same track, Thériault bought property in the Grand Falls Industrial Park in 1995, including a 6000 square foot pre-existing building. This became a temporary door manufacturing site because further expansion would later result in it becoming the main site for PVC window manufacturing. 

In 1996, with his eye still on expansion, a 2500 square foot warehouse was built in the Industrial Park. This would eventually serve as storage space for raw materials and finished P.V.C. products. In 1997 the final phase of expansion saw 6000 square feet of space added for a total of 14500 square feet at the Industrial Park. In December, equipment and material were moved to the new site to start window production. As for the old site on Tobique road, it will continue to be used for doors and frames. Today, everything is working at full capacity. "Our market now extends throughout the province and also into Nova Scotia, Prince Edward Island and Quebec, as well as our neighbors from the State of Maine to Conneticut who have shown a lot interest in our products" said Theriault. 

Theriault is the first to admit that success can't come from one single individual. "To begin with all our custumers, past, present or to come remains the cornerstone , because nothing we achieved would have been possible without customer support over the years" he said. "Infinite thanks seems insufficient. Secondly, the pride our employees take in their work is also vital to the survival of any business. The dedication and honesty shown by our work force contribute to the longevity of this business, as well as the perception people have of this being a business where quality and service are the priorities. Last, but not least, all our suppliers who were partners in the past and still are today. Thank you for your confidence." 

Besides making his business successful, George Thériault has always made community involvement a priority through his work with the Grand Falls Richelieu Club, especially the construction of the Richelieu Swimming Pool and the Richelieu Auditorium. He is also involved with minor hockey and Mad.-Vic. Crime Stoppers. 

They say behind every successful man, there's a great woman. In this case, his wife, Parise bears no exception, while working alongside her husband, her support and encouragement has helped her husband persevere through tougher years. 

What does the future hold? In preparing the foundations for an eventual succession by their son Michel, he has learned from his parents the necessary tools and values that assures this company will establish itself whithin new markets without sacrificing what brought them prosperity: quality and customer service. 

Comfort, quality and peace of mind; Parise and George Theriault always put emphasis on customer expectations. The founders are still active and continue to teach their employees the importance of maintaining high standards and meeting customer needs. There have been many changes over the past 48 years, but customer satisfaction has always been and always will be the number one priority at G.R. Theriault Ltd Windows and Doors.