Kevin Marois, Integrity Mechanical, Calgary, AB

Fabricare Canada Magazine has selected Kevin Marois, co-founder of Integrity Mechanical of Calgary, AB as our Canadian Industry Person of the year for 2024. The award was announced live at the Canadian Fabricare Association CleanExpo 2024. It was a specially sweet moment since Kevin was in the audience, and was completely shocked by being named.

The Nomination

Kevin was nominated by Chris White of Kreussler. In his nomination he said the following.

Kevin, alongside his wife Paula, has been a cornerstone of the laundry and dry cleaning industry across Western Canada, consistently offering expertise, guidance, and unparalleled support to colleagues and clients alike.

With over thirty-four years of experience, starting with managing Todd Cleaners in Edmonton, AB, Canada, and spanning all aspects of retail laundry, dry-cleaning, on-premise laundry, and industrial laundry systems, Kevin has become a trusted name in the field. The annual Seminars for Success hosted by Integrity Mechanical, which started in 2009, have become an invaluable resource for industry professionals, providing vital training and insights. These seminars have empowered many to improve their operations, making Kevin’s contribution to knowledge-sharing both impactful and enduring.

Kevin and Paula’s dedication to the industry goes beyond training. They have been active participants and sponsors in the Alberta Textile Care Association (ATCA) and the Canadian Fabricare Association (CFA), fostering a collaborative spirit and helping elevate standards within the industry. Their commitment to integrity, professionalism, and reliability is precisely why their business is aptly named “Integrity Mechanical.” Kevin and Paula’s reputation for honesty and dedication to clients is second to none, making them the go-to for any request, big or small.

Integrity Mechanical’s commitment to excellence is evident through their work on numerous innovative projects. Notably, they were instrumental in designing and building the Tower Cleaners facility in Calgary, AB, and the first industrial-size System K4 Coverall cleaning systems with Union Drycleaning Machine and Kreussler Textile Care in Red Deer and Grand Prairie, Alberta. These projects demonstrate Kevin’s forward-thinking approach and technical expertise, further solidifying his role as a leader in the industry.

Moreover, Kevin has extended his influence beyond his immediate business by contributing articles to Fabricare Canada Magazine, where he shares his extensive knowledge and insights, aiming to uplift and educate the broader industry. His willingness to be available almost 24/7, even when encouraged to take a break, speaks to his unwavering commitment to supporting his clients and colleagues.

Kevin Marois exemplifies the values that the Canadian Industry Person of the Year award seeks to honor: expertise, integrity, dedication, and a genuine passion for the betterment of the fabric care industry. It is without reservation that I recommend Kevin for this prestigious award, confident that his contributions have made a lasting impact on the industry across Canada and beyond.

Career history

Tell us how you got started in the industry.

Right out of high school I did an apprenticeship as a motor mechanic.  I worked at some service stations and dealerships.  Eventually we had a Gulf service station.  When PetroCanada bought out Gulf and closed our station, I chose to go in another direction.

I went to work with my father and uncle at Todd Cleaners in Edmonton.  Eventually I was the general manager over both plants and 30 staff.  I also did all the service work on our equipment.  After 12 years, I was tired of dealing with staff problems.  We moved to Calgary and I worked for [a distributing company] for 18 months.  There were differences in our business philosophy so we parted company.  Shortly after that Paula and I formed our own company.  They were the reason we chose the name Integrity Mechanical. 

Paula was worried that we might not get enough work—that has not been an issue.  We have been very blessed.  Writing for Fabricare Canada gave us a lot of credibility so we were able to pick up some equipment lines right away.

We started with one truck and worked out of our garage.  We now own our own building and have four trucks and employ 5 fellows beside Paula and myself.

We are proud to sell Fulton, Sankosha, Unipress and Union equipment.  We also sell Air World, AL. Wilson and Kreussler products.  Selling Kreussler helped us to survive COVID.  Kreussler recently appointed us to be their Master Distributor for all of Canada. 

People often ask when we are going to retire.  I say that I don’t understand the question.  Seriously though, we are having too much fun to think about retiring.  Plus I have a list of customers who want to know when we are going to retire—so they can sell their business first.  I’m not sure how that will work out.

Currently we are spending time training our team.  The more they know, the less I have to do.  We have monthly training sessions and they usually have to do some homework between sessions.

Paula and I follow up on every service call to make sure everything is working properly.  Satisfied customers are the best form of advertising.  We just try to make small promises and then make sure we keep them.

Daily Inspiration

What has been the touchstone of your life that has kept you going and spurred you on even when things got tough?

I read my Bible and pray every morning before I go to work.  We pray for our guys and our customers.  We pray that God will keep them safe and help our customers to succeed.  The Bible is my moral compass.  I want to represent God well and try not to do anything that would bring dishonour to Him.  We have been greatly blessed, so we want to share that blessing with others.

What have been the three greatest things that ever happened in your life?

Getting married and raising our family has been a joy.  We have three daughters, two granddaughters and a grandson.  Paula and I have worked together for many years.  Sometimes there are difficulties but we made a promise to love one another and we will not waver on that commitment.

The single greatest blessing in my life is knowing the Lord Jesus as my Saviour.  He strengthens and encourages me.  I look forward to spending all eternity with Him.  I try not to preach at customers (especially when I am billing them for my time) but God is the one that motivates and directs in my life.

What have been the three greatest challenges in your life?

One of the ongoing challenges is trying to be in more than one place at the same time.  There aren’t enough hours in a day to take care of everyone and I often try to pack in too much.  (Ask my guys about that).  When someone has bought a machine from us, I take it personally when that machine is not running.

We had a challenge one year.  We lost three of our equipment lines at once.  Cissell and Ajax both closed and Bowe was sold and decided not to produce machines for North America any more.  It was a struggle but we have survived.

COVID was a challenge but we made it through without laying anyone off.  We kept our staff busy around the office and many of our customers gave us fill in work to keep us going.  I have a note on my wall saying “Five families are depending on you for a paycheque”.  This isn’t about Paula and I surviving or doing well—we are a part of a team and we care for one another.

What is your favorite part about being in this industry?  What would you change about the industry if you could?

I think our favorite part is taking care of our customers.  Doing the work so they can have a nice plant with equipment that works well.  That way they can take care of their customers.  We have a lot of nice people that we work with.  Our suppliers are great and most of our customers give us free reign to do whatever is required.  It is a privilege to help a customer bring their dreams to fruition—whether it be a new machine, a new plant or just a new way of doing things

It is great to be able to swoop in like Superman and get things working again.  Our preference though is to take care of things ahead of time so you don’t have those emergencies.

The one thing I would like to change about our industry is to make it so our customers have a better chance to survive.  So often the deck is stacked against them and they can’t make it.  The landlord doesn’t renew the lease or someone drives into the front of the store—things that they have no control over.  Many of our customers were not born here and struggle to communicate.  They are nice people and they work hard but they don’t always succeed.

Who do you want to thank or salute for your success?

First of all this is not my award.  Paula and I are a team.  I will only accept it on our behalf.  We have worked together to build this business.  Paula is at the office before 6:00 AM and is often there after 6:00 PM.  She was not involved in dry cleaning before we started our business.  Today she can quote part numbers, padding numbers and tell you how to get your boiler going over the phone.  She has never worked in a dry cleaning plant but she knows more than many operators do. 

We also owe a lot to our team.  Our guys work incredibly hard and most people don’t even recognize what they do.  They kneel in puddles, lift heavy equipment, get burned, shocked and breathe in chemical fumes.  They start early and work late to keep our customers running.  Although we discuss each job, I rarely have to tell them what to do.  The best part for us is the honesty and integrity they have in their work.  Yes we sometimes damage a part or cause a problem.  When they say this was my fault, we pay for it and move on.  It means a lot to me to know I can trust them and believe them.  Our successes are because of the efforts of our team.

Our equipment suppliers are also part of our success.  They support us and help us to take care of our customers.  We spend a lot of hours visiting customers with our sales reps and appreciate the time they take to support our business.

One other person who contributed to our success is Marcia Todd [Publisher Emeritus of Fabricare Canada magazine] (and now Becca).  Marcia sent me to Expo Detergo in Italy the first year I was working selling equipment.  Being published gave us a lot of credibility and helped us pick up equipment lines when we were still new.

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Congratulations to Kevin, Paula and their entire team for this award. Kevin has made it clear it is not an individual award where he is concerned — once again confirming we picked the best person.