The Silent Solution - Silent-Aire

Lindsey, Dan and Jeff in the manufacturing
plant with three CRAC units.
The Silent Solution
S
By Nerissa McNaughton
ilent-Aire Manufacturing Inc. designs and builds custom
heating, ventilation and air conditioning units (HVAC)
and data centre cooling systems.
If you walk into a building that has a Silent-Aire custom
HVAC solution inside, you may not see their handiwork. The
large mechanical systems are designed to be unobtrusive, working seamlessly with the building’s mechanical design; but it’s not
what you can see, it’s how the air feels – and what you won’t
hear – that matters.
A data centre houses a massive network of computer servers
and are used by organizations to store and process data. Without proper cooling and ventilation, the temperature inside the
data rooms will rise quickly due to the massive amount of high
power density computer servers. Temperature gains through
Silent-Aire Manufacturing Inc. | 20th Anniversary | 1
20 ANN
TH
Custom HVAC unit is prepped for a school.
the space will cause servers to shut down and cause data disruptions, which in turn leads to millions of dollars in lost revenue
each minute the system is down.
Hospitals, schools and other institutional buildings also require temperature and internal climate regulation, quite often
supplying conditioned air to spaces that are also critical in nature; possibly an operating room in a hospital or conditioned
air serving an auditorium that would have very strict acoustic
tolerances (such as what Silent-Aire did for the Northern and
Southern Alberta Jubilee Auditoriums back in the mid 2000s
when they were renovated). Other custom applications may include ventilation systems in the industrial sector where strict
Congratulations to Silent-Aire
Manufacturing Ltd. on 20 years
in business.
Eight Edmonton & area
locations to serve you.
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filtration requirements may exist, chemical scrubbing or precise
humidity control is required in a potentially corrosive environment or even in an explosion rated area.
This is where Silent-Aire comes in. Headquartered in Edmonton with another manufacturing plant in the United States,
Silent-Aire’s custom HVAC solutions have been quietly keeping
data safe and building temperatures regulated for over 20 years.
The company is incredibly successful with prominent contracts
in the $20 - $100 million range. It is their systems that heat and
cool some of North America’s largest corporations and their technology that keeps several world-leading data centres operational.
But getting from the start to where they are today was not
always a smooth ride.
In 1980, Don and Lorraine Leckelt started a contracting company. In 1987 that company was decimated by Edmonton’s famous tornado. They rebuilt the company just in time to face
Alberta’s economic downturn in 1994. Contracting work was
slow, so the enterprising couple diversified their company and
created Silent-Aire Manufacturing Inc.
Focusing on HVAC systems made good business sense for
the young entrepreneurs. At the time, Don had already been
building units to supplement the contracting company’s projects. Don designed his own HVAC systems for school portables that were required to be nice and quiet. Students, after
all, couldn’t learn with mechanical noise humming in the background. They needed silent air; which is how the company spinoff got its name.
As the contracts and opportunities grew, so did the couple’s
two sons, Dan and Lindsey. They entered the family business
Silent-Aire Manufacturing Inc. | 20th Anniversary | 2
IVERSARY
“
As the contracts and opportunities
grew, so did the couple’s two sons,
Dan and Lindsey. They entered
the family business by working
during the summers, then both
going full time after graduating
from engineering programs at the
University of Alberta (U of A).
One of Silent-Aire’s open concept work spaces.
by working during the summers, then both going full time after graduating from engineering programs at the University of
Alberta (U of A). “In grade seven I said I wanted to be an engineer and join the family business,” laughs Lindsey Leckelt who
shares co-presidency with this brother, Dan.
Dan and Lindsey are not the only ones that have been around
since the company’s humble beginnings. “Two of our vice
presidents have been with us for 14 years,” explains Dan. “They
were our school friends since elementary and junior high and
they are both under the age of 40.” These VPs are Neil Merkel,
VP manufacturing; and Ryan Vetsch, VP engineering. Merkel
worked at Silent-Aire during the summers and started fulltime
as a plant manager in 2000. Vetsch, who also started in 2000,
started as a junior engineer after graduation from the U of A.
“There are 10 VPs and eight are under the age of 40,” add Jeff
Suggitt, VP finance. “It’s a young, strong team. That is what the
guys [Dan and Lindsey] are after.”
“Having a younger company allows you to be more progressive and relate to a younger generation,” Lindsey agrees.
“Part of our design comes with being young and thinking
CONGRATULATIONS TO
SILENT-AIRE MANUFACTURING INC.
ON THEIR 20TH ANNIVERSARY
C&G HATCH ASSOCIATES LTD. | 4525 - 101 STREET EDMONTON, AB T6E 5C6
PH: 780-988-6997 | FAX: 780-988-8411
Silent-Aire Manufacturing Inc. | 20th Anniversary | 3
20 ANN
TH
outside of the box,” Suggitt nods, reflecting on his decision
to transition from Silent-Aire’s banker, a position he enjoyed
through Canadian Western Bank for many years, to joining the
energetic Silent-Aire team. “I had an opportunity to work with
young executives with similar interests in a very interesting and
expanding company. It gave me an opportunity to make a difference,” he says of this decision.
Other members of the team include the 300 staff in Edmonton and over 120 in the United States.
“Silent-Aire operates five days a week, 24 hours a day,” says
Dan. “We have 12 hour weekend shifts along with 10 different
shift opportunities. We try to allow for what works best for our
staff ’s family or personal situations. And the building is clean
and safe. It’s a great working environment.
“We have a culture that our employees thrive in. In our industry there is plenty of opportunity to develop new technologies. We encourage this development. Lindsey and I are good at
finding the strengths of our employees and putting them into
positions to make them successful and help them develop ideas.
Our workplace is designed with a modern layout that utilizes
new technology and promotes safety and esthetics to help every
member of our team push the envelope and be successful, from
the engineering staff upstairs to the trades and labourers on the
manufacturing plant floor.”
A tour of the facility confirms this fact. Silent-Aire’s headquarters is located on the edge of Edmonton in a new, up-andcoming industrial park. The building’s impressive glass front
rises regally over the parking lot and overlooks the green spaces
that are primed for landscaping. The building is new. The company moved into it in February of this year. The building, which
Lindsey designed with Todd Voshell from ISIS Design and Architecture, utilizes 80,000 square feet of expertly designed space
and brings their engineers, managers, clerical support and
manufactures all under one roof.
What comes out from under this roof is amazing.
“One product that we build is our modular data centres
(MDC units),” says Lindsey. “It’s a data centre in a box. It’s turnkey. We build some extremely large air handling systems and
MDC units. Either of them may range up to 100 feet long by 50
feet wide by 10 to 20 feet in height.”
Our computer room products are unique in that we incorporate energy-friendly technology into the equipment and we
do it in a compact fashion. Normally when an engineer wants
to use the technology we have in our units, they need to utilize
a large, expensive air handling system. We achieve it in an economical, compact solution designed specific to our customer’s
needs, climate and geographic location.”
Since they design and provide for clients globally, a unit designed to handle Edmonton’s cold winters and warm summers
may differ from a unit situated in Arizona’s hot, dry climate. The
climate, however, is not the only challenge.
“Ninety-five per cent of our revenue last year was exported
out of country,” Lindsey explains. “Ireland, Brazil, the Philippines, America; we are also working toward securing work in
Australia and Russia. When you ship your product overseas,
you have different electrical standards, certifications, etc. and
sometimes language barriers can also be an issue.”
These days jobs such as the $27 million dollar project that
had to be completed in eight months or the three-year contract worth over $100 million are just part of the daily routine,
but Dan and Lindsey clearly remember landing their first major contract.
These days jobs such as the $27 million dollar project that had to be
completed in eight months or the three-year contract worth over $100
million are just part of the daily routine, but Dan and Lindsey clearly
remember landing their first major contract.
Silent-Aire Manufacturing Inc. | 20th Anniversary | 4
IVERSARY
“It was in 2004 and our first data centre client,” says Lindsey
with all of the excitement he and his team felt 10 years ago. “Amazon.com! It was a turning point for our company in providing
work to the data centre industry.”
“We were pumped!” agrees Dan with a huge smile.
It would be fair to assume that a contract of that size for the
extremely notable Amazon.com empire would quickly turn that
excitement into fear and anxiety, but that was not the case.
“When that call came, there was excitement,” Suggitt says
with a knowing grin, “but these boys had a lot of faith in themselves. They knew they could get the job done for such a globalscale company. They took a big risk and it paid off in the end.
They had confidence.”
Confidence is where it all started. Confidence is what allowed
their parents, Don and Lorraine Leckelt, to start a contracting
company, rebuild it after it was literally torn down, and rebrand
it when the market for their services changed. Confidence
brought two brothers together to run the company after their
parents retired, trusting in their skills and instincts to build a
winning team and outstanding work facilities. Their clients from
all around the world have confidence in Silent-Aire – enough
confidence to want their HVAC products from the Canadian
company that sits proudly on the outskirts of Edmonton.
Dan, Lindsey and the VPs of this thriving company could
easily sit back and toast their accomplishments. After all, they
are all young and successful. But that type of success doesn’t
come from just one place. It comes from a team that includes
all the staff, stakeholders, and community – and they know it.
They are heavily involved in volunteer work, charitable giving
and creating jobs and opportunities for hard workers.
Silent-Aire’s growth is on a rapid trajectory to the tune of $6
million in revenue five years ago to over $80 million last year;
all organic growth with no venture or seed capital. But in typical
Dan and Lindsey fashion, they are proud and confident in their
achievements, while willingly, knowingly and proudly acknowledging where it all began.
“We want to thank our parents,” they both agree. “They
taught us hard work and integrity.”
They certainly did; and that hard work and integrity has benefited millions over the years and will continue to reach millions
more, all over the world, for years to come.
The Leckelts and the management team at Silent-Aire thank
their staff for their hard work, dedication, and belief in what
they could achieve. Many of their staff stayed with Silent-Aire
during their growth phase despite the opportunity for higher
earning potential elsewhere. The Leckelts also thank their families for their support and the community for the support and
the opportunity to invest in team sports and various charities.
They thank their vendors and most importantly, their clients for
their loyalty, confidence and patronage.
7107 - 8th Street NW
(P)1 780 456 1061
(F) 1 780 456 1286
[email protected]
www.silent-aire.com
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Congratulations Silent-Aire on your 20 years of Success.
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Experience the true meaning of service and quality
Congratulations Dan and Lindsey!
Your tenacity on the ice is only
surpassed by your tenacity in business.
All the best in your years ahead.
www.collinssteel.com
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“With great people,
we can build great business
and business alliances”
CONGRATULATIONS ON
YOUR 20TH
ANNIVERSARY
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Congratulations Silent-Aire
on 20 years!
Silent-Aire
Edmonton Fasteners &
Tools is proud to play a
part in your success.
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16409 - 111 Avenue
Edmonton, AB T5M 2S2
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9619 - 42 Avenue
Edmonton, AB T6E 5R2
P: 780.434.3666
F: 780.437.6858
Toll Free: 1.866.296.5461
If you can’t glue it...
screw it!
Congratulates
Silent-Aire Manufacturing Ltd.
on their
ANNIVERSA
TH
R
0
2
Y
www.insyncsupply.com
Congratulations
150 English Drive, Moncton, NB, E1E 4G7
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It is my privilege to work with ownership and
the leaders within Silent-Aire. I am so proud
of you all. Your success is well deserved!
Congratulations on your 20th anniversary!
- John Cutler
www.johncutlercoaching.com Ph: 780-616-0964
Congratulations
Silent Aire
on your
20th Anniversary!
Silent-Aire Manufacturing Inc. | 20th Anniversary | 7