Canada's Top Small & Medium Employers (2025) - Flipbook - Page 46
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CANADA'S TOP SMALL & MEDIUM EMPLOYERS (2025)
KTI maintains its family values as the business grows
M
aintaining the values
of a small family
business as it expands
across the country is
not easy. But at KTI Limited, an
Aurora, Ont.-based distributor
of gas, oil, electricity and water
products for Canadian utilities
and pipelines, a focus on trust
and communication has helped
its employees feel engaged and
valued through that growth.
Chris Teehan started selling
products for KTI 28 years ago, and
he’s now the company’s president.
“We are still a family business,
with the same values that the Iwai
family has maintained throughout
the years, we are just a larger family now. We continue to treat our
vendor partners, customers and
employees like family members,”
he says. “Six years ago, the owners
decided to step back and asked
me to lead it, and I’ve just tried
to add onto that foundation they
established.”
The company has grown rapidly
over the past few years, adding
offices in other provinces and
launching a division that provides installation services for its
utility customers. That led to an
acknowledgment that more formalized employee programs were
necessary to manage that growth.
So, they added benefit plans and
professional development and
leadership training, as well as opportunities for staff to learn about
and move into the different areas
of the business.
“We have multiple disciplines
now, and we’re trying to communicate more about opportunities
across the entire business, so
folks in core distribution can get
experience in utility services, and
folks on the services side can come
to the core business,” Teehan says.
“We also offer mentorships, and
if employees want to get more
training or go back to school, we’ll
support them.”
Michelle Williams, KTI’s inventory analyst, has been with the
company for seven years. “When I
started, I immediately felt engaged
and part of the family,” she says.
“The senior leadership team
are approachable and open and
lead with integrity. They trusted
me and my decisions from the
beginning, and I thrive in that
environment. I have autonomy to
take on new or unique projects
and run with them, which is a
good feeling.”
Williams also appreciates the
company’s focus on employee
wellness, which includes a hybrid
work schedule, an employee assistance program, an on-site gym
with a personal trainer who comes
in once a week and even financial
wellness sessions.
“That work-life flexibility has
been a game changer,” she says.
“People are happier and more
productive. The gym is fabulous,
and there’s also a trail walking
club, so people can go for a walk
on their lunch break and talk
“THE SENIOR LEADERSHIP TEAM ARE APPROACHABLE
AND OPEN AND LEAD WITH INTEGRITY. THEY
TRUSTED ME AND MY DECISIONS FROM THE
BEGINNING, AND I THRIVE IN THAT ENVIRONMENT.”
Employees at KTI Limited participate in a trade show demonstration.
— Michelle Williams, Inventory Analyst
