Press Release

FOR RELEASE
NOVEMBER 22, 2005

ALSIP’S – THE COMPANY THAT HELPED BUILD WINNIPEG,
LITERALLY BRICK-BY-BRICK --
MARKS 100 YEARS IN BUSINESS IN MANITOBA

Fifth Generation of Alsips Now Shaping Future of Family Business

WINNIPEG– Alsip’s, the company that helped build Winnipeg, literally brick-by-brick, marked its 100th year in business in Manitoba today with a celebration that showcased the firm’s proud and diverse history.

Renowned for its signature brick and masonry products which were used to build some of Winnipeg’s most significant residential, institutional and commercial buildings, including the Manitoba Legislature and many Exchange District buildings, the enterprise was incorporated as Alsip’s Brick, Tile and Lumber Company on November 20, 1905.

Founded by William Alsip, who came from Chicago in the late 1800s -- intent, perhaps, on making Winnipeg the ‘Chicago of the North’ -- the company has been handed down from father to son through five generations.

Company president Wayne Alsip, who began working in the business with his father Frank in the early 1960s and became president in 1986, said, “In preparing to mark our centennial, we learned so much about the company’s early years and gained a greater appreciation for the incredible work my great grandfather and grandfather did in establishing Alsip’s as a major player in masonry, lumber and coal supply.”

Today, Alsip’s Industrial Products Ltd. -- as it was renamed in 1995 -- sources masonry and stucco products from across North America to supply clients throughout Manitoba and Western Canada. Its products are used in commercial, institutional and residential building projects. The Asper Research Centre and Inn at the Forks are just two of the recent projects with which Alsip’s has been involved.

Winnipeg City Councillor Lillian Thomas participated in the centennial celebration, offering congratulations and best wishes as Alsip’s advanced into its second century of operation. 

Also on hand were Wayne Alsip’s sons Jason, director of national sales, and Brad, the company’s general manager.

“Throughout its history, Alsip’s has been fortunate to have loyal, long-time customers and dedicated employees whose years of experience have been fundamental to the company’s success,” Jason Alsip said.

“Our role now – as the fifth generation in the family business -- is to build on the company’s solid foundation and customer base by adapting to the ever-evolving marketplace, just as our predecessors did. The goal is to ensure Alsip’s next 100 years are as successful as its first,” he added.

Alsip’s Industrial Products, which supplies building industry professionals with a full line of brick, stone and stucco products as well as fireplaces and wood stoves, is located at 1 Cole Avenue in Winnipeg.

To learn more about the company and its products, visit www.alsips.com

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MEDIA, PLEASE NOTE: MORE INFORMATON ABOUT ALSIP’S HISTORY, ITS MAJOR PROJECTS, AND CURRENT OPERATION ARE PROVIDED ON THE FACTSHEET WHICH FOLLOWS.

IF YOU REQUIRE ADDITIONAL INFORMATION OR WOULD LIKE TO ARRANGE AN INTERVIEW, PLEASE CONTACT:

Jason Alsip                               OR                   Laurie Nealin, media relations coordinator
Winnipeg                                                         Winnipeg
(204) 667-3330                                              (204) 253-5926
Jason@alsips.com