"Look after your customers the way you would want to be looked after, and business will look after itself."

It's an old and well used phrase, but it still holds true today and it reflects Bartle & Gibson Co. Ltd.'s philosophy from the company's inception, in 1944., to the present day.

In 1944 Mr. Charlie Bartle, a businessman in Victoria BC, and Mr. Cecil Gibson, a businessman in Vancouver BC, joined together to start up a plumbing and heating wholesale. Their first two places of business were a small store on Robson Street in Vancouver, near Stanley Park, and another on Yates Street in Victoria; Mr. Bartle was the manager in Victoria while Mr. Gibson managed the Vancouver branch.

In 1951 The company opened their first branch in Alberta, on 118 Ave and 72 Street Edmonton. During the 50's and 60's B&G opened other branches in Edmonton, Calgary, Medicine Hat, Yellowknife, New Westminster, North Vancouver, and Surrey. In the 70's and 80's B&G continued to expand, opening new branches in BC and Alberta, as well as adding electrical products to their distribution portfolio in 1983.

Today, B&G consists of 31 branches spread throughout BC, Alberta, and the Northwest Territories. There are 2 main distribution points for the company - one in Port Coquitlam, which serves the BC branches, and one in Edmonton that serves the Alberta branches, as well as being the operational Head Office and main accounting centre.

B&G employs approximately 350 people company-wide, is privately owned, and is 100% Western Canadian. Their focus is local, but their business scope is global. B&G has directly supplied materials for large projects in China, Siberia, and the high Arctic. Customer service and satisfaction are what B&G is all about - they strive to look after all of their customers, all of the time.

B&G's former President/CEO, John Kendall, put it best when he said:

"At B&G, we are very conscious of our history and our ability to look after our customers. We sincerely understand the role we play within our industry and we continue to strive for excellence. By combining good people, the latest technology, and quality products we are able to serve our customers better and be their vendor of choice."