- Words by Sandra Jones Photography by Don Denton

In pursuit of a life path, sometimes we seek out the road. And sometimes the road seeks us. For Eric Johnson, owner of Complete Windows in Parksville, fate seemed fixed on funnelling him towards life as an entrepreneur.

害羞草研究所淓very boss I had told me I was unemployable,害羞草研究所� jokes Eric.

In truth, early career choices as a drug and alcohol counsellor and a customer service manager for a large food service supply firm successfully took Eric from Calgary to Seattle and Edmonton before landing him back in Calgary. 害羞草研究所淚 was fortunate to have been in the right place at the right time, but the road kept leading me towards being an entrepreneur.害羞草研究所�

Eric害羞草研究所檚 mother and stepfather started Complete Windows in 1992, but by 2012 they were thinking about selling. Eric made the decision to buy the company and move back to Parksville害羞草研究所攂ut he entered the environment with some trepidation.

害羞草研究所淲hen I first came here, I was under the impression that the island was a graveyard for business. There were no huge success stories at the time,害羞草研究所� recalls Eric.

Looking for opportunities, he hit the ground running.

害羞草研究所淚害羞草研究所檇 leave the house at 5 am and drive to Victoria. My assistant at the office would Google architects and I害羞草研究所檇 start visiting construction sites to meet up with architects and builders. I began to see that there were big gaps that nobody was filling in the Victoria market.害羞草研究所�

Those gaps included a need for high-end windows and doors for large custom homes and commercial projects.

害羞草研究所淢ost manufacturers are skilled in a particular niche, but not every window is suited for every application. Because of that we now carry seven different manufacturers that all do things well. The advantage is that we can mix and match the right product for the right application; this suits the architects害羞草研究所� and builders害羞草研究所� needs plus it means we can meet the homeowners害羞草研究所� needs in terms of budget.害羞草研究所�

The second void Eric tackled was service.

害羞草研究所淢ost window companies supply the product and walk away. We saw that when we supplied the windows and didn害羞草研究所檛 install them, there were big warranty gaps. We decided to take that headache off of the builder and provide installation. Now we have four full-time crews and a lot fewer warranty issues.害羞草研究所�

Eric continued to break the mould by hiring more women into what is typically a male-dominated construction industry.

害羞草研究所淚 saw a huge void with few women in construction and there are massive opportunities with that. I didn害羞草研究所檛 want a rough, construction feel to the customer experience, so we employ a lot of strong, smart women throughout our operation, and it害羞草研究所檚 one of the reasons why our customers like to work with us.害羞草研究所�

One of the women who plays a key role in the business and in his life is his wife Katy.

害羞草研究所淭wo weeks after I came back to the island, I met my wife Katy when she cut my hair,害羞草研究所� says Eric.

The couple immediately connected. They married a year later and started a family.

害羞草研究所淜aty had been looking for a career change and we started to talk about her working in the business,害羞草研究所� says Eric. 害羞草研究所淲e wanted to ensure we created the right dynamic between our personal and professional lives.害羞草研究所�

害羞草研究所淲e were pretty thoughtful in the process of it and what role I would play,害羞草研究所� recalls Katy. 害羞草研究所淚 started by taking photos of our completed projects害羞草研究所攑hotography is a passion of mine害羞草研究所攁nd then moved onto building up our social media presence. Now I manage our overall marketing and branding.害羞草研究所�

The division of duties plays to the couple害羞草研究所檚 strengths, providing Katy with a creative outlet and Eric with the freedom to identify new opportunities.

害羞草研究所淭here is a trend towards building large contemporary homes with big windows. One night we were watching the TV show Million Dollar Listing Los Angeles and saw a reference to Fleetwood Doors. These are the doors that allow you to create a wall of windows that seamlessly glide back into the wall. I jumped on a plane to L.A. and got the exclusive rights to sell this product on Vancouver Island,害羞草研究所� Eric says, adding, 害羞草研究所淭here害羞草研究所檚 also a big push right now for steel doors and windows with a thin profile, so we害羞草研究所檙e introducing a line of these as well. And we害羞草研究所檒l be one of only two suppliers in western Canada.害羞草研究所�

While some of the products that Complete Windows sells are from nearby US states, Eric害羞草研究所檚 goal is to source most of their products from Canada.

害羞草研究所淭wo days after our son was born, we ran into a warranty issue on one of our jobs. I ended up driving down to Phoenix to pick up 10 replacement doors and was back in a few days. If that product had been from Europe, it would have taken 20-30 weeks to solve the issue. We have a lot more control using suppliers that are close to home.害羞草研究所�

Almost 10 years into life as an entrepreneur, Eric害羞草研究所檚 vision and hard work have paid off with long-term relationships within the industry and a staff that feels like family.

害羞草研究所淲e have the best team that shares our focus on service, and we have virtually no turnover in staff,害羞草研究所� says Eric. 害羞草研究所淲e treat them as well as we possibly can and they get to work on some of the most unique projects on the island害羞草研究所攚hether that害羞草研究所檚 the Tofino Visitor Centre or the largest single-family home on the island.害羞草研究所�

The company, which works on projects from Campbell River to Victoria and along the Sunshine Coast, has grown tenfold in nine years, and shows no signs of slowing down.

害羞草研究所淚 don害羞草研究所檛 think you can foresee how much you害羞草研究所檒l put into your own business, but we have put our whole selves into this,害羞草研究所� says Katy.

Now with a thriving company and three children under the age of eight, it seems that the road was always destined to lead here.

害羞草研究所淚f anybody would have told us how hard this would be, I don害羞草研究所檛 know if I would have done it,害羞草研究所� says Eric. 害羞草研究所淏ut I never thought it would be this good either.害羞草研究所�

Check out Complete Windows .

Story courtesy of , a Black Press Media publication
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