Employees at KTI have the knowledge, skills, and technologies needed to partner with customers on all stages of projects.Supplied
Kyle Giedraitis says he was impressed when a former classmate he’d kept in touch with since they were in the same MBA program told him how much he was enjoying working with KTI Limited. The Aurora, Ont.-based company provides an extensive range of infrastructure products and customizable services to the natural gas, water and electricity utility industries across Canada.
“My friend kept on talking about how it’s a terrific place to work,” Giedraitis recalls. “He told me it’s a stable, family-owned company with an excellent culture. They’re committed to a strong sense of community and want employees to enjoy a good work-life balance.”
So, Giedraitis submitted a job application and, in September 2024, he began work as a senior project manager with a KTI division that provides water infrastructure installation and maintenance services for utilities across Canada.
“It’s the easiest transition I’ve ever made,” says Giedraitis, who had acquired relevant work experience with previous employers. “From the moment I started at KTI, I felt like a member of the team.
“The senior leadership team have an open-door policy and are very approachable. There’s no micromanaging — they have a lot of trust in their people. I really appreciate the ability to tackle any challenge, and when I do need some support, there’s always somebody to help troubleshoot.”
Giedraitis is one of more than 300 employees who have joined KTI as it expanded in recent years. Another sign of that growth is the number of offices and state-of-the- art facilities the company now operates throughout Canada.
President Chris Teehan, who joined KTI as a sales manager in 1998, says the company originally focused on industrial distribution of utility infrastructure products. By working with industry-leading manufacturers and maintaining deep local inventories, KTI enabled utility customers to access precisely what they needed — reliably, efficiently and just when they needed it.
Playing a central role in the supply chain remains a key part of KTI’s business. The company has thrived since it was founded in 1988, building a foundation of steady, recurring growth. Then, in 2019, the family owners stepped back and appointed Teehan as president to help drive a faster pace of expansion.
The solution? Develop and implement new products, services and processes.
Today, KTI’s highly qualified subject-matter experts and their teams have the knowledge, skills and advanced technologies to partner with customers on all stages of their infrastructure projects, from planning and managing to providing specialized post-sales, installation and maintenance services.
Customers have welcomed these developments, Teehan says. “We have long-term relationships with many of our customers and we’ve developed a lot of goodwill,” he says. “They rely on us to anticipate and understand their needs.”
The growth and diversification of the business also mean KTI can provide more opportunities for career advancement than ever before, Teehan says. The company also has updated policies and programs to support employees’ career growth with professional development and training opportunities as well as mentorships.
To help employees discover the variety of potential career paths, KTI encourages them to learn about and try working in different areas of the business. As the company grows, it’s also a chance to meet people they might not otherwise encounter.
Helping people connect also reflects KTI’s commitment to maintaining the core values of a small family business as the company grows. Giedraitis says he sees those values in action every day — and it starts with those who lead by example. “Everybody here,” he says, “is professional and operates with a lot of integrity.”
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Advertising feature produced by Canada’s Top 100 Employers, a division of Mediacorp Canada Inc. The Globe and Mail’s editorial department was not involved.